By Pep Canals, on 29 July 2021
Today, having a solid online presence is essential for marketing purposes and for the overall success of any business. Whatever your industry, your customers are likely to find you online so you need to be there when they search for what you are offering.
Developing your online presence not only helps potential new customers find you, it also improves your brand's reputation and is a long-term investment in the health of your business. Let's take a look at 20 ways to increase your online presence right now.
20 Ways to Improve Your Online Presence
1. Maintain Your Website
They say that first impressions are important, and in the case of online presence, they are right. For most users, your website is your brand's calling card.
Therefore, the first step is to take a good look at the state of your website. If it looks like it hasn't been updated since 2001 or has usability problems, you'll definitely need to improve it.
2. Make Your Marketing Mobile
Google has long prioritized mobile content in its rankings, so having a mobile-friendly site is essential.
To get even more out of it, think about how to adapt your mobile strategy. For example, consider podcasts, voice search, mobile-specific search ads. or geofencing (messages that are sent when a person passes by your business).
3. Implement an SEO Strategy
Only 49% of small businesses invest in SEO, yet it is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve your online presence. Having a good position in search engines means making it easy for your potential customers to find you.
Ranking at the top of Google searches takes time, but if you succeed, you will have a source of free visitors for a long, long time. Study the best SEO practices and then implement them because they are worth the investment.
4. Don't Forget About SEO on Social Networks
When people think of SEO, they usually think about positioning in search engines like Google. But the truth is that social networks have their own search boxes and their roles can be very important in strengthening your brand's online presence.
In reality, YouTube is one of the most popular search engines worldwide. If you have a channel or post videos, think about how to strategically place keywords to make it easier for people to find you and see your content .
5. Fine-Tune Your SEM Strategy
SEO is essential to be visible in search engines, but it usually takes time to see results. If you want to be found immediately, it can be a very good idea to place paid ads on search engines through a SEM solution such as Google Ads. Moreover, both strategies can be complementary because some keywords are more useful for organic positioning and others are better for placing ads.
6. Utilize Remarketing
One of the great challenges of online marketing today is that customer journeys are increasingly complex, with multiple points of contact, channels, and devices. Nonetheless, remarketing is useful because allows you to get back in touch with users who already know you and move them forward on the path to conversion.
7. Try Google Local Services Ads
Google Local Services ads appear at the top of the SERP. Also, if you follow the registration process, they appear with a Google check mark. This helps you improve your online presence by being more visible when users search for you.
8. Create a Google My Business profile for your company
Google My Business is an absolutely essential tool for companies with physical stores, as it allows you to position yourself in local searches and lets your potential customers to find you. To get the best results, complete all the data in your listing and update it regularly. Pay special attention to opening hours, especially during holidays and vacations.
9. Ask Your Customers for Reviews
Reviews are a key factor for positioning in Google My Business. Of course, to get good reviews it is essential to provide great service, but don't stop there. Actively ask your customers for feedback and make sure you respond quickly to any issues that may generate negative reviews.
10. Create Quality Content
Content marketing is another excellent way to invest in a brand's long-term visibility. One of the most popular resources is to create a company blog and update it regularly. This way you will be contributing positively to the SEO of the page.
Whatever format you choose, remember that the most important thing is to keep your buyer persona in mind and create the type of content that can be most useful to them.
11. Use Guest Posting
Do you know of other blogs in your industry that have a good number of visits and interactions? It's time to network and look for guest posting opportunities.
Guest posting involves posting on other blogs related to yours, often with a link that takes users back to your website. It's a great way to reach new people who might be interested in what you have to offer.
12. Create Video Content
Video is a highly shareable format, which generates more interaction and is generally more memorable, so it's definitely worth investing in.
There are many different ways to incorporate videos into your strategy. You can create a YouTube channel, embed videos in your blog posts or in social posts, broadcast live, make short videos for TikTok or Stories, etc. You have a lot of possibilities to improve your online presence with videos!
13. Make Your Content Accessible
There is growing awareness of the need to create accessible content (e.g. for people with visual or hearing impairments), but it is not yet as widespread as it should be. Nonetheless, it's a surefire way to increase your brand's reach to people who might not otherwise be able to access it.
14. Don't Overdo It With Social Networks
This advice is a bit counter-intuitive, as you might think that the more social networks you are on, the more visible you will be. The truth is that it is better to concentrate your efforts and offer quality rather than quantity.
When choosing which social networks to focus on, think about which ones your target audience uses the most and remember that each one has its own tone and way of communicating, so you will have to adapt your messages to connect with the audience.
15. Focus on Interaction, Not Followers
Another example of quality over quantity is the number of followers on social networks. It used to be thought that more was always better, but over time it has become evident that the key to a good online presence is interaction. Therefore, rather than increasing the number of followers, think about how to reach the audience you want to engage with.
16. Generate Emotions With Your Posts
Since the time of Aristotle, we have known that appealing to emotions is very powerful, and this is as valid in today's digital marketing as it was in ancient Greek.
According to data from Buffer, posts on social networks with a high level of emotional pull are shared more. This isn't surprising, since we all want to share the things that impact us or surprise us with our contacts. So if you want to improve your online presence, think about how to bring that emotional touch to your brand.
17. Interact With Your Followers
We have already mentioned that interaction is key and that quality is worth more than quantity, so make the most of your social media profiles and, in particular, make sure you always respond to your followers and feed the conversation.
18. Advertise on Social Media
Social ads are a great option to increase your online presence, as they allow you to expand the reach of your posts. Thanks to all the information that social networks have about their users, they allow you to make a highly segmented advertising campaigns and target the audience that you are looking for.
19. Utilize Email Marketing
Did you know that 99% of email users check their emails every day? Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies in terms of ROI and can help you strengthen your online presence by establishing a closer relationship with the people on your mailing list. It's a resource you can't afford to miss out on.
20. Expand Your Network
Your online presence doesn't just involve what you say, it also includes what others say about you. If you want to be visible on the internet, don't hesitate to reach out to others who can help you, from your customers and your employees, to influencers or business owners you've worked with or would like to work with. Just keep in touch with them and offer them something of value.
