What is online presence and why is it important for a local business? In this article, we discuss how to give your local business an online presence and how to maintain it.
How to Give Your Local Business an Online Presence
Businesses are becoming more and more digital, meaning that companies are no longer reliant on physical storefronts to sell their products or services. And while word of mouth referrals often provide local businesses with new customers, having an online presence can offer even greater opportunities.
Let’s dive into all the ways in which a local business can create and maintain an online presence for today’s increasingly digital world.
What is Online Presence?
Online presence refers to all the content and activity that is created by and about a person or business. This means all of the interactions with others, news, accounts and brand assets available to the online public.
Why Online Presence is Important for Local Businesses
Online presence has become something a necessity for any business to survive in the long term.
An online presence gives local businesses a way to connect with potential customers who are searching for them on the web. Local businesses also have the opportunity to build their brand and get more exposure which can help bring in more customers who did not know about them before.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the major ways to create (and maintain) an online presence.
6 Top Steps to Creating a Local Presence Online
Build a Website
A website is a must-have for any business that wants to succeed in this day and age. Websites are the virtual storefronts of the modern age and your website is your company’s online presence.
This presence, when coupled with a fantastic SEO strategy (mentioned in the next section) may increase your local business’ potential to reach customers across all corners of the world.
The more visible you are, the more customers you have the chance of gaining.
Websites can be built in a variety of ways, with different prices and different features depending on what you need. But there’s one thing these different types have in common – they all need to be updated regularly so that they stay fresh and relevant for their audience!
Don’t know where to start? We may be able to help you find a website builder!
SEO
A website is only effective if it has been built with SEO (search engine optimization) in mind.
Search engine optimization is a process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s unpaid results – often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” results.
Local SEO is the process of optimizing web pages, content and backlinks for local search. This means that the website will be more visible for people searching for services, products, etc. in a particular area or region.
There are many benefits to SEO for creating an online presence for your local business, some of which include:
- Targeting quality traffic.
- Increases organic discovery.
- Targets the entire marketing funnel.
- Improves the user experience and usability of your website.
Don’t have time to learn SEO? We provide expert SEO services that will bring more qualified traffic to your website, generate more leads and increase your ranking!
Blogging
Blogging is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your company is visible online. It can be used as a marketing tool, whereby your blog posts are shared with followers on social media.
It also provides information for potential clients or visitors who might not know about you or your products/services. This is especially useful if you are new to the digital marketing world and don’t have any online presence yet.
Some benefits of blogging include:
- Repurposing content for social media
- Providing brand awareness
- Increases keyword universe (the number of traffic driving terms to your website)
Blogging has so many benefits, therefore it’s important that every business has a well-thought-out content strategy in place to be successful.
Do you feel like blogging is too time-consuming? Or do you think no one reads blogs anymore? We can help your business overcome the challenges of content marketing by providing a smart content strategy and even help write blog posts as part of a holistic SEO strategy.
Social Media
Social media for business is a great way to have exposure to your business, connect with potential clients, and create brand awareness. Social media has become so important for businesses that it has become the number one place where people are looking for information about companies.
According to Hubspot, “[i]n 2020, 42% of people used social media channels for product research.”
Choosing the right social media platform to use is crucial – you want one that is popular among your target demographic. You also want one where you can post content easily and share promotions with ease.
The 3 largest social media platforms in 2022 are Facebook, Instagram and TikTok according to TechCrunch.
Local Listings
One of the best ways to make your business known is by getting mentioned on relevant online directories.
Online directories and listing sites are one of the best ways to get your business known. They are a great source for information about your business, and they can help people find you in their area.
As a bonus, submitting your website to online directories can help with your Local SEO when you show consistent NAP (name, address and phone number) and provide a link to your website.
Submitting to online directories is just one part of the Local SEO strategy for our clients.
Online Advertising
The online advertising market is booming and, according to Mordor Intelligence, is predicted to “grow at a CAGR OF 14.3% over the forecast period (2021-2026).”
The pandemic reduced the number of individuals leaving their homes and increased attraction for online activities which were factors taken into account for this forecast.
The future of online advertising looks very bright and promising for brand awareness and business growth.
Of course, for already short-staffed small businesses, owners may not be looking to wear yet another hat. We can provide online advertising services to fit your budget.
Other Ways to Create & Maintain an Online Presence
Thanks to the digital world we live in, there are so many opportunities to create an online presence for your business. Some additional recommendations are listed below.
- Guest Posting
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Online Networking
- Mobile Marketing Strategies
- Email Marketing
I Have a Website But I Don’t Know Marketing…
Small business owners are strapped for time, and we understand this! Luckily for you, we are experts in digital marketing and our mission is to help rank your website, bring in qualified leads and increase your revenue.
When you hire us for your SEO and PPC needs, we act as partners to understand your business goals and create and implement a customized strategy for you.
Contact us to learn how we can help you, today.
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