9 Ways to Increase Your Online Presence

The use of digital media is becoming an addiction, with an average person spending seven hours a day on them. The Coronavirus pandemic played a significant role in just about doubling the consumption of social media, television, and streaming services, among others.

Apart from a few hours of sleep, people become hobbyists (gamers), Selfie champs (Instagram), social butterflies (Facebook), professionals (LinkedIn), and shopaholics (Amazon). Even our routine is over taken by digital media.

Given that the internet is now an integral part of our lives, all business concerns must maintain a robust online presence for success. Internet sales are through the roof due to Covid-19 as people experience social distancing.

The definition of an effective online presence has evolved with the internet. The emphasis has moved from just having a fantastic website; you need to engage the users and provide them with an enticing user experience.

Here are some tried and tested ways to boost your online presence:

1. You Need an Engaging Website

Having a website is naturally the first step for a solid online presence. The website should have an appealing theme and engaging content. It should also offer a similarly smooth experience for users accessing it through any device.

Brand Carefully

Be sure to brand the website without making it overwhelming. Be sure to add a call to action to engage more with potential clients.

Optimize for Handheld Devices

Since Google emphasizes indexing mobile version sites, ensure that your website is optimized for cell phones and other handheld devices. Optimize images and codes to ensure a smooth experience for everyone visiting the site.

Work Smarter, not Harder

You don’t need to be a coding expert to create a good website. Instead, use content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Shopify, and Wix. Their inbuilt features will help you through the way.

2. Prioritize your SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is optimizing the website to rank it high on search engine results, especially in Google. The process takes time, but the results are long-lasting.

Let’s have a look at some helpful SEO tips.

• Be creative, target the right keywords, optimize images and use link building to improve the rank of your website in search results.
• Improve the page experience, focus on mobile-first indexing.
• In the SERPs, schema markup can allow you to display rich snippets like ratings and your main navigation menu below the site title.

3. Quality Content with Images

The quality of the content on offer has to be good. People like to share good content that can help others as well. Avoid jargon, and keep your language simple. A layman should be able to connect with your writing.

Why Use Images?

Readers lose focus within no time, and if the content is not engaging, they will bail quickly. Images help in getting more of their attention and add more meaning to the writing.

Present Numbers Tactfully

Numbers often are an integral part of the content. The first few in the text add interest. However, if they keep on coming back, it can be annoying. Instead, use graphs, charts, and infographics to get the message across without losing the audience.

Consider Using Stock Photos

To maximize the visual appeal, use relevant and high-quality stock photos. There are various sites where you can get free stock photos. They save you the expenditure associated with hiring professional photographers.

Fine-tune Images

If you own an eCommerce store or run a business, you almost certainly have products that need to be shown online. In that situation, high-quality photographs will pique your clients’ curiosity. To make this a reality, you’ll need background removal service so you can showcase your products against a white or clean backdrop. To make your photographs more realistic, you may also delete unnecessary items, modify the hue, and add shadows.

4. Build An Email List

Email is one of the most effective ways to reach your intended clients. When your website is up and running, ensure that you encourage people to register to the website or sign up for a newsletter.

You can send out periodic updates about your offers to these email addresses. You can use software to send them all at once without getting flagged as a spammer. These emails are pretty economical and practical at the same time.

5. Link Building with HARO

Link building is very much alive and kicking, although its methods are evolving. One modern tool is HARO, or Help a Reporter Out. It is a website that connects bloggers with journalists who are seeking expert advice on various matters.

You can subscribe to HARO’s email notifications and pitch ideas in your field when needed. The journalists will give you a link to their work if you provide them with quality content. It helps in gaining a larger audience and driving more traffic to your website.

6. Stay Active on Social Media

Social media is probably the most essential tool for getting yourself noticed on the web. With people spending several hours browsing through the different social platforms, the opportunity to reach out to them is unprecedented.

Select your platforms

There are tons of social media platforms out there, and selecting the ones best suited to your business helps. Most companies opt for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other ones more likely to drive traffic to them.

Post Carefully

It feels like a great idea to continuously send out posts about what you’re offering. Never do that. A couple of posts a day are ample. Also, be sure to post general information about your line of work, not just about your business.

Spend on Advertisements

The outreach on social media is massive, but it needs a bit of a push for most businesses. Spend some money on ads, and you will see a return on your investment. Be sure to set up the target audience carefully. It helps in getting the message right where you want it to be.

7. Take Help from Influencers

While we discuss social media, we cannot overlook the role of the influencers. These are social media personalities with some influence of users on one social media platform or the other. Many businesses engage their services for product promotions.

You can partner with these influencers to promote your social media presence quickly. It is mighty effective since it is highly targeted. You need to find an influencer in your niche and let them work their magic.

8. Don’t forget to Blog

Your website needs to have a blog of its own. Pick up topics that relate to your field of work. There is no need to have multiple entries in one go, and even a single write-up a week will do. Just ensure that you post regularly as per the schedule.

The blogs must add value for the readers. Readers often share good blogs, which leads to more following. Be sure to spread the word through social media to give your blog maximum exposure.

9. Experiment, Analyze & Repeat

There is fierce competition among competing websites. The best way forward is to experiment, analyze the results, and repeat whatever works for you.

You must have clearly defined metrics to gauge your success. Use tracking tools like Heatmaps and Google Analytics to analyze your visitors’ behavior.

The approach may take some time before you get the desired results, but it’s worth it. With so much competition, it is better to have long-term success than a short burst of fame that fizzles away.

Closing Note

Increasing online presence takes time. It is essential to try different strategies and analyze the results. Whatever techniques are working for you, rely on them more than others.

You should prioritize your SEO, build an email list, and stay active on social media. Use stock images and high quality to go with your content to make it more engaging.

Lastly, there is no single right or wrong way to increase your online presence. Try different options and see what works the best for you. However, a word of caution; always avoid techniques classified as black hat SEO as they only hurt you in the longer run.