Believe it or not, philosophers still debate whether a tree that falls alone in a forest makes a sound. The answer to this question, of sound made for the hearing, remains unknowable.
Business owners can skip this argument. In the business world, existence means being perceived—and the easier it is to perceive you, the better off you are.
Many businesses invest heavily in efforts to increase the likelihood consumers will encounter them online. The outcome of these efforts is known as a business’s online presence. Here’s what that means, why it’s important, and 10 ways to improve yours.
What is online presence?
Online presence (or web presence) is the visibility and reputation of a business online. Your business’s online presence consists of all your online channels, including your website, social media profiles, digital ads, and online portfolios. It also includes mentions of your brand by others, content customers create about your company, and any media or press coverage that references your brand.
An online presence means it is easy to find your company online and that your reputation is good. A weak one means there’s limited information about your company online or that you have a poor reputation in those spaces.
How can I improve my online presence?
Improving your online presence is a whole-business effort that involves direct and indirect strategies. Here’s a strategy breakdown:
Direct strategies: Direct strategies involve improving the channels and content you control, such as your website, social media accounts, and any paid content placements or online ads.
Indirect strategies: Indirect strategies encourage audiences to create content about your brand. They include user-generated content (UGC) campaigns and efforts to increase brand awareness and improve audience relationships.
Who is responsible for online presence management?
If you’re a solopreneur, you’ll have to manage your business’s online presence on your own. At larger companies, online presence management can involve multiple teams, including:
Marketing: Your marketing team manages your website content and social media presence, handles search engine optimization (SEO), and is responsible for activities that indirectly affect your online presence, like email marketing and events.
Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO directly supports your online presence by improving your business’s online discoverability. Companies may have a separate SEO team, or it may fall within the purview of a business’s marketing department.
Web design and development: A high-quality website lets audiences interact with your content and products and improves your discoverability through search.
Online advertising: Paid promotions—such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads—increase your online visibility and can help you expand your audience reach.
Public relations: PR focuses on generating positive media coverage about your brand. Digital coverage directly increases your online presence, and broadcast or print media can improve it indirectly.
Customer service: Customer service is a key indirect driver of online presence because high-quality customer experiences encourage clients to promote your company, while poor ones can damage it by generating negative chatter and poor reviews.
Why is a strong online presence important for businesses?
Improving your online presence puts you in front of more potential customers, keeps you top-of-mind with your existing customer base, and builds trust in your business—all of which can increase conversion. Here’s an overview of the benefits:
Builds brand awareness: Improving your online presence builds awareness with target audiences by providing visibility. If there is a lot of positive content about your brand online, the likelihood that a new customer will encounter this content increases.
Increases sales: Once customers have found you, an online presence in the form of an ecommerce store can help you boost sales. For online shoppers, having a well-designed online store that showcases all your offerings can be the deciding factor in making a purchase.
Boosts legitimacy: A strong online presence encourages potential customers to trust you, which can be particularly important for small businesses with low name recognition. Many consumers will search for your company and scan content on other channels such as social media or industry websites to determine if they’re dealing with a legitimate business before purchasing.
Improves customer communication: A positive online presence also makes it easier for current and potential customers to locate and contact your company. A high-quality website with multiple contact options, including live chat, email, and contact forms, as well as an active presence on social media channels encourages customers to reach out, boosting brand engagement and improving your audience intelligence.
Strategies for building an online presence for your business
Here are 10 tips to help you improve your online presence, including both internal and external strategies:
1. Join online directories: Create listings in local business and search engine directories. Start by claiming your Google Business Profile and ensuring your business information is correct. Then sign up for a profile or business account on other leading search engines like Yahoo and Bing and local online listing sites like Yelp and the Yellow Pages.
2. Implement a guest posting strategy: Guest posts are pieces of content that you create for other sites or that other creators create for your site. This is a great way to introduce your brand to new audiences.
3. Create valuable content: Content marketing involves creating educational, entertaining, or informative content and using it to increase authority and build trust in your brand. Produce content that provides value to your target customers and post it to your website and social media profiles.
4. Partner with influencers: Influencer marketing can improve your online reputation and secure positive coverage for your business on channels not controlled by your brand. It’s particularly valuable for boosting authority with niche audiences.
5. Perform an SEO audit: An SEO audit can help you boost your search engine results page (SERP) rankings by identifying strengths and weaknesses in your current SEO strategy. It addresses on-page, off-page, and technical performance.
6. Optimize for local search: Local SEO increases the visibility of your site to consumers in your geographic area. You can improve local search performance by adding location details to your business listings, social media profiles, and site content and by targeting location-specific keywords and backlinks.
7. Run ads: If you have the budget, paid advertising is a quick way to get your business in front of more people. There are four main online ad types: search engine, social media, display, and hybrid.
8. Monitor your presence: Monitoring your website traffic and online reputation can help you evaluate the impacts of your efforts. Reputation monitoring also allows you to proactively respond to negative comments or coverage.
9. Encourage UGC: User-generated content (UGC) is the content consumers publish about your brand. Run a contest or interact on social channels to encourage users to create and share content about your brand.
10. Provide a high-quality customer experience: Product and service quality are the foundation of your online presence. Build quality products that meet consumer needs, and use customer feedback to make them even better. To improve customer service, provide multiple ways to contact your business, answer questions promptly, and follow up to confirm issue resolution.
Online presence FAQ
What is an online presence?
Your online presence is the total representation of your company online. It includes content you create, channels you manage, user-generated content, and any media or press coverage that references your brand.
How do you build a strong online presence?
Here are four ways to improve your online presence:
Post content that provides value to your target audience.
Join online business directories and keep your information up to date.
Partner with influencers or run paid advertisements.
Optimize your site for mobile-friendly display.
What channels can you use to build an online presence for your business?
You can build your online presence through channels you own, like your online website and social media accounts. You can also purchase paid ads or sponsored content, optimize your content for search, and encourage audiences to create and publish content about your brand.
In conclusion, having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses in today’s digital age. By implementing the strategies mentioned above, you can improve your visibility, build brand awareness, increase sales, and enhance customer communication. Remember, a well-managed online presence can set you apart from your competitors and help you succeed in the ever-evolving online marketplace.
