In today’s world, businesses that don’t have a presence online can’t compete for market share. For centuries, markets were local – products were sold within a town or village – and people would often visit the same small shops many times over the years. Today, though, markets are global, and it’s essential for businesses to have a presence online in order to be able to reach potential customers.
When you establish a business website, you are in effect launching a fully fledged marketing campaign. Not only will customers be able to learn about your products and services with the click of a mouse, but you’ll also be able to take advantage of the many online marketing tools available to drive traffic to your website and grow your business.
Build A Memorable Brand
When creating an online presence, it’s important to do so using a memorable brand. Customers will visit your site because it’s associated with a well-known and respected brand, rather than because they randomly stumbled upon it. Since it’s so easy to remember, customers will often visit your site simply to learn more about your brand.
Even better, customers can become lifelong brand advocates if you connect with them on a personal level through content that is both engaging and informative. For example, when establishing the English cricket site, CricInfo, as a hub for information on the sport, we wanted to build a brand that was approachable, authoritative, and quirky at the same time. To ensure that our readers remember us when it comes time to buy a cricket product or attend a cricket match, we use our expertise to identify the issues that our readers care about most and give them the information they need in an easy-to-understand format.
By establishing a brand that is approachable, authoritative, and memorable, your business will stand out among the competition.
Grow Your Audience With Blogs, Interviews, And Videos
Blogs are a fantastic way to establish an authoritative voice within your industry and attract new customers to your brand. They can be quite affordable to establish, and the content that you put out will be available for free to whoever visits your site. Having an authoritative voice within your industry will enable you to attract potential customers who are seeking information on your niche and take advantage of the many online tools that can drive traffic to your site.
If you’re looking to establish an authoritative voice within your industry, consider starting a blog (or joining an established one). Not only will you be able to educate potential customers on the essentials of your industry, but you can also use your blog to promote your products. Since most industries have a fairly high level of interest in the topic, you’re sure to have at least a few readers who are seeking your expert opinion on the matter.
Use Social Media To Grow Your Audience
With the rise of social media, it’s become easier for businesses to establish an online presence. Consumers have grown to expect a certain level of engagement from brands and businesses they follow, and these days nobody really has the attention span for lengthy articles and endless streams of text. Instead, they are constantly scanning the internet for content that is both entertaining and informative.
The trick is to always keep your content interesting and relevant, and to make sure that you are using the right social media platforms to reach your target audience. If you’re just starting out, it might be beneficial to look into investing in a social media management platform, such as Hootsuite or Buffer, to help you automate and streamline your social media marketing efforts.
Establish A Presence On The First Page Of Search Engines
In the past, finding a buyer for your products meant walking down the aisles of a supermarket or department store searching for the best price. Now, with so much competition, that strategy won’t get you very far. To outbid your competitors, you need to make sure that they can’t outbid you. One way of doing this is by making sure that your website appears on the first page of search engine results for relevant keywords. Of course, you don’t want to spam the search engines, and instead, you want to establish a presence that is both authoritative and helpful to customers.
To determine what keywords are most relevant to your business, consider creating a brief list of keywords and phrases that you feel are representative of your industry. Then, look into the keywords and phrases that your competitors are using and see how you fare against the competition. To ensure that your website appears on the first page of search engine results for relevant keywords, try using keywords in your headlines, subtitles, and throughout your content. If you’re worried about appearing too similar to your competitors, consider using a service like Google Keyword Planner to get keyword ideas that are both highly relevant and unique to your industry.
Make Sure That Your Website Is Accessible
Since your website is going to be the face of your business everywhere that the internet reaches, it’s important to make sure that it is accessible to everyone. One way of doing this is by using a service like W3C HTML Validator to check your website for any errors in markup. Another way of making sure that your website is accessible is by testing it out on different devices and ensuring that everything looks the same across all of them. This ensures that someone with a visual impairment won’t have any trouble navigating your website.
Keep Your Content Fresh
With so much competition, it’s easy for businesses to get trapped in a rut and start repeating the same tactics that got them where they are. To make sure that your content is fresh and you’re not falling into this trap, consider creating content that is both timely and unique. To be able to establish an authoritative voice in your industry, you’re going to need to produce content that is both informative and interesting. To ensure that your content is fresh, you can do one of two things:
- Create regular content that is both interesting and informative
- Join a club or take part in a forum
By participating in regular interviews with thought leaders in your industry, you’re sure to stay fresh and continue establishing yourself as an authoritative source on the topic. Doing this can also help you to build a community of people interested in your niche. If you’re worried about staying relevant, considering creating a podcast and participating in online chats with people in your industry to keep abreast of the latest news and trends.
Monitor Search Engine Results
Since your website is going to be the face of your business everywhere the internet reaches, it’s important to make sure that it is doing its job. One way of doing this is by monitoring your search engine results. To do this, you can use a service like Google Analytics to track the keywords and phrases that get you the most traffic and then adapt your content to fit these terms. It’s also important to monitor the keywords and phrases that are driving customers to your site – these are the keywords and phrases that you should be focusing on when establishing your blog.
To find these keywords and phrases, first log into your Google Analytics account and then consider creating a task for yourself to track these terms manually. This way, you’ll know exactly which words and phrases are getting you the most traffic and can use this information to adapt your content to be both interesting and memorable.
A business website is the best place to establish an authoritative voice if you’re looking to do so in your industry. Not only will customers have easy access to the information they need, but you’ll also be able to take advantage of the many tools that are available to drive traffic to your site. For the best results, make sure that your content is both interesting and unique. Establishing an authoritative voice within your industry will enable you to attract customers who are seeking information on your niche, and having a business website is the best way to ensure that these customers discover you.