Being On the Internet – Building Web Presence for the Success of Your Business
Have you ever used Google? I am sure that most of you would think what a stupid question is that. In today’s world, where everything is accessible on a small mobile phone, Google is the go to guide for everything. So I believe you know why I am writing this article about web presence.
The simple reason, that be it find the meaning of a word, to search for a service in an area or to buy a product, people have started using internet for almost everything. And this makes it all the more necessary for you to have some web presence. Not just hide in some corner of the World Wide Web; you need to make your presence felt.
Whether you have a home-based business, or a local store, or a chain store, or a national company or a MNC, you definitely need to be having a digital footprint. And believe me when I say, it’s not expensive, it’s cheap and it’s easily manageable. And the best part is, you can monitor the ROI in real-time!
First, let’s talk about what all you need to build that web presence, then we’ll discuss about the costs and how you can save some money.
Requirements:
1) Website:
It’s not necessary to have a fancy website which makes all different kinds of noise or has different images and videos floating here and there; but it’s an absolute necessity to have a website. I would say a website is the first requirement for establishing your web presence. It’s kind of like the foundation.
Get a website designed as per your budget. If you don’t have any, then build one on your own. There are various different sites which provide DIY platforms where you can design a simple website.
All your websites needs to say is, ‘Who You Are,’ ‘What You Do,’ ‘What’s so Special About You,’ and ‘How to Reach You.’ That’s it! Just make sure, that your website is presentable, it gives the same feeling as your store or office place does.
2) Social Media Assets:
The second most important thing you’d require is social media presence. In present times, with all the hype around these networking sites, it’s imperative to have any remarkable web presence without social media accounts for your business.
What I generally suggest everybody is, don’t jump into every social media account you can lay your hands on! Analyze which networking site is most suitable for your business; where you are most likely to find people that would benefit from your product or service; and then concentrate on the network(s).
3) Marketing
Now, even to build web presence, you need to do some marketing. The two tools that you can use to market your website and your social media pages are:
a) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
b) Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Through SEO, you get your website recognized first in the eyes of the Search Engines and then in public. It’s very crucial that everything is done properly, or you can get your website dumped. Basically, what you need to understand about SEO is that your website should have one central keyword, and few related keywords. These keywords should appear naturally in the content of your site. As long as your content is unique and you follow this tip, you should be good. The only other thing you’d be required to do is build links, that is submit details of your website to as many related sites as possible.
SMM would do the rest of the trick of marketing. Once your page is built, don’t leave it idle. Share anything that’s related to your business or to yourself. Initially you’ll have to invite people, but as long as your page has fresh content and people have the freedom to interact with you, you would be able to do just fine. Now, when you’re talking on social media pages, your website would be really important; because that’s where you would direct people if they want something or if they want to know more. So that’s part of your SEO on the go.
These are the three main requirements to build decent Web Presence. And I know most of you are quite aware of almost all of these. That’s why I haven’t discussed SEO and SMM quite in details, as there are plenty of articles that you can read about these two techniques.
Some people don’t build a website, but jump on straight to the social networking sites, but I would suggest that you build a website; it helps you direct people who are interested in your business to your business.
I know that are anxiously waiting for those money saving tips. Well, there are quite a few handy tips that you can follow to save money, while receiving what you want.
Money Saving Tips:
1) Before you go for a website, have a clear idea of what you want. Whether you just want a showcase of your products/services? Do you want to sell through it? Is it just for information? Or any other purpose.
2) You need to have hosting; there are thousands of companies selling it out there. Don’t jump onto the first name you here, do your research. At times, companies offer hosting and domain at very cheap rates.
3) If you don’t have any budget to get the website designed, try some of the free platforms like WordPress or Joomla or Weebly. They are easy to use, have good support forums and you hardly need much of technical knowledge. If you get stuck someplace, there are thousands of support videos on YouTube and the internet.
4) Think of social media as your own page. Just like you’re active and regular in your social media profile, same way treat your business pages.
5)If still things seem alien, hire a VA, if you don’t trust them, and then look for agencies that provide cheap services. It’s a myth that agencies sell these services at very high cost. If your vision is clear, with a little research, you can find quite a lot of agencies that provide website development, social media marketing, SEO and SMM services at very cheap prices.
Just remember one thing; if you don’t have a budget, then you need to have focus! Keep things simple and personal, and you would do just fine!
