6 Tips To Make Your Online Business Stand Out
Are you concerned that your online business isn’t as visible as you’d like it to be?
It’s a very common worry amongst website owners in the digital age, especially those who have gotten up and running in the past five years or so.
After all, online visibility is a constantly evolving game. It’s not something you can achieve just the one time; if you’re not careful about your online strategy, you won’t stay in the ranked position you’re proud of for very long!
That’s why the question of standing out comes up so often. People want to know what it takes to truly become visible amongst the crowds and crowds of results pages. You know you’re not the only business within your niche, but you do back yourself as one of the most unique and valuable ones. How can you make internet search users understand that as well?
It’s all to do with the elements below. While the algorithms may change time and time again, and new engine updates make it feel like running an online business is a losing game, some factors will always stay the same.
If you want to get ahead of the crowd and make your business stand out, you’re going to need to pay attention to creating, managing, and developing these elements below.
1. Create Content that People Want to Read
When you click through to a website’s homepage, what is it that makes you want to stick around to find out more? The written content they have on offer!
Images are all well and good, but they can be very limited in advertising your business or brand in the right way. Indeed, many people may click away because they don’t know what to do, where to go next, or what you can even offer them as the customer.
Make it easy for someone to want to use your website by creating content, and by creating content that people want to read. Not only does this form its own marketing tactic, but it forms the very basis of running a website in the first place!
Any and all content you have on your website should feed into an understanding of your customers’ wants and needs.
What are they coming to your website? What makes them use the keywords you’re targeting? How are they going to feel when they come across one of your links?
Think about these questions whenever you’re putting a piece of content together and you’re much more likely to write something people are actually going to want to read.
2. Build A Strong Social Media Presence
Businesses who can run both a website and a coherent social media presence are the ones that stand out taller than the rest. If you can excel at social media marketing on top of creating website content and smoothing out the user experience, you’re going to funnel visitors back and forth from both sides of your internet presence.
That’s not an easy thing to do! But it is possible when you understand what it takes to be successful on social media.
Firstly, you need to be responsive. You need to engage with your followers just as much as you want them to engage with you. You can do this by responding to their comments and answering their private messages in good time, as well as putting out calls to action that people want to pick up on.
Playing on emotions is good for this, in a way that helps to set worries at rest, or appeals to that natural sense of curiosity that we all have.
Another thing required to be successful on social media? A sense of honesty. Not only does this set a follower’s mind at ease – after all, you’re being open and straight with them – but it posits your business as an authority within your niche as well.
3. Have A Strategic Use of Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing is anything and everything to do with getting your website to a visible spot in the page results.
This could be the use of SEO, or it could be deciding to run PPC ads, or it could be a mix of both.
It will always involve creating content to make your online business stand out, and it’s usually best done with the help of an advertising agency who knows their stuff as well.
Whatever you decide, however, be sure that the plan fits your business, your budget, and the time and skills you have at your disposal. No business can go from the millionth position to the number one spot without having the right funds, skills, and enough manpower hours to go about it! Be realistic about what you can achieve; that’s the most strategic method of all.
For an online business like your own, this could mean investing time and energy into producing regular written content, whether for your own blog or as a guest poster on other industry leading websites within the niche.
It could also mean creating new and exciting landing pages for your products, to ensure there’s something worthy for a pay per click advert to link back to.
That’s the kind of work search engine marketing takes, but it’s also the kind of work that’ll bring more clicks and impressions your way.
4. Build An Easy-to-Use Website
No one is going to enjoy a website that’s difficult to get through.
If no pages are tagged and easy to access, and the product categories seem all over the place, people are going to find another website to spend their money on.
Similarly, if there are various spelling and grammar mistakes, you lower your own legitimacy by simply not proofreading before you hit publish!
Make sure your website is as easy to use as possible.
This includes the loading times, and any latency a visitor may experience, as well as the definition of any images, the quality of your written content, and the general navigation required to get from one page to another.
5. Get Plenty of Real Reviews
A business without reviews is a business that won’t pick up many new customers!
That can be a hard thing to get around in your early days, as you can’t build trust without having a small element of trust there in the first place, but no one is currently willing to give you a chance.
That being said, you can sell to friends and family, ask them to spread the word amongst their friends and family, and soon start pulling in real reviews from real customers.
This will give you a good foundation of trust to start advertising with.
To make your online business stand out, you’ll want these reviews to be posted on both Google and your website’s homepage.
Make them easy to see, and ensure some repeat exposure for anyone who comes across your website link.
6. Believe Your Business is Capable of Standing Out Online
It really is, no matter what results you’ve achieved so far.
Your strategy may need a rethink, and you may need more marketing power behind you, but you’re more than capable of making your business visible.
Be sure to take on an action plan like this one step at a time. Results never occur overnight, even when you’re tapping into viral marketing.
You need to play things slowly and steadily, and make changes as and when they’re needed.
As long as you’ve got a realistic goal to hit, as well as objectives to mark off along the way, you’re sure to get to the search engine rank you’ve always dreamed of.
Conclusion
Improving your online visibility isn’t about chasing quick wins.
It’s about consistently refining the core elements of your digital presence. From valuable content and responsive social media to smart SEO and trustworthy reviews, every piece plays a role in helping your business stand out.
Stick with it, stay strategic, and believe in your ability to make your online business stand out.
With time and the right approach, your online business can gain the visibility and success it deserves.
