Web presence optimization is a practice that many businesses use to ensure their brand is easily discoverable and engaging. Many companies aim to enhance their online presence because it helps people find you. Eventually, they become followers and later on into customers.
Once more people learn about your business, you build a reputation that influences your customer base’s perception and purchase decision. Yet, how can you make your presence online? Small businesses have plenty of optimization tactics they can use to help them achieve this objective.
1. Optimize Your Website for Mobile Use
Today, 54.4% of people use their mobile phones to surf the internet. As such, ensuring your website is optimized for mobile use is crucial. This is because it provides a better user experience. When mobile users hop onto your website, the content should fit in a way that allows the user to see it on a smaller screen. When looking at a website on a desktop or tablet, it will appear different because there is much more screen real estate available.
However, a smaller screen may look similar but will have a few missing elements to ensure the content is displayed correctly. That way, you provide a smooth browsing experience and minimize bounce rates.
Optimize your web presence for mobile use by implementing a responsive design. This design approach lets your website’s layout adjust automatically. Most modern website platforms and templates offer responsive design features. However, testing your website across different devices is always beneficial to ensure a consistent user experience.
2. Build a Website Accessible to All
Inclusivity is equally important in the digital realm as it is in the physical world. Making your website accessible to all — including those with disabilities — is crucial because it widens your reach. An estimated 16% of the world’s population experience some form of disability. By ensuring your website is accessible, you open doors to a significant audience that can engage with your content.
While this is a win-win for your business and its audience, it also keeps you in compliance with the laws. Many countries have established regulations or guidelines promoting digital accessibility. Complying with these standards — such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) — can prevent potential legal issues and fines.
To ensure your website is accessible, start by providing alt text for images. People with visual impairments often use screen readers to interpret web content. By providing alt text for every image on your site, you ensure these users understand your content fully.
3. Produce High-Quality and Relevant Content
Content is an essential part of web presence optimization. It’s the primary means by which you communicate value, showcase expertise, and engage with your audience. When you publish in-depth, well-researched content, you position your brand as an expert on the topic. Over time, readers will turn to your website as a trusted resource, enhancing its reputation and authority in the niche.
Quality content also boosts SEO (search engine optimization). When producing content people find interesting and important, it’s more likely to earn backlinks from reputable sources. This is a key factor in search engine rankings. Additionally, search engines value fresh, original content, so regularly updating your site improves its visibility in the search results.
To produce high-quality content, adopt the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) principle from Google’s helpful content guidelines. Provide your own experiences you’ve encountered when discussing a topic. Ensure you deliver expertise, cite authoritative sources and present your content in a trustworthy way. For instance, avoid clickbait titles and misleading information and ensure it provides value to readers.
4. Implement SEO
SEO is another web presence optimization strategy that will enhance your website’s visibility on search engines. In doing so, you attract more users to your site via organic search. When implemented effectively, SEO leads to a consistent stream of targeted traffic. Therefore, you can reduce your dependency on paid advertising.
Once you rank on the first page of Google, people will perceive your site as more credible and authoritative in your respective field. Achieving high rankings boosts trustworthiness significantly, making you the go-to resource for more information.
Start implementing SEO best practices by conducting keyword research. Understanding the search terms your target audience uses is foundational to SEO. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush provide insights into popular search terms related to your business. Once you have a list of relevant keywords, integrate them naturally into your website’s content, meta tags and URLs
5. Develop a Personable Brand
The online world is saturated with businesses like yours, so why not optimize your web presence by building a recognizable brand? A personable brand is one that feels human and authentic, making it easier for customers to form an emotional bond with it. By creating a strong brand, people will naturally gravitate towards it because it’s relatable. Consumers want to engage with brands that understand them instead of assuming what they think they like.
When you portray your brand as authentic and provide a human touch, you’re more likely to foster trust. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business, eventually boosting your bottom line. Building a personable brand also offers something unique — a distinct personality. This can set you apart from competitors and make your brand memorable in the minds of consumers.
To develop a personable brand, consider implementing storytelling. Do so by sharing your brand’s origin, the challenges it helped customers overcome and the values it stands by. Consider showcasing the humans behind it and share behind-the-scenes moments to help your customers connect. Yet, remember to strive for honesty and transparency to become more relevant to your brand.
6. Build an Email List
Email marketing remains one of the most direct and effective ways to communicate with an audience. While social media platforms come and go, email has endured as a personal and consistent channel to reach customers.
Building an email list is central to leveraging this powerful tool because it gives you immediate access to your audience. You’re not filtered by algorithms you get with Google and social media. Therefore, you’re guaranteed your message reaches your subscribers without dilution.
Plus, optimizing your web presence with email allows you to strengthen your customer relationships and achieve higher ROI. On average, businesses receive $36 for every dollar they invest in email marketing. This is the highest ROI among all the digital marketing strategies.
Build your web presence by creating a lead magnet. Offering something of value in exchange for an email address is a proven strategy. This could be a free ebook, a discount code or an exclusive webinar. As long as it’s valuable and relevant to your audience, you can entice them to sign up for your email list.
Maximize Your Web Presence Optimization
Establishing a strong online presence is necessary to build a good reputation, customer loyalty and profitable business. Ensure you implement these key strategies to achieve a better web presence. By embracing these optimization techniques, you elevate your online visibility and drive sustained growth.
About The Author
Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her husband and dog in their RV, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or curled up with a good book with her cats Gem and Cali.
You can find more of Eleanor's work at www.eleanorhecks.com.