The unprecedented events over the last two years have triggered a huge shift for businesses in all areas. We’ve seen the movement for better flexibility in the working day, remote working, and now we’re starting to see the long-term effects, including the importance of a visible online presence, that we can expect for years to come.
One of the biggest changes that we see in businesses today is the rise of online efforts. Businesses all around the world are now working harder than ever to build their online presence so that when people find them online, they have a wealth of information and value available to build a great first impression and build rapport with potential customers early on.
It can be hard to know where to focus to build your online presence – especially if you’re a small business. In this article, we’re going to help you answer that by covering:
- Why being online is important for businesses
- How to be visible online in 2022
- How Weave Studios can help your online presence.
Why being online is important for businesses
“Being online” is a very loose term and can capture a lot of different things. For the remainder of this article, we’re going to use the term ‘being online’ as being active online for your business, and this can be any digital form, such as having a website, using social media, etc.
We know that being online is important for businesses, but what are some of the benefits that can come with the efforts? Here are some examples associated with businesses who invest in their online presence:
- It helps you build a clear brand reputation
- You can build a great first impression with your audience
- You can build a ‘central location’ for your business online with the information you want people to see
- Your business can be recognised by others and shared outside of your network
- Some efforts, such as SEO, can sometimes compound and grow quicker over time
- Lastly, and often most importantly, it can help drive sales!
Of course, there are lots of other benefits, however, in the interest of moving onto the next section, we’ll keep it short and sweet.
How to be visible online in 2022
We know that investing in your online efforts is important for 2022. But how do you make it happen?
There are lots of different approaches you can take. Some work better for some industries, whereas some work better for others. We’re going to focus on the ones that we know best which you may find very useful for your business; with years of experience under our belts and many happy clients, we like to think we know a thing or two!
1. Website
A website is a must-have for almost all businesses out there. It’s your digital shop front!
You’ll notice lots of businesses are investing in their website and the content on there. A website is typically your central digital location; where your social media points towards, any publications like press releases link to, and other forms of digital media may reference.
Lots of people search online for businesses before making any purchasing decisions, and by having a website, it allows you to share the message you want the world to see. It helps you to build that relationship with them early on and allows you to be at the forefront of their mind when making any decisions – the perfect place to be.
Do you know what you should include on a website? Learn the top 10 key features we think your website should have.
2. SEO
We’ve all heard the term ‘SEO’, but what actually is it?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, and it’s all about building your online presence up in a way that the search engines like. In turn, this helps your business to appear higher in the search results for your specified keyword(s), and as a result, more people will see your website, increasing the number of visitors.
Next time you search for something online, consider which link you click on first. It will most likely be the first or second result in the list, and that’s a direct result of SEO.
Looking for an affordable way of rising to the top of search results? Contact us to find out how we can help.
3. Clear Branding
Having an awesome website and sharing good content online is great, but is it clear that it’s coming from your business?
It’s not a requirement to have clear branding, but it’s the perfect opportunity to develop trust and associate it with your company name and colours. Your branding should be recognisable to your business and all of your other online efforts should match that branding so it’s all unified together.
With years of experience, our team have everything they need to create great branding for your business. Take a look at how we can help, and view some further examples of our work.
4. Graphic Design
Good, catchy graphics are what grab people’s attention online and stop them scrolling, but it’s not as easy as choosing a pretty picture and putting words on it.
Big chunks of text are one of the main things that makes people turn their attention away, and poor graphics (such as low quality, poor image choice, etc) can often have the same impact. So how do you get it right?
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer as there are lots of different factors to consider with graphic design, but some of the crucial things are:
- Making sure the graphics suit the rest of the content
- Including information in an easy-to-read format
- Good use of colours
- Abides by a good, clear structure
5. Good Web Hosting
Ultimately, you need web hosting to keep your website online. However, there are lots of different web hosting companies out there who all seemingly offer the same thing, which can make it tough to find the right one for your business.
Fortunately, we have plenty of guidance to help you! For everything you need to know read our blog post about web hosting.
How Weave Studios can help your online presence
As a small business owner, you may find yourself wearing a lot of different hats, and that’s OK! However, when it comes to your online presence, it can take lots of dedicated effort to understand everything you need to know to implement these efforts and start seeing results.
Our services are designed to help your business. As a result, we have years of experience in all the above methods to help your business become visible online, and many happy clients to show for it.
To learn more about how we can help your business be visible online in 2022, take a look at our services or contact our team today.