Keeping the momentum going in business can be a lot of hard work. You can’t expect customers to roll through your door without putting in a bit of effort. To help differentiate yourself from what your competitors are doing, it pays to get curious. With my business, building a successful online brand has largely been the result of on-going curiosity and perseverance. It certainly had nothing to do with completing a tonne of courses, paying for lengthy training or investing in lots of advertising.
So, let’s explore some ways that will help get your online business noticed – fast.
1. Understand Google Searches and Meta Tags
During the early 2000’s, I was the Business Manager for an Accounting firm. Whilst working there, I often wondered why the company website was never found in any searches. So, off I went looking for an answer. What I learnt was quite simple – Meta Tags. It was this important element that made the difference between, whether customers would find you or not. Something as simple as a keyword rich ‘Title’ and ‘Description’ was, in fact, the magical combination. Don’t think by including words like ‘Home’ and ‘Welcome’ will work – it won’t! It pays to get a little more creative with what you want to say.
Another useful tool is to start searching for competitors online and see who comes up. Check out what your competitors are doing. In fact, make an effort to find out why they’re on page one and why you’re not.
2. Google Local and Google Plus
Creating a Google Local or Google Plus account is a great way to maximise your business exposure. I often engage with my audience via these platforms, as it’s a great way to share relevant information and keep the flow of consistent communication going. It’s also a valuable way to collect reviews and build a handy information database.
Furthermore, if you enjoy writing blogs, you can create a Google Plus account and add your Google authorship to it. This will result in your image displaying against your website pages and blog posts in the search results. This ‘free’ and ‘simple’ tool, will not only give you more authority as an industry expert, it will also help strengthen your credibility. Check out my business when searching Virtual Assistant Melbourne and see the results for yourself.
3. Build Your Brand Using Social Media
During 2008, I was constantly hearing how social media was great for business marketing. It was certainly becoming an innovative way to build online relationships – as well as creating memorable experiences with clients. Being the curious person that I am, I set out to create a Facebook page, a LinkedIn profile and swiftly opened a Twitter account. Looking back, it was the best thing I did for my business. Yes, it took years of learning and experimenting – (and seeing what works and what doesn’t work), but it’s certainly been worth all the effort.
Some benefits of Using Social Media:
- It allows emotional connections to be made, with the opportunity to build on-going and loyal relationships with your audience
- It’s a great vehicle to be seen as an authority within your industry. If you blog regularly, this also helps with SEO
- It helps you remain relevant and is a great way to build your brand, product or service
For more information on how Social Media can benefit your business, you can read about the success I’ve had on this recent blog post 200 Twitter Inquiries.
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Can you add to this list of tips for being found online? Leave a comment below…