There are millions of small businesses with a websites or an online presence, which means it is up to firm owners to set their companies apart in the infinitely large world wide web. Internet marketing practices and paying advertisers may be effective, but it may be too costly for small business owners.
“It’s very difficult for someone to just stumble on your website,” Ari Taube, founder of wholesale snack-food business Mini Pops, told The Wall Street Journal. “But when you have other people linking to you, who themselves have a following, that’s how you get new visitors.”
Here are some free ways business owners can increase their visibility on the internet to help build a larger customer base.
Search engine optimization
Linking and keywords are the two main tenets of search engine optimization, which focuses on improving a site’s visibility through search engine queries by potential customers. Forming relationships with other businesses, getting them to link back to a site and integrating keywords in website code will surely boost a site’s ranking on search engines such as Google and Bing. By using Google Adwords, business owners can see exactly what keywords people are searching for when looking for particular businesses.
Eli Goodman, an analyst for internet research firm comScore, told the newspaper that it takes a while for new websites to rank highly in search results. That’s why it’s important to be patient when using SEO. Search engines will detect when firms are trying to trick them by using keywords that are not related to their sites.
Using SEO is certainly helpful to boost rankings for a firm’s website, but business owners need to be sure their sites are encrypted to protect them from potential computer hackers. With the necessary cyberliability insurance policies, firms can be sure their sites won’t be compromised by criminals.
Social media marketing
Many small business owners have heard of sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but have not begun using them for marketing purposes. A recent article for Business 2 Community shared how to get started on these platforms.
•Build profiles that are complete with information such as company name, products and/or services, and hours of operation, just to name a few details.
•Remain active on social platforms to make customer engagement much easier.
•Share relevant content but be sure not to overshare to avoid annoying potential customers.