When you are trying to start or grow a business, the very first and most important thing you should do is create an online presence. Without a website, your business doesn’t exist in the online world. How will potential customers get to know what you are about unless they have something to look at and learn from?

After website development, you must create a brand. People don’t want to just buy things; they want an entire experience. That’s the key to repeat customers.

Next, make sure you are using SEO tactics to get your business noticed. Just the use of keywords can make sure more people see your business in a shorter amount of time.

So, that’s three steps, what is step number four? Keep reading to learn more about each step in this process and to find out what the last crucial step is, which is also the key to keeping up your business’s momentum.

Step 1: Website Development

4 Steps to Creating a Successful Online Presence

Your website represents your company and should help customers get to know you, your brand, and your product or service. Creating a website that calls customers to action such as calling, purchasing, or walking into your brick-and-mortar location is the goal. This will only happen with creative web design that truly represents your company and grabs the attention of your customers.

Think of your website as your first impression. You only have seconds before someone decides to continue looking at your website or to move on. What kind of impression do you want to make? Find an easy-to-use website platform with templates and a user-friendly editing system. Sites like Wix.com and WordPress.com are excellent, affordable options that don’t require you to be tech-savvy.

Step 2: Create A Brand

The next step is creating a brand. This means creating an image that represents you and what your company stands for. A brand could represent an individual, a company, or just a type of product. For example, when you think of Hershey’s chocolate, you might picture Hershey’s Kisses, the type of font used on their chocolate bars, and the M&M cartoon characters. These are all elements of the Hershey’s brand. Your brand could include a logo, a color scheme, a type of font, an image, a fashion statement, and more.Create a Brand

The key to a successful brand is consistency. Whatever you decide on for your brand, make sure it appears in the same way across all social media platforms, your website, business cards, invoices, and at some point during the customer’s experience. This will help customers recognize your business and feel a connection to it. Having a strong brand, will make your company feel familiar and like a personal association rather than a distant corporate machine.

Step 3: Get Noticed

Once you’ve created your website and brand, you have to put it all out there. Get noticed by your target audience through advertising, frequently posting on social media, and increasing your search engine optimization, or SEO. When people search for the products or services you provide, you want your business name to come up on top. However, with so many businesses out there, and many paying a lot of money to be first on the search engine list, it can be extremely hard to get noticed. That’s where SEO tactics come in. Consistently producing interesting, creative content will help your website climb the SEO ladder. Combine that content with keywords, hashtags, links, and shares, and your business will start popping up online even more.

Step 4: Provide Quality Products and Services

Provide Quality Products and ServicesThe last step should be easy for you. Provide excellent products and services. Once people start to notice you and purchase from you, quality products and services will make their experience one they won’t forget. Even in the age of technology, one of the most powerful advertising tools is still word of mouth. Encourage people to share their experiences with your company by writing positive reviews. Not only will you end up with more traffic and leads, but you’ll always have a stream of repeat customers. Trust that the business you’ve created is making a difference because it is.

If you’re thinking, “I’m running a business, I don’t have time to post on social media every day and create consistent content, let alone custom design a website!” we hear you. Most business owners don’t. NoRiskSEO provides datadriven marketing services for companies that just don’t have time or SEO knowledge. Our services include website development and brand design, social media marketing packages, creating consistent, SEO-friendly website and blog content, and more. We specialize in increasing your return on investment by using our expert knowledge of online marketing and all that that entails. Our goal is to maximize traffic to your website, creating more leads and purchases for you. Contact us today for your FREE website analysis and to find out how we can improve your online presence and help grow your business.