Online businesses have a lot of competition surrounding them in today’s digital world. While online websites and e-commerce stores offer more flexibility for business owners, there are disadvantages they face in an online market, namely, being able to set themselves apart from the rest.
Whereas businesses located in storefronts have the ability to capture walk-ins, online businesses do not have that same luxury. Diversifying themselves from the competition takes a bit more creative thinking, as they have to determine smart, effective ways to reach customers through their computer or phone.
Growing an online business can be exceedingly difficult, and a slow process that takes time and effort. However, avoiding shortcuts in order to grow your business organically can help your business have loyal customers and a more stable future.
Here are a few steps to growing your business organically:
SEO
One of the most important tools an online business can invest in is hiring an SEO advisor, as they can help you implement the right information into your website in order to optimize your site to rank well in search engines, including Google. Companies like Generation Web work with businesses to create an optimized website that can be found through key word searching on search engines.
Optimizing your site as best as possible is key to finding customers and clients organically. When a potential client searches for a product or service your website offers, in order for them to find it, your site needs to rank highly in search engines. If your site appears on page four or five, chances are, potential clients will pick a company whose website appeared on page one or two.
Target Audience
Finding your target audience could not be more important to online businesses, as target audiences can help you narrow your marketing efforts, helping you reach the right customers as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Attempting to market efficiently without having a target audience is a bit like throwing one stone into the ocean—it won’t make much of a splash in the business world and will sink pretty quickly. Instead, marketing to a small niche of people will help your business reach those who are actually interested in your product and service, helping you garner more business.
Engaging Content
Your website is a reflection of your business, and if you hope to keep clients, customers, and viewers who happened to stumble across your website happy, it is important your website is filled with engaging content from reliable sources. Most websites now-a-days have sections dedicated to different articles that pertain to their business. Not only do these articles help boost your SEO rating, they also authenticate you and your business as a trustworthy expert in the field.
Keep content fresh and updated, and allow for customers, clients, and readers the ability to interact with your articles through social media sharing tools and a comments section. It gives people the incentive to take action while also giving you free marketing.
Mobile Website
Investing in a mobile website is key for two reasons, the first being that Google prefers websites that have mobile capabilities. If your site is not optimized for a mobile version, Google will lower its rating on your site. Secondly, a mobile website is key because it offers a more streamlined version of the site for smaller screens. Additionally, more often than not, when people are viewing your site through a mobile device or tablet, they are looking for something in particular. Whether it is an article or a specific product to buy, it is important everything is easy to find on a mobile device.
Email Subscription
With the constant changes in social media, it can be difficult to keep traffic to your website. A tool websites should spend a bit of time on is their email subscription list. Emails are a direct way to communicate with customers and clients. While they may not see your latest offer via social media, they will see your email in their inbox. Curating your email list is one of the best ways to grow your business and keep loyal customers.
While growing your business can take some time, the effort you put forth in curating your site to grow organically will help you to gain loyal customers.
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