A strong online presence for your business is no longer optional. Why? Because 87% of people say they start their search for products online. And 97% say they go online to find local businesses.
But here’s the thing: the way people connect with brands and seek solutions has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Now, people use social media like a search engine and ask AI chatbots for recommendations and advice.
All these new connection points create a multitude of opportunities for any business willing to reevaluate how it grows its online presence. And we’re going to show you exactly how to take advantage of them so you’re everywhere online your customers need you to be.
Contents
- What is an online presence?
- Why do you need an online presence?
- Components of an online presence
- How to manage your online presence
- 19 ways to expand your online presence
- 4 more ways to grow a small business online presence
What is an online presence?
You can think of your online presence like your digital footprint. It describes both the locations your brand is visible online and (this is an important “and”) the way it is perceived. It’s not enough to simply exist in a digital space; you need to make an impact with the right people.
Your online presence can be vast and exist in unexpected places. That includes your website, blog, review site mentions, social media profiles (and the social media comments that mention you), and the podcast you were a guest on—you get the idea.
Social media profiles are a huge part of a strong online presence.
Some aspects of your online presence are beyond your direct control, such as a news report that mentions your business. But you can improve many of the most critical aspects of your online presence.
Let’s look at why your online presence is so important, then dig into how you can manage and expand it in a positive way.
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Why do you need an online presence?
Your online presence defines how visible your brand is to current and potential customers as they spend time online. The greater your presence, the better your chances are of capturing the attention of the people who will eventually need to buy what you sell.
Specifically, a strong online presence helps you:
- Get found: The more places your brand exists in a positive context, the more people will see it.
- Build trust: Familiarity builds trust, so if someone sees your brand online frequently, they’ll be more likely to choose you.
- Market better: As your online presence grows, you’ll have more data to make better marketing decisions.
- Rank higher: Google uses positive brand mentions, reviews, and your website as ranking factors, so a strong online presence can help you show up in more relevant searches (which then increases your online presence!).
- Generate leads 24/7: Always-on marketing is better than intermittent advertising, and a strong online presence keeps your brand in front of people whenever they are online.
Components of an online presence
It’d be difficult to categorize every possible instance in which your brand appears online. However, we can categorize most of them into a handful of buckets to make management easier. Here are the major components of your online presence.
Your website
Consider your website the basecamp of your online presence. It’s the place many of your customers will go to after seeing you somewhere else. Depending on your business model, it’s also where many people will convert from audience member to buyer.
All this means your website needs to be both discoverable and usable.
An attractive, easy-to-navigate website is the basecamp of your online presence.
Social media
Social media has evolved far beyond being a platform for following celebrities and catching up with friends. It’s now a legitimate center of commerce and brand discovery.
Your social media presence should aim to accomplish three goals:
- Connect with new potential customers.
- Build trust with your audience.
- Move people through the path to purchase when they’re ready.
Search engines and AI platforms
Mention online discoverability and many marketers will automatically think of search engines. There’s a good reason for that, as about 40% of shoppers go to Google to initiate a product search. While Google’s core updates are making organic search a bit wonky, there’s still plenty you can do to appear on the first page of relevant search results.
Now, you can’t discuss search engines without mentioning AI platforms like Perplexity and Gemini. There is a small but growing population of people who use them to research solutions and discover new brands. It’s essential to incorporate these tools and develop a strategy to increase citations in them.
A modern online presence approach includes getting citations from AI search platforms.
Email can sometimes be overlooked, but it’s a vital part of your online presence for a couple of reasons. First, it’s an owned media channel—which means you’re not beholden to an algorithm. As long as you don’t run afoul of spam filters, you control what gets shown to your audience and when.
Second, email is incredibly engaging. You can send text, images, videos, and links. You can also segment your subscribers in unlimited ways and even send an automated, personalized message to a single person.
Online directories
Online directories like Yelp, Angi, and Foursquare consolidate numerous local businesses into one platform, making them popular among people seeking a great coffee shop or dentist office. Directory listings even show up in Google searches, so they can help local businesses get found in multiple ways.
Online directories show up in search results, giving you multiple ways to increase your online presence.
Display ads
Display ads let you place your brand on all those websites you don’t control. Want to get your rain gear in front or people searching the weather? Or remind people about a product they saw on your site as they peruse their favorite news website? Display ads will do that for you.
Forums and online communities
Reddit is the big fish in this pond since it has such a huge audience of over 500 million active users. But there are also thousands of niche online communities that gather to talk about topics important to them. If you’re an expert in one of those topics, you can create a very positive presence with a very interested audience.
Other components of your online presence
We’ve covered some of the most prominent components of an online presence, but there are many other places people can spot your brand. Here are a few more to consider:
- Third-party websites: These can include other brands’ blogs that you guest post on, news websites that write about your business, etc.
- Webinars: This includes webinars you run or those you appear on.
- Podcasts: Includes guest spots or shows you produce.
- Online marketplaces: Amazon is the 800-pound gorilla, but this also includes Etsy and any industry-specific marketplace where your brand is featured.
Where else might someone see your brand on the internet? That’s a part of your online presence, too.
How to manage your online presence
It’s almost impossible for your business not to have any footprint on the internet. If you actively manage it, you’ll have a greater say in where people find you and how they perceive your business.
Establish goals
Like every good marketing strategy, managing your online presence starts with having well-defined goals.
The SMART framework for goal-setting works well here.
Your goals might be to expand into specific platforms, change your brand image in a particular location, or generate more leads from a place where you’re already well-known.
Know your target audience(s)
People don’t all use the internet in the same way. Some may pop on occasionally to search for something specific. Others while away hours watching videos on YouTube. When you understand how your audience is active online, you can tailor your online presence to match their behavior and expectations.
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Keep everything updated
Things change. Your hours of operation, pricing, services, or even the type of customers you target will evolve. That means you’ll need to keep as many of the places you appear online updated. It also calls for a regular review of your online presence strategy—what served you as a new business may not move the needle now.
Monitor your online presence
This is a biggie. Without your attention, your online presence can get away from you. Your directory listings get out-of-date, your website stops showing up on search engines, and people begin talking about your brand in ways you wish they wouldn’t.
It may seem impossible to manage all of that, but there are tools available to make it easier.
- LocaliQ’s Free Website Grader gives you an overview of how your website, social media accounts, and digital advertising efforts are changing your online presence.
- Google Search is a simple way to see where your web pages land for important keywords.
- Social listening tools help you identify where brand mentions originate and understand their tone.
- LocaliQ’s Free Business Listings Grader lets you audit your online listings to make sure they’re optimized and up to date.
LocaliQ’s Free Website Grader helps you monitor your online presence.
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19 ways to expand your online presence
Alright, we know what makes up your online presence and have a plan to manage it. Let’s look at some ways you can strengthen your online perception and expand your digital footprint.
1. Create a compelling website
You need an online hub where people can find you. Your website is your digital storefront. It’s one of the few pieces of real estate you truly own on the web. So if you don’t already have one in place, create a website today and make sure it’s designed to generate leads.
Your website should make it easy for visitors to do what they came to do.
Keep the following tips in mind for your website:
- Make your website mobile-friendly.
- Choose a clean and easy-to-navigate website design.
- Add powerful call-to-action phrases.
- Add live chat for ongoing customer service.
- Use royalty-free images or images you own.
- Include contact information.
2. Optimize your site for search engines…
SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the most effective ways to boost your online presence. With SEO, your business can be found in more online searches, and people will discover why your brand is worth following.
Use SEO best practices to manage your online presence:
- Fix and redirect any old and broken website pages.
- Identify the right SEO keywords to incorporate into your web content.
- Optimize your images.
- Create internal links between pages of your website.
- Get external websites to link to your web pages.
3. …and get it cited by AI
As more people use SearchGPT, Gemini, and other AI platforms, it’ll be more important to grow your presence on them. That means finding ways to have AI use your web pages as a source in its answers and include your links in its citation.
Perplexity shows informational and commercial sources in its AI answers.
Here are a few ways to get found on AI search platforms:
- Use lots of internal links between your web pages to make it easier for AI crawlers to navigate them.
- Write your website copy in a more conversational tone to match how people communicate with AI tools.
- Get your brand mentioned in related websites (e.g., get featured in “Top 10” roundups, collaborate with experts in your industry, cross-promote with other brands, etc.)
GEO, or generative engine optimization (similar to SEO but tailored for these AI tools), is a burgeoning strategy that will continue to evolve over time. For now, this guide to driving AI traffic will help you expand your presence on AI platforms.
4. Publish blog content
Publishing blog content is a powerful way to boost your online presence. It’ll let you target local keywords and help your pages rank on Google so potential customers can find you through search engine results.
A business blog (and content marketing, in general) also gives you more chances to get backlinks and referral traffic from other websites. It also provides content you can repurpose for social media posts.
Remember to use best practices as you publish content:
- Break up sections with H2s and H3s.
- Target long-tail keywords and frequently asked questions in H2s to try to show up in Google’s “people also ask” section.
- Promote your blog posts on your social media sites and in your newsletter.
- Repurpose blog content by turning it into YouTube videos, social media images, infographics, and other features.
- Target at least one keyword or a couple of similar keywords within each blog post.
- Leverage AI in content marketing when you need extra inspiration.
5. Get on the right social media platforms
Remember when we talked about getting to know your audience? This is where it comes in handy. There are several social media platforms with large user bases, but it’s best to focus on the ones your audience is on and that most closely align with your brand.
If your primary customers are teens and young adults, and you’re comfortable creating videos, TikTok could be a natural choice. If you sell to other businesses, then LinkedIn should be in the mix.
6. Post regularly and with purpose
Even if people don’t scroll through your social posts intentionally, the content you share can find its way into their feeds. Especially if you strategically post to end up on discovery pages like the TikTok For You Page.
All of that entertaining, educational, and promotional content can and will help people remember and trust your business.
The keys here are to publish consistently, intentionally, and at the right times. To do it, create a marketing calendar to plan out your posts. Then, pay attention to your social media analytics to see which content receives the most engagement and shares.
Here are some more tips to help you increase your social media presence.
7. Grow your email list
Email marketing delivers a fantastic return of around $36 for every $1 spent on average. That means it’s a worthy investment to grow your email list and increase your presence in that digital channel.
One of the easiest ways to expand your email list is by placing an opt-in form on your website. Make the form a popup on high-volume pages and add a static form to your home page.
Use a popup with a valuable incentive to get more email subscribers.
From there, consider offering a lead magnet, adding a subscribe button to checkout screens, and running a giveaway to gather more emails. Remember, though, you don’t just want subscribers. You want people who will be interested in what you send. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a high bounce and unsubscribe rate, which could hurt your sender reputation.
8. Create a newsletter
Sometimes, the content you send in an email can help you grow the list (and increase your digital presence). That’s certainly true if you create a newsletter people love to get.
Consider creating a newsletter that offers exclusive discounts, offers a glimpse behind the scenes, and provides educational content. A newsletter will generate new leads for your business and keep you in mind as your customers see your name pop up in their inboxes.
9. Use video everywhere
Video gets attention. It doesn’t matter where you use it. The motion and sound of even a short video can stop people from scrolling or increase the click-through rate of your ads and emails.
A little humor makes your videos relatable and memorable.
The great thing about video now is that you don’t need expensive equipment and a cinematography background to create it. Set up your smartphone, find a decent light source, and record yourself answering questions that your customers might have. Then, dice the video up and repurpose it on Instagram Reels or wherever you want to grow your presence.
10. Don’t forget YouTube SEO
YouTube may be the first place you post videos—which is a great idea because YouTube users watch over a billion hours of videos every day!
But don’t forget that YouTube operates similarly to Google, where an algorithm determines which videos appear when users search the platform. And you know what that means…you’ll need to optimize your videos for search.
YouTube SEO helps your videos reach a wider audience.
The good news is that many of the same standard SEO principles apply to SEO on YouTube. Find and use the right keywords, publish high-quality content, write optimized titles and captions, etc.
Oh, and here’s another big bonus of optimizing your YouTube videos: Some of them could land on Google results pages.
11. Get your employees involved
You may be sitting on a way to instantly expand your online presence exponentially and engage a highly dialed-in audience. It’s through your employees, and all it takes is a little coordination to make it happen.
It works because many of your employees may already have a network of people interested in your industry through their social media accounts.
LinkedIn is a great example since your teammates are trying to grow their influence there. You can help them by making it easy to share your content and coaching them (or even co-writing posts with them). You’ll quickly expand your footprint, and they’ll build their personal brand.
12. Work with influencers
Influencer marketing isn’t just for beauty brands and travel companies anymore (although they work great for those businesses). Now, you can find a trusted partner with a ready-made audience that covers everything from accounting to knitting to dental care.
There’s an influencer for almost every niche.
Unless you have deep pockets and humongous aspirations, you’ll be better off finding a local or micro-influencer. Their audiences may be smaller than an international celebrity, but the people who follow them are often more engaged.
13. Co-market with complementary businesses
This is a great strategy to expand your online presence while dividing the marketing workload. Reach out to complementary businesses that share a similar audience as yours and find ways to collaborate online.
You can trade website links, write for each other’s blogs, co-post social media content, or team up for a webinar. In each case, you’ll gain access to a whole new audience quickly.
14. Get and reply to online reviews
Positive online reviews offer the dual benefit of expanding your footprint and enhancing your online reputation. That’s because Google uses positive reviews as a ranking signal, helping your website to rank higher in searches. People who research your company will come away with a positive impression of your brand.
There are plenty of ways to ask for reviews, for example:
- Add a link to digital receipts and invoices.
- Create a review popup on your website.
- Post a review request on social media.
- Run an email campaign asking customers to leave a review.
A simple personalized email is an easy way to ask for reviews.
And once those reviews start rolling in, take the time to reply to as many as possible (even the negative ones). That’ll show people you care and give your online perception another lift.
15. Be active in online forums and communities
Online forums are fantastic places to expand your online presence because they’re filled with enthusiasts actively chatting about topics relevant to your business.
Reddit is a good place to start. The platform features thousands of topic-focused message boards, known as subreddits. Beauticians can join r/MakeupAddicts or r/NaturalBeauty to share tips with that audience, for example.
Ask Me Anything (AMA) posts are a great option to introduce yourself to a niche audience on Reddit.
You can also use Google to find forums. Search “online [topic] communities] and see what pops up.
Once you’re in, avoid the hard sell, or the forum’s moderators could kick you out. Be helpful and conversational. Only share links to your website when they are completely relevant to the discussion.
Can’t find an online forum for your niche service? No problem. Create your own brand community. As long as there are people who need your product, there will be those who want to discuss it.
16. Consider paid ads
Paid advertising helps you establish your online presence in areas beyond your direct control. For example, an ad through the Google Display Network can appear on highly trafficked news websites.
Display ads on popular websites quickly expand your online presence.
PPC ads are also a popular way to gain real estate on a search results page or social media feed without waiting for an algorithm to present your content.
A strong online presence is one that consistently reminds people about your brand, and using display ads to retarget interested shoppers is a good tactic to achieve this. But you can use display ads for initial brand awareness, too.
17. Write guest posts
Another way to expand your brand on third-party websites is through guest posting. The idea is that you’ll provide valuable content to a website, and that website will “lend” you their audience (and hopefully give you a backlink).
An added benefit of this tactic is that you’ll also expose the website’s visitors to your expertise. So, while they’re learning something new, they’re also making the connection that you’re the expert in your field.
18. Host or join webinars
Online webinars significantly enhance your online presence. They create buzz for your business as you promote the upcoming event on your social media feeds and in your newsletter. They establish your business as a trusted source of information for people looking for answers. And you can collect email addresses from attendees.
Plus, you can post the webinar to YouTube after it’s complete for a longer-term online presence lift.
19. Make everything more accessible
One in four adults in the United States has a disability. Besides being the right thing to do, making your website and content accessible will immediately boost your online presence to that large audience.
Additionally, consider ways to make the content you share more inclusive so your entire audience feels like they belong in your community. Again, that’s not just a way to be a better human; it also encourages a new audience to follow and share your brand.
Here are a few tips to help you make things more accessible and inclusive:
- Create accessible social media descriptions
- Use inclusive language
- Caption your video content
- Avoid custom fonts
- Use emojis in moderation
4 more ways to grow a small business online presence
Local businesses face unique challenges and opportunities when expanding their online presence. These next four tactics are designed to help plumbers, coffee shops, urgent care facilities, and all local businesses get found by new customers.
20. Complete and optimize your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile highlights your most important features, hours, location, and reviews, helping you show up in search and map results. It can appear in Google Maps searches and the 3-pack at the top of local search results.
The Google 3-pack is prized real estate available to those who optimize their Google Business Profile.
Google may create a listing for you, but be aware that it doesn’t always have your most up-to-date information. You’ll need to claim your Profile to update details like hours of operation.
Don’t stop there! Go all in and optimize your Google Business Profile with images, business categories, posts, and FAQs.
21. Claim and manage your business directory listings
Just like on Google, your business may already have listings on several directory sites around the internet. These business directory listings can either help or hurt your online presence (not to mention your SEO).
That’s why it’s important to monitor your Facebook business page, get listed on Bing Places or the Yellow Pages, claim your business on Yelp, and more.
Updating and regularly checking your listings for accuracy can help you improve consistency for your business, direct more searchers to your business through phone, your website, or your business address, and give you more opportunities to appear in local search results.
22. Add local SEO to your website
Suppose you’ve claimed and updated your directory listings, then congrats! You’ve knocked out a big part of the local SEO checklist. Now, to really expand your visibility on search engines, let’s optimize your website, too.
The most significant step here is to identify and use relevant local keywords. That often means adding a city, state, or even neighborhood to the services you provide.
For example, if you’re a physical therapist in Denver, you’ll want to include keywords like:
- Physical therapy in Dallas
- The best physical therapist for back pain
- Dry needling for foot pain in Dallas
Use those keywords generously without stuffing them where they don’t belong. Add them to page headlines, service and business descriptions, image meta tags, FAQs, etc.
On top of keywords, follow the SEO best practices we mentioned in the second section.
23. Build an online presence offline
As a local business, you have a superpower that multi-national corporations don’t: you get to connect with people in person. Here are a few ways you can leverage that advantage to strengthen your online presence:
- Add QR codes to receipts and in-store signage that take people to your website or a bespoke landing page.
- Promote an online giveaway in your physical location.
- Have employees promote your app or online loyalty program when customers visit.
- Encourage people to leave reviews online.
- Ask in-person visitors to follow you on social media.
Connecting in-person customers to your digital spaces will give them a reason to think about your brand in between visits and help expand your overall digital footprint.
Grow your online presence and grow your business
There’s a positive correlation between the number of times people have a good experience with your brand online and the growth of your business. Every interaction is an opportunity to build a little trust and secure a place in their memory.
Growing your online presence increases the likelihood of meaningful moments of connection occurring. And in turn, the rest of your marketing will get easier because people already know who you are.
If you’d like to explore all the ways you can get found online and learn how we can help facilitate them, contact us, and we’ll show you.
