10 Tips To Make Your Online Presence Stand Out From Your Competition
The first impression of your brand’s online presence is all it takes for a potential customer to choose whether they’ll stay and scroll or simply leave your website.
This doesn’t just include the look and feel of your website, but also all your other digital and social touchpoints.
Paying attention to details that are often overlooked can give your brand’s online presence a winning edge over its competitors.
9 Tips To Make Your Online Presence Stand Out
Mentioned below are ten tips that can help give a boost to your online presence.
1. Speak To One Audience
Regardless of the type and scale of business you run, you can’t please everybody.
Your products and services may appeal to a wide range of audiences, but when it comes to creating an identity for your online business, stick to speaking to your primary audience.
Find the specific target group that generates the most amount of revenue for you and ensure your message is directed towards them. This way, you will be able to establish a better connection with a niche audience that you can capitalize on overtime.
Moreover, your users will find cohesion in your online content when your message is tailored for one audience.
2. Make Your Visual Identity Consistent
You stand the risk of driving a potential customer away by not paying attention to your overall visual identity.
To strengthen your online presence, you should ensure that your brand logo, font, colors, and every other visual asset is consistent across all your channels.
For example, while creating social media posts, you must standardize the colors and styling of your images and videos. Also, ensure that you have a uniform logo placement as far as possible.
It is this equivalence of visuals that will make your prospects and customers take your brand more seriously.
3. Pay Attention To Your Name
If you are setting up a new business or are contemplating a complete rebranding, the first and foremost task is to register your business name.
Brands that have a common name struggle with finding a great domain name for their online business and social media handles.
At a nascent stage, you have the liberty of choosing a good domain name that will shape your identity. Select a name that:
- Resonates with your offerings
- Is available easily on social media platforms
- Doesn’t resemble a competing business’ name
- Can be remembered easily
When a user types your business name on a search engine, they will get a list of all platforms and sites on which you are present. Having the same name across the board helps in leaving a positive impression of your brand.
For example, if your domain name is www.smartestgeek.online, you can have a similar Instagram handle too (smartestgeek.online).
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4. Don’t Compromise On Image Quality
The rule of thumb for using any imagery is that it shouldn’t be pixelated or grainy. Low-quality images question your credibility and taint your online presence even if your content marketing efforts are great.
Use high-resolution pictures, infographics, videos and icons that don’t hinder your page load time. 39% of the users across the world will stop engaging with a website if images don’t load or take too long to load.
You can check out different image optimization tools such as Optimizilla to compress large file sizes without damaging its quality.
You can also download good quality stock images for free from websites such as Unsplash and Pexels.
5. Optimize For Mobile
A website that is designed to keep mobile experience in mind can directly bolster your online presence. In fact, now it’s a must to have your websites optimized for mobiles.
Since most people tend to make Google searches on their smartphones, you should start by focusing on the placement of your images and text.
Google’s mobile-first indexing now crawls through the mobile version of your website instead of the desktop version. A mobile-responsive website is an SEO basic that businesses must adapt to.
6. Take Advantage Of Social Media
In today’s digital age, it is safe to assume that almost every customer who uses the internet to search for something has a social media account.
While looking for a particular brand, the user is bound to come across the entire list of social platforms on which that brand is present.
Social media can be a goldmine to build a rapport with your audience. Not only is it a great space to create and share content, but also an unparalleled way to interact with prospects.
Use platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Quora to engage with potential customers.
Regularly producing interesting content on social networks can bolster your online presence and increase website traffic.
Pro tip: Identify the social media platform which is most popular among your target audience. For instance, if you are a new-age cosmetic brand and you mainly cater to teenage girls, you can harness the power of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
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7. Make Engagement Possible
Your audience is more likely to be swooned by your online presence if you encourage engagement.
When they know they have a place to ask questions, give their opinions or simply interact with the brand, you can instill a feeling of trust and build a connection with them.
You can keep your users engaged through topical blogs and weekly newsletters. Ensure that your social media accounts are optimized for engagement.
For example, you can conduct Q&A sessions, quizzes, and polls on your brand’s Instagram Stories or Twitter profile.
8. Get Listed On Web Directories
Web directories enable you to reach out to a massive audience and drive more traffic to your website. Since the digital marketing space is highly competitive, it is necessary to choose the right directory that has a high editorial standard.
Being part of a credible web directory such as Google My Business, Yelp or Foursquare can improve the quality of your online presence and help you rank better in local searches.
9. Respond To Reviews
Unanswered reviews can tarnish your brand image and online presence. Customers want to know that their voice is heard, and feedback is valued.
Ensure that you have a dedicated person who responds to all your reviews, especially the negative ones to mitigate any damage and win over dissatisfied customers.
Go a step further and reach out to your existing customers to write reviews or testimonials and give star-ratings for your products and services. A brand that is heavily talked about tends to attract more traffic.
10. Create Fresh, Conversational Content
The World Wide Web is exploding with information. If you want to add to the pool of existing content, we recommend you create something fresh and relevant.
Rely on trending topics and bring a different perspective to them or write thought leadership pieces on themes related to your industry.
The content for your website, emailers, blogs or social media should be a conversation starter. So, write it in a manner that makes your customers feel like you are speaking to them.
Conclusion
If you incorporate these tips into your current marketing strategy, we are sure your online presence is set to improve drastically.
Keep your audience and their experience at the core of all your efforts. Revisit each of these points to see where you can make minor tweaks to further enhance your online reputation.