The online world is the gateway to success for the vast majority of businesses. Many wouldn’t survive without the easy access to clients, potential as well as existing, as well as the simplicity of being able to share content, reach out, and the open-all-hours possibilities. Being in touch with the other side of the world is no longer the challenge it previously was. In fact, in global markets, many businesses employ people from all corners of the world, showing a commitment to understanding other cultures and practices.

Continue reading for six simple steps you can take to boost your business’ online presence and be even more successful.

1. SEO Optimization

SEO will take a little time to get to grips with, but it is worthwhile. Ensuring that the content you post on your website is optimized to ensure you stand a better chance of being noticed is vital. First, find out what your site’s domain authority (DA) is. This will give you a starting point.

Essentially, the higher your DA, the more likely it is that you place high in a list of search results. A few things to consider are: the quality of the content on your website; the speed at which your website works; how secure your website is, and whether it works on a variety of devices. Although you can certainly do all of this yourself, it may be quicker and easier to enlist the help of a company that creates websites for nonprofits and businesses.

2. Mailing List

A mailing list may strike you as a relatively simple idea. However, it does yield positive results. This method will allow you to keep in touch with your clients, existing or otherwise, on a regular basis. Many sites have a pop-up built in to encourage visitors to sign up for your mailing list, and this can work quite well, although be sure to avoid setting it so that it appears on every page or too quickly. Newsletters may sound dated, but they are a super way to update everyone on what’s happening in the world of your business. Of course, if you are hoping to share sensitive information with your mailing list, it may be better to consider a secure alternative to email.

3. Be Active

There is absolutely zero point on having an online presence unless you are actually consistent with your approach. One of the largest parts of this is being active. In other words, ensure that you post on social media and upload new content regularly. As well as doing these things, you must also engage with your followers on social media and your website. You can do this by ensuring you respond to comments they make on your posts and content you have uploaded, such as blog posts. Not receiving any sort of response can turn people off and they will be less likely to comment again in the future.

4. Offer Freebies

Creating things and offering them for free, such as educational resources, downloadable checklists or how-to guides. Not only will it add value to your brand by reminding people that you care, but it will also ensure that your links are shared freely, thus driving more traffic to your site and social media accounts. Considering what your customers may need from you and that you can offer without compromising too much will feed into your content strategy.

5. Online Advertising

There are many ways to advertise your business online. For example, you could pay to have targeted advertising through social media, such as Facebook, which will allow you to get through to exactly who you want using criteria, such as gender, age and location. Alternatively, you could pay to ensure that you appear higher up when people type specific things into search engines. It can take a little while for you to see the impact of a campaign like this, but experts suggest you stick with it for a few months to get the best results.

6. Link to Others

Linking your business to that of others can be a highly successful strategy towards increasing awareness online. There are many ways in which you can do it. Reciprocal sharing of posts with other local enterprises works well, ensuring that a wider audience sees what you have to offer, as well as you supporting someone else in the process. On a similar vein, you could tag them in a post along with one of their products, which will often encourage them to share your content, too.