Small businesses can find a loyal customer base online. They could also explode and become a massive retailer. The power and potential of online activity are enormous. The number of people online grows every day. 8 in 10 people in the United States shop online and the half (and growing) of the world is on the Internet. Having an online presence isn’t just a supplement to your business, it is a business.

Here are five things that every business needs to have if they want a strong online presence:

1. A Website

The first thing that any small business needs when building their online presence is a website. The website is the epicentre of all your online presence. It needs to have all the information your visitors need, it needs to be aesthetically pleasing, and it needs to work. You also need to implement an e-commerce platform onto your site as well if you’re planning on ever selling anything, whether that be products, services, or subscriptions.

2. Social Accounts

Billions of people are connected through social media. It’s a mistake to ignore the power of social media and the resource that is Big Data. Facebook and Google are two of the biggest advertisers in the world because they have information that can make your advertising campaigns more effective. They do this by allowing you to advertise only to the people who have expressed interest in your niche.

3. High Google Ranking

If you aren’t on the first page of Google, you don’t exist. The first step to increasing your ranking on Google is to make sure your website is fast and that it has great content. The second step is to increase the number of people linking to your site. You must do this the right way, however. So-called black-hat operations will get you banned from Google.

4. Customer Relations

The end game is not to get new customers coming in every day. The end game is to have a dedicated and loyal customer base who will return over and over again. Word-of-mouth marketing is powerful. Being recommended by your customers means that new customers will come to you because their friend claims that you are trustworthy. That is why customer service is so important. Engage with your audience, respond promptly to every complaint, and, most importantly, care about each customer as an individual.

5. Consistent Content

To stay updated, and to keep yourself in the eye of your customers, you need to produce or share content consistently. Share relevant content, like customers’ photos of your product, or news articles about your brand, or content you’ve created. Make sure it’s engaging and offers insight and value to your audience.

The best advice for small businesses to turn their online presence into a success is to use a marketing agency.

Things Every Business Needs to Have a Strong Online Presence