As we mentioned in our previous post, Choosing and Registering Your Business Name, building a digital presence for your business can be crucial for growth. Almost every industry has technologically evolved, and developing and maintaining a positive online brand identity helps you stand out from the competition while boosting revenue. This post discusses some of the factors involved in building a solid online presence for your small business.
Choosing and Registering Your Domain Name
Also known as your website address, your domain name is what people type into their search engine to reach your website. Search engine optimization (SEO)-wise, your domain name is not necessarily a huge factor in ranking for search results correlating to your products or services; however, registering a memorable and easy-to-type-out domain name can prevent potential customers from landing on the wrong website.
Helpful Tips for Choosing a Domain Name
If you have a long business name, including all of it in your domain name may not be ideal. For example, if your business name was Smith Brothers Long Island Construction Group, you don’t want to force people to type in smithbrotherslongislandconstructiongroup.com in order to reach your homepage. Consider shortening it to something akin to smithbrothersLIconstruction.com, or you can go a completely different route and grab a more generic domain name if it’s available (e.g., LIconstruction.com). These are just examples, and you’ll notice that a Long Island construction company has smartly registered the latter.
Your Google Business Profile
Verifying and updating your Google Business Profile is extremely important, especially for businesses with physical storefronts. Your Google Business Profile is typically where most of your customer reviews will be featured, as it’s the easiest place for clients to leave feedback. It also provides space for you to feature images of your business, its products and services. You can also post updates to your profile, keeping current and potential customers engaged. Updating your profile has the added benefit of showing people that you are actively maintaining it, which can earn the trust of individuals looking for your products or services.
Social Media Pages
You don’t necessarily need to be active on all social media platforms; however, you should at least claim your business usernames on each of them, ensuring a competitor doesn’t pick it up and tarnish your reputation. Depending on your industry, focusing on specific social media platforms will make more sense than others. Research your target market and see what sites they’re most active on. You may be wasting time posting on Facebook when your target demographic avidly uses LinkedIn.
