It was found that on average internet users spend six hours and 58 minutes (per day) online, with such a high volume of people it comes as no surprise that having your business online is a great way to create credibility, increase engagement and strengthen your brand, but before any of this can happen you first need to get found…

This article will look at the range of ways you can get your business found online and the various benefits this will have on your business.

Listing your Business

With such a wide range of individuals online, it is important to get noticed. One of the ways you can do this is through listing your business on search engines, this can be done on google through Google my business and on Bing via places for business to get found on Google, Bing, Yahoo and more.

Doing so will display as follows:

Your information will be displayed on the right side of the screen (on desktop), and at the top for mobile for relevant searches. Below is a close up of what your business page could look like –

As you can see, this provides customers with quick access to your location, website (if applicable), contact details, customer reviews and more. Additionally, with the location based listing, customers can quickly see where you are based to figure out whether you are local to them. Having your business listed will create a lot of opportunities, customers will trust your business over others and will be more likely to purchase your service or product.

In addition to listing your business on a search engine there are a range of directories such as Yell, Checkatrade, Trustpilot and more that you can use to list your business. Your business will be more visible to individuals, and as you are listed on a credible source, customers will perceive your business as more legitimate.

Therefore, placing your information in a trusted place will not only help potential customers find your business, but will also make you more trustworthy

Websites

If you do not already have a website, we highly recommend you get one for several reasons, including that a website can help you get found online. When you own a website, if customers search for related products or services your site can appear in the search results, this is yet another place for your business to be found. Additionally, if you are already listed in the likes of google business then you will appear more than once.

When it comes to the many benefits, to list a few

• You can expand your customer reach, a very large proportion of the world uses the internet, so having a website means your site is now available to a new and expanding market.
• A website works 24/7, so you work from 9 to 5, this means there are many hours in the day where your business is not available to customers, this however, is not a problem with a website as it will be online 24/7.

Those are only a few of the benefits a website can bring to promoting your business online. Due to the increased opportunity and positive user experience it will bring to your business, a website is one of the best ways to get found online as was mentioned in a previous article.

Social Media

When you think of going online, you probably think about social media, and it’s no surprise considering there are nearly 4 billion users worldwide in 2022 alone, a number which continues to grow.

So, with such a large number of people how will your business get found amongst the masses?

You could create a Facebook business page. A Facebook business page is a great way to display and advertise your company, and it is also a great way to connect with potential and existing customers. With your new business page, you can schedule content, advertise and boost posts. Additionally, facebook business page gives you the option to track engagement and shows how many people your page has reached which is a great time saver!

Within and outside of Facebook, you can use different techniques to gain and retain customers, through personalised posts you can appeal to your followers, and showcase what your business is all about. You can also interact with your customers which will make you appear more human. As social media is all online and you might not actually see your customers and vice versa, a bit of interaction is a great way to humanise your business, create richer relationships and build a community.

Due to the online nature of social media, you might not meet a vast majority of your customers, just as they will not meet you. This can lead to a lack of personalisation and can leave things feeling a little fake or robotic. Interaction is a great way to remedy this and humanise your business to create rich relationships and build a community.

Below is a list of the best social media platforms to advertise your business

• Facebook – 1.62 Billion users
• Instagram – 600 Million users
• Linkedin – 810 Million users
• Twitter – 290.5 Million users
• Tiktok – 1 Billion users
• Youtube – 2.1 Billion users

When considering which social media platform to use it is important to consider your audience, where to find them, and what sort of content they would be interested in. Doing an analysis of your audience is a great way to prepare for this.

Partnerships and reviews

Outside of advertising personally through social media and websites, there is always the opportunity to advertise externally. One way you can do this is by forging partnerships with other businesses. Whether this was at an agreement of writing a few blogs for your new found partner in return for advertising your business on their website, it is a great way to bring in new customers. We recommend that the partnerships you make are through different companies with a similar interest (this could be something like both selling vegan products) as it will be easier to draw in customers who recognise these values, therefore creating interest and potential in you.

Using customer reviews is a great way to convince customers to get found and be considered. According to one source, 77% of consumers ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read online reviews when browsing for local businesses, with nearly 60% considering a high star rating to be important to whether they choose to use a business or not.

Utilising customer reviews is a great way to convince and retain customers that you are right for them and demonstrate the kind of business you are and how you treat/deal with your customers..