Take the First Steps to Create Your Online Presence
Your company’s online presence is the image that you present to the world via the Web.
If you present a website that is stylish, user-friendly and in line with the image your brand is aiming for, then your work to create a positive online brand is well on its way.
However, if you present a website that has a basic or inconsistent design, leaves consumers confused and isn’t aligned with your brand image then you might find that business isn’t as profitable as it could be.
An online presence is all about providing a distinct digital marketing style that appeals to the consumer and allows you to begin forming a relationship with them via your online store.
Here are 4 of the most important factors to consider when creating your online presence.
1. Determine The Outcome and Purpose of Your Website. With any business website or online store, you need to first understand what you want your site to achieve and how you will measure its success. You can’t blindly throw things together, hoping that they work out. Create a thorough plan of what the website will be used for, along with your goals for the site. This will allow you to begin creating a website that will work for both your short-term and long-term goals.
2. List Your Functionality Requirements. For example, an online store needs to have certain capabilities to function properly and the same concept can be applied to every other type of website. You firstly need to determine what the customer or business needs such as shopping carts, distinctive user accounts, product search capabilities, areas for consumer payments or easy site maintenance. Develop a list of the basic functions your website must have, along with optional functions that, while nice to have, are not critical.
3. Align Your Online Presence with Your Brand. Your website is a digital marketing platform that allows you to create and mold the image you want to present to your consumers. If you aren’t presenting the right image then your website and company will suffer. You need to determine what your brand is and how you want to go about communicating it through digital marketing. Then determine if the website you are creating aligns with that brand image.
4. Don’t Neglect Web Design. Web design is critical. Is your site user-friendly? Can visitors navigate the site with ease? How usable is your online store? These design considerations are critical to the success of your online presence. When a visitor has a bad experience on your site, it negatively impacts your brand and your bottom line. Make your site appeal to your customers with engaging images, ability to maneuver easily between pages and helpful categories and search functions that allow visitors to find what they need. The design of your online store is like a first impression, your consumers will form an opinion of your company based on what they see. It’s your job to make sure they see something that they like.