7 things you can do to boost your online business right now
Since the pandemic started, internet usage has spiked. From social media usage to online shopping, the demand for online services has been at its highest.
But competition is fierce. The toughest aspect of an online business is getting traffic to your website which results in conversions. With more people searching for things online, you should have better chances of coming up in searches – but so will your competitors.
We’ve put together some things you can do to increase your online business immediately.
- Get on LinkedIn (and utilise it!)
LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to find targeted leads. You must have a top-notch profile, with the profile image, header image, headline and About section professionally done. Make sure your website is displayed prominently in as many places as possible throughout your profile.
Search for people who might be interested in your services and visit their profiles. Also be sure to connect with people within your industry who offer different services, as a form of online networking. For example, if you’re a florist, you might want to connect with caterers, travel agents and venue holders.
- Optimise your Google My Business listing
A Google My Business listing is the best way to optimise a local targeting strategy. Ensure you have one to improve your search engine optimisation. If you already do, check it’s up-to-date with the correct details, and add photos or anything else that might make the listing stand out.
- Write top-quality blog posts
Excellent blog content will draw traffic to your website. They might come from Google search results, or if you’re sharing them to your social media platforms. If they are valuable and/or insightful to read, people will click through, resulting in more website traffic.
Think about who your target market are and what they would be interested in reading.
- Get your website looking up to scratch
One of those jobs that business owners often put to the bottom of the priority pile – tweaking/updating their website. It’s important to keep your website updated to improve SEO, but we see so many websites that haven’t been updated for months, or even years! So get above your competitors and update it. Make sure it looks good on mobile devices too.
- Set up a referral scheme
A referral programme is a great way to generate brand awareness, as well as gain new customers. If someone is already a loyal follower of your brand, give them the encouragement to share you with a friend.
If a friend tells you about a product, would you be inclined to check them out, especially if they were offering something free? Graze snacks provide a £1 for every person referred, and each new person receives a free graze box. Everybody wins.
- Use Google Analytics to track website visits
Set up Google Analytics, so you can view and analyse endless metrics on your website. Important metrics include where the traffic came from (e.g. social media, Google search, email, etc.), and which pages on your website are most visited.
Once set up, spend some time looking at all of the different things you can analyse. You’ll find it both fascinating and incredibly useful.
- Building reviews
Finally, nothing sells a product or service more than customers saying how good it is. Forbes goes as far as saying “the single most important thing you can do to attract new customers is to take control of your online review score”.
With online reviews now influencing 94% of consumer’s purchases, all businesses should be thinking big when it comes to encouraging customers to write them. If you’re just starting your business, include a polite request in your receipts or sales confirmations to encourage customers to leave a review. Some businesses provide the incentive of entering people into a monthly prize draw, which is nice encouragement.