One of the reasons for business failure, particularly for retail outlets, is having their business in a poor location. This same principle is true for your online business presence as well.
There are several things that you can do to make sure that your business shows up in the good neighborhood. (By the good neighborhood, I mean that it is highly visible on the web.)
Before you do anything else, with regards to your web presence for your small business, get clear on what it is that you want and need from a web strategy. This is the area where success or failure is determined. If you know what you want, you are looking good. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.
When it comes to making your website visible, SEO is a great place to start. In fact, doesn’t it seem like everyone is a so-called “SEO expert” these days? If you want some solid SEO advice here’s Evan Carmichael’s 2009 list of top SEO blogs. That’s my advice on getting started in this arena, get educated.
Another complimentary tool for your website is having a blog. The particular type of blog I am talking about is not the typical business owner blog. You know, the one where you get really excited for a couple of months and blog every day, burn out and never post to it again. I am talking about the kind of blog where you post to it on a consistent basis with compelling and relevant content.
Speaking of content, that is really a huge key with building your website in a good neighborhood. The better your content. The more visitors you will have to your site and the more visible your site will be in search engines.
Getting your site in a good neighborhood doesn’t happen overnight. It takes diligence on the part of the site owner as well as planning. Be consistent with your content, strive to create great and relevant content and get your site out to as many channels as possible.