Maintaining an Online Presence Now & In the Future



This is a sponsored post by Webdigia

Over the last few years technology has exploded; making the internet even more valuable for businesses.  Google is still the top search engine and it is important to play by their rules if you want to stand a chance of competing and being visible in their online search results.  More users are using mobile devices including tablets, smartphones, netbooks and even gaming handhelds.  If you look at the data, searches from these devices are growing exponentially.  Take a quick peek at the analytics of your website and you should see an increase from mobile browsers.  If you have an SEO company that tracks this information and rankings for you, then you should retrieve this data from them to see how you are fairing.

Not only is it important therefore to be found online, it is also important to have your website optimized for these devices so that it displays properly.  If these are not managed in-house then a business should look to acquire more information on an internet marketing company for web design and marketing all in one.  SEO companies are usually solely for building links and raising your rankings in the search engine, while an internet marketing company handles all aspects of marketing online.

Every business should know how their online presence currently stands, including reviews and reputation.  Is all information accurate and up to date, is the aesthetics consistent with current web trends; is the site free of malware and hacking attempts, and what are its rankings for the competitive search terms surrounding the business and its offerings?  All of these and more are important aspects of maintaining a presence online.  Really, the internet is still young and is only going to grow in importance.  Already phone books and other advertising methods are dying.  Because of this, subtle shifts to your placement in search engines could mean a loss in customer intake, or even dropping in traffic that is now going to your competitors.

In today’s competitive business landscape, you cannot throw up a business website and let it collect dust.  People want an active blog, promotions and discounts, social interaction, a newsletter, and much more.  All of these are excellent ways to increase the authority of your presence online too, so it is a win for you and a win for your customers.  When your online presence authority is high, it means that your search engine optimization efforts and other tasks will take less work since you are a trusted source for the information and niche that you are in.

The key is to start early, and if you have neglected your web presence, then you should start now.  Marketing on the internet unless it is paid traffic; takes time.  You can bet that the internet is going to become more integrated into our lives and customers are going to rely on it more than ever.  Last year was the first year that cyber Monday sales actually surpassed in-store sales.  More people are shopping for gifts online to avoid the stores, and more people are researching local businesses online because with a search engine, the feedback is instant and the results are very targeted.

Companies like Webdigia offer website maintenance plans which are also extremely beneficial to remaining an authority or building your community online.  Once a website is complete, if there is no in-house website administrator, what happens when the website needs to be updated or changed?  How about new images, or deletions of employees that have left?  These changes are critical to remaining current online.  It is amazing how many people and businesses neglect their websites and image online.  They would never do this to their physical office, but really a website is an online office building with pages that reflect departments.  It would be the equivalent to refraining to mow the grass, or changing the hours listed on the sign out front of an office building.  If your website's hosting is failing or your site has been hacked, it would also be the same as locking the front doors and not letting any customers in.

When you are a business and you have a website, most don’t understand how damaging or rewarding a proper online presence can be.  It is estimated that 90% of searchers will decide on a business solely based on their website; not to mention online reviews. By decide on, it is meant that they choose to buy something or inquire further by calling or emailing.  This is critical, especially when a single click back to the search engine could place this visitor into the hands of your competitor.  Invest in your online presence, and reap the rewards from now and into the future.

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