For your web presence to be successful, you need to include a variety of online elements.

Setting up your business's goals, creating your social media profiles and accounts, building your website (your base), and engaging across all the platforms are all steps in creating an effective online presence.

It’s important that you understand what your business goals are both short-term and long-term.

Throughout the process of building and growing your online presence, you should always ask yourself how your efforts are aiding you in accomplishing your business goals.

Keep track of your progress at any time by writing down your goals and making sure they are smart. You want to make sure that what you’re doing online is helping you to take a step towards accomplishing your business goals.

You should stop and track your progress at least monthly to make sure you’re on the right track. This will also prevent you from wasting time going down a rabbit hole that isn’t netting you the results you want. So, schedule these progress checks in your calendar so you don’t forget to do them.

Don’t just build an online presence because you’re “supposed to”, build it strategically so that it can help your overall business goals!

For most small businesses and entrepreneurs, building a solid platform starts with your website (your base).

Your website is your hub: a centralized place where people can go to learn more about what you have to offer, contact you, and interact and engage with your content.

There are quite a few things needed, such as a clear message, easy navigation, a sign-up form (to grow your email list), a contact page and a page about your business.

There is a lot that goes into building your online presence (platform), check that you’ve got everything covered when it comes to building a solid platform.

#3. Always be perfecting and improving

Don’t get stuck thinking that you can’t put something out there until it’s perfect, it’s never going to be perfect.

Start today, knowing that you will always be improving on what you offer and your content. Continuously look for ways to improve and perfect your site. Your content post-launch is 100 times better than not launching now.

It’s a process. The longer you wait to start, the longer it’ll be until you’re able to reach your goals.

#4. Supply consistent, valuable content

Whether it’s via your website, an online community, your podcast, a YouTube channel, or via social media, you should always be looking to provide consistent, valuable content first.

This is one of the most important steps to focus on. Creating consistent and valuable content will help you gain credibility and authority in your industry or target market and give people a reason to want to follow you.

Your online growth and visibility depend on you having a solid content creation plan.

Every one of your social media channels is an opportunity for you to supply value to your followers. Supplying value first is the most important thing when it comes to building your online presence.

If you’re ever at a loss for what type of content to create, ask yourself:

What type of content or knowledge can I share with my community and followers that might not be my own content, but that will still be of value to them?

A mix of 60 / 40 is a rule I like to follow: share other peoples’ content 60% of the time, and your own content 40% of the time on social media.

This will not only build trust with your followers (they’ll start to recognize that you’re not just in it for yourself), but it will also help you build relationships with others in your industry or target market (through sharing their content with your audience).

#5. Be social and engaging

One of the greatest things about the Internet is that it allows you to be anywhere you want to be.

Social media can be a GREAT marketing tool to help you gain fans and followers, and once you have those followers, it’ll help you develop a strong relationship with those who know, like, and trust you.

#6. Start building relationships

The most important thing when it comes to building an online presence is, of course, being seen. If no one knows you, then presumably they won’t be looking for your website, your Facebook profile, your Instagram stories, and so on.

So, what’s the best way to draw people into your world?

Find a group or online community that is made up of individuals who share the same interests or who run similar businesses as you do, and therefore, are in your industry or target market.

Start building relationships with them by supplying value and being an active member in that group. If you’re just starting out, chances are these people are better connected than you are, and they might be able to help introduce you to others who are in your industry or target market.

Find a group or community of individuals who fit the description of your audience, joining this type of community has the potential to give you priceless insights into what your audience’s biggest pain points are. Knowing this can help you pivot and create the exact content your audience wants and needs.

By becoming active in one or two communities that fit these descriptions, you will soon have made a number of amazing connections and given the members a reason to want to learn more about you.

Remember, always start by adding value for others FIRST. When entering a group or community, it’s important for you to NOT advertise yourself or your business. Once you build strong relationships with others in the community through following these steps, they’ll naturally become interested in what it is you have going on, and you can share your content.

#7. BE authentic

STAY TRUE to your brand and believes. BUILD TRUST and CREDIBILITY with your customers by making it personal.

#8. Connect with existing brands for guest posting and podcasting

Connecting with existing brands and requesting to guest post or be a guest on their podcast will not only help you build new relationships, but it will also help you get your name and brand in front of a whole new audience.

You want to be strategic when you go about requesting a guest post or to be on someone else’s podcast. Be sure you can supply value to the person’s audience first. Then, confirm their audience will be interested in what it is you offer via your own platform.

Guest posting is a wonderful way to get your name out there, build relationships with other bloggers, and show people the value you have to offer. By guest posting, you can get more traffic to your website and build a lot of social influence.

Being a guest on others podcast is also a terrific way to get your name out there, build relationships with other podcast hosts, and share some incredible value with that person’s audience. It’s also great practice for how you talk about your business, your brand, and your expertise.

Guest podcasting can result in increased traffic to your website, a strong backlink on your show notes page, and a lot of social love.

#9. ANALYZE your results

It’s important to test different things out, track your progress, and figure out what works best for YOU.

#10. DON’T let your online presence fail to deliver what it promises

Your online presence has the potential to provide you and your business with a great deal of exposure online. But it takes time, and so you must be patient.

If you’re able to build a strong platform, create consistent and valuable content, establish a presence on social media, and build meaningful relationships online, then momentum will be on your side.

You don’t have to be everywhere online, but you do have to be somewhere online.