How to Establish an Online Presence for Your Business [4 Budget-Friendly Steps]

Establishing an online presence for your business is essential to build brand awareness and increase visibility.

Consider this scenario. 

A potential client types “cleaning service near me” on Google. Do you think they’ll bother to scroll to the second page of the search results? No.

Chances are, they’ll click on one of the top five websites. In fact, ranking #1 on search engines for your industry generates a 39.8% CTR. And that’s where you want to be, especially because the #2 and #3 search rankings attract 18.7% and 10.2% CTR each. 

The point is, the higher your business ranks in search engine results, the higher the statistical chance of scooping the most traffic for your target keyword.  Of course, traffic is the number one requirement for converting your website visitors into paying customers. 

So, how can you build a strong online presence? That’s what we’ll cover in this post. 

Below, we go over four proven strategies on how to establish an online presence for your business. The best part? You don’t need to burn through your wallet with these tactics. 

Let’s dive in. 

Build a Professional Website

A website is one of the best places to introduce your business. But you don’t just want to create another run-of-the-mill business site.

You must build a well-designed website that allows you to attract, engage, and convert target customers into paying clients. 

Here are a few stats showing why an average site won’t just cut it. 

• 38% of visitors will not engage with your website if the content or layout is unattractive
• 5 in 10 internet users state they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website.
• 39% of visitors will stop engaging with your website if images won’t load or take too long.

Elements of a Website Designed to Build a Strong Online Presence

 A good website should:

• Attract the right audience and visibility through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
• Turn leads into paying customers.
• Allow online payment processing and booking.
• Have a strong company bio to help showcase expertise.
• Include a list of all your services.
• Have reviews and testimonials to win the trust of first-time visitors. 
• Contains the business’s contact information.
• Include a self-serve customer portal to improve client experience and engagement. 
• Offer user-friendly navigation to make it easy for visitors to find information and stay on the site longer.
• Have a responsive design to ensure accessibility across devices.

Contrary to what most business owners think, the best website doesn’t have to be expensive. 

MioCommerce offers customizable e-commerce websites optimized to boost digital presence, attract more customers, get paid faster, and increase engagement. 

Our websites:

• Are built on WordPress, which makes them highly customizable.
• Run on professional, beautiful themes. 
• Are mobile-ready.
• Support powerful integrations, including live pricing & real-time booking pages.
• Come with a FREE copy & content update.
• Are SEO-ready and integrated with the Yoast SEO plugin for optimal search engine indexing.

In addition, we’ll host your website and offer a free SSL certificate to protect your customer’s data. 

If you’d like a MioCommerce-powered site, book a free demo to talk to one of our business website experts.

Also, check our collection of 10 websites for cleaning business examples you can copy. 

List Your Business on Online Directories 

Getting listed in an online directory is an excellent way to establish your online presence and attract potential customers, especially for local businesses. 

For starters, a local directory includes a list of businesses that allow customers to find businesses within a specific geographic region. 

For instance, if you own a local business that provides home cleaning in Los Angeles, you can list it on the Los Angeles Times Business Directory. 

Apart from helping increase your online presence, getting listed on online directories also:

• Boosts local search 
• Allow you to collect customer feedback regarding your business (more on that below). 
• Complements your search engine optimization efforts.

Some free directories when strategizing how to establish an online presence for your business include Craigslist, Angi (formerly Angie’s List), and NextDoor. 

Potential customers who search for a business on an online directory are most likely looking for what past customers say about your business. They could also be looking to know more about your services. 

A search for “carpet cleaner” in Long Island on Better Business Bureau will show you highly rated providers in that niche. 

Thus, if you’ve listed your home or commercial service on Better Business Bureau, prospects can read reviews and testimonials, visit your website, call or request a quote online. 

What to Include in an Online Business Directory

Here’s a list of things you should include in your online business directory for maximum reach:

• Business Name: Use a consistent name across all platforms, including your local listing, social media profiles, and website.
• Complete Address: Provide a detailed physical address (e.g., 1234 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94118).
• Phone Number: Include a reachable phone number for prospective customers to call.
• Website Address: Hyperlink your website address for easy access.
• Social Media Accounts: Include hyperlinks to LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Pinterest, and other relevant social media platforms.
• Business Description: Write a detailed, SEO-friendly description highlighting your services (e.g., “Providing handyman services in the San Francisco/Bay Area”).
• Images: Utilize images, such as your company logo, to enhance your listing’s visibility.
• Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords for improved search engine visibility.
• Location: To attract local customers, specify the city or area you serve (e.g., “car wash services in Las Vegas, Nevada”).
• Business Hours: Clearly state your operating hours to inform potential customers (e.g., “Open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm”).

Speaking of directories, MioCommerce offers a one-click solution to quickly post your business information across various directories. In addition, our software provides weekly automated updates to ensure your business info is always up-to-date.

Create a Google Business Profile

Nearly 50% of all Google searches involve users looking for local information. Thus, it makes business sense to open a Google My Business (GMB) account. 

A GMB listing, like a directory, helps build a solid local online presence. It allows your business to appear on Google when prospects search for it. 

How to Optimize Your Google My Business Profile

To help your company get found on Google Maps, you need to do more than claim a Google My Business account. You should optimize it and remain active to reap maximum benefits. 

That said, here’s how to use GMB to improve your online visibility. 

• Optimize your description for your service location. Google allows you up to 75 characters, so you should be as specific as possible. 
• Geo-tag photos to boost local discovery.
• Use “Posts” to promote special offers and to attract customers. The “Posts” feature lets you share offers, business news, or product releases with your target audience. 
• Focus on Google reviews to improve CTR and search rankings. Reviews add appeal to your company. Besides, customers are naturally attracted to businesses with many positive reviews. 
• Enable GMB’s SMS contact option. The SMS feature allows customers to message your business directly, enabling you to scoop inbound inquiries. 

On that note, our multi-channel inbox allows you to streamline client communication inside Google My Business for faster replies.

Get on Social Media

A staggering 4.9 billion people use social media globally. Sure, you may not be targeting a global audience, but it makes sense to build a social media presence if you’re hoping to be found by prospects. 

While there are several social media channels, Facebook is the best place to start. Make no mistake: we’re not saying you shouldn’t set up a business profile on other social platforms. 

However, there are a couple of reasons you’ll want to start building your social media strategy around Facebook, including:

Facebook is the 3rd largest social networking site, with over 3 billion monthly users. The platform’s direct messaging app, Facebook Messenger, attracts nearly 1 billion monthly active users.

In addition, Facebook Groups, along with the platform’s advertising tool, Facebook Ads Manager, allow you to reach more prospects and grow your following. 

Getting started on Facebook is also easy since the platform supports multiple content formats, including video, images, and Stories. 

How to Optimize Your Facebook Page

Once you’ve created a Facebook page, you’ll want to optimize it to help establish a solid online presence and attract customers. 

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Include an online booking form. Then, connect the form to your website. You can also link your page to a platform like MioCommerce to allow you to generate more leads and sell on social.
• Create valuable content that genuinely helps users. 
• Update your content regularly to give customers a reason to keep visiting your page. Your visitors and target audience like reading fresh content.
• Post engaging and educational content like videos and photos to encourage consumers to share and like your content.
• Run paid ads to boost your page or post and get more customers. 

As a rule of thumb, start small. You can post once a day as you gain followers. While you may be eager to build a strong online presence via social media, a couple of posts every week is enough.

Once you have enough followers and can comfortably navigate the platform, consider posting once every day to stay top of mind with your audience. 

Pro Tip: Develop a posting schedule to reach as many as possible. In addition, produce content your target audience will want to engage with. 

After you’ve mastered Facebook, the next step is to step a business account in other online channels like X, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, 

For consistency, use the same photo, contact details, and service description on all social media channels.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Build a Strong Online Presence with the Right Platform

Establishing an online presence requires effort.

However, following the right strategy can help increase your company’s visibility and, by extension, attract the right clients. Remember, establishing a strong online footprint takes time. 

Still, you must be consistent, create high-quality content, and ensure your website is search-engine friendly. After all, that’s how to establish an online presence for your business and outperform the competition.

At MioCommerce, we help small businesses get found online, attract customers, generate more profits, and increase client engagement by using our suite of solutions, specifically designed for home and commercial services

Book a free demo below to talk to one of our experts and discuss how MioCommerce can help you build a strong online presence.