It’s undeniable: we live in a digital age. The Internet is an integral part of today’s society, from laptops to the ever-present smartphones — and, as a result, we are seeing a decline of physical forms of media, such as newspapers. Therefore, it is extremely important for even a small business to focus on creating an online presence, applying marketing techniques to the virtual world. These tactics to increase web presence will benefit your business in a multitude of ways, from increasing public knowledge about your business, to making sure your company is established in online local business listings, to the ability to manage your reputation online via reviews.

Get Social
Whether your blog is through a social media website or another platform, utilizing social media is important. You can use social media to drive sales by using it as a platform for advertising. When customers can see pictures of your product or get company updates, they become more invested in your company. Blogs are 63% more likely to drive sales than newspapers. Make sure your blog is user friendly and well-designed. Create a great logo, something eye-catching and instantly recognizable, and put it on your blog. Furthermore, it is important to keep your blog active. Businesses that update their blogs 15 or more times a month get five times more traffic. Remember: each time you blog, you are sending an update or small newsletter to the customers that follow it.
Utilize SEO
What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization is the process of using certain keywords in your website’s content so it will be higher on a list of search results. The higher your company’s website is on the search result list, the more traffic it will generate for your website; it is estimated that 75% of web users will not scroll down when using a search engine to find content, instead clicking whatever the first few links are. Utilizing SEO may seem daunting, but Search Engine Optimization experts and search engine marketing firms exist to assist businesses with optimizing their presence on search engines.
Get Reviews
It is common sense that customers want to patronize good businesses and buy good products. If they know nothing about your business or product from the perspective of the customer, they will be less likely to purchase from you. It is estimated that 61% of customers research products online, so it is important that you encourage reviews. Your company may garner reviews through social websites, but local business listings through search engines like Google also have areas for customers to review a business.
Get Mobile
Today’s society is constantly on the go. The Internet is no longer accessed primarily from home, but through smartphones. According to comScore, in June 2014, more Internet users accessed the Web through mobile than desktop. Therefore, it is very important that your company’s information can be accessed through a mobile friendly website. This is especially true for local businesses, as approximately half of all mobile searches online are conducted in the hope of finding local business listings. 61% of those searches yield a sale. Make sure that your content and your blog are accessible through mobile, and watch the traffic of your business rise.