Whether you have a brick and mortar business or you’re solely internet-based, you need to start building your online home. There’s a lot of advice out there about platforms, design and how to go about getting a website built. This article covers 5 areas you need to nail down when you create an online home for your business.
1. You need your own piece of internet real estate
Setting up your own website for your business is essential. Nowadays people expect to be able to find what they are looking for online. Potential customers will be searching for you. They want to buy what you have to offer. But if you are not on the internet, they can’t find you.
You might have a Facebook page or be pointing people to your Instagram or LinkedIn profile. If you are building a business and purely using social media for your online presence then you are on rented land. This is not a good foundation for growing your personal brand.
Social media platforms and blogging sites have their place as you market and grow your business, but you need your own piece of internet real estate. It means you won’t wake up one day and find someone has changed the algorithm so your posts aren’t as visible, or worse, they’ve scrapped the feature your community uses. You need to be building your online home and inviting people round to explore all the great value you have to offer them.
As you market and grow your business you need your own piece of internet real estate. If you are building a business and purely using social media for your online presence then you are on rented land. #Youpreneur Click To Tweet2. Successful online businesses grab their visitors’ attention
You have six seconds to make that vital first impression when someone comes to your website. Whether you are building one for yourself or getting someone else to do it for you, pay attention to the fonts you are using and the colors you choose.
Think about the area you are working in. Different colors are associated with moods, with particular types of businesses, and locations. What suits you?
You want to create a visual brand which stands out as much as the cracking value you are providing to your customers. What will they see when they look at your site? What will they be drawn to? Choose fonts and colors which will appeal to the people you want to attract.
3. Say what you do in your tagline
Your ideal customer has landed on your site. They like what they see. What message are you going to give them? Remember the clock is ticking. You need to grab their attention. What are you going to say to stop them from heading somewhere else?
You need a tagline. It needs to say clearly what you do and how it benefits your customer in as few words as possible. What is your key message? The one thing they need to know about you that will get them on your side?
4. Create compelling content
People come to your website from all sorts of places: a search, a social media post, someone might have mentioned your name or sent them a link to a piece of content you’ve created. They won’t always land on your homepage. Your online home has many doors.
However someone comes to your site, they need to like what they see or they will bounce straight off again. People have very short attention spans. You need to create compelling content which makes them want to stick around and spend more time learning about you and what you have to say.
Every piece of content you create should do one of three things: entertain, educate or inspire. If you can do a combination of two of these things or even hit the jackpot with all three, fantastic!
5. Start blogging
How do you get people to keep coming back to your website? Blog. You want to be the go-to leader in your industry. There’s nothing like blogging to give people consistently great value that they will come back for time and time again.
Building your online home enables you to leverage search engines. These rely on juicy written content, full of useful information which answers people’s questions. Write about your subject knowledgeably in a way which appeals to your ideal customer and you will build traffic to your
website. It also gives you something to share on your social media.
Blogging works even if you prefer to create video. Simply embed your video and write a summary of what people will learn when they watch.
Here’s some top advice Jay Baer from Convince and Convert gave when he popped up on episode 300 of Youpreneur FM: “Be consistent. You have to create amazing content every day. And every week, there are no days off. There are no vacation days.
“Don't wait to create content until you feel like you're particularly motivated. Or you're having a great day. Success is based on perspiration, not inspiration.
“Look, everybody we're trying to reach is besieged by information. There are so many other people out there doing what you want to do or trying to do what you're already doing. And the way you break through is not by trying to hit a home run every 90 days. It's by hitting singles and doubles every single day and every single week. Create, create, create, create. And when in doubt, create. It's all about consistency.”
Chris founded Youpreneur® in 2015. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling books “Virtual Freedom” and “Rise of the Youpreneur”. He hosts our podcast, live events and coaches our clients inside the Youpreneur Incubator. Chris is based in Cambridge, UK.
