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One of the most interesting facts about digital services is that Gen Z, which utilizes the web extensively today, was not even born when online services became accessible to the public about three decades ago. The same generation is now using the Internet to sell their products and services. However, setting up an online business thirty years ago was way different than it is today. Do you know why?
Back in the early 1990s, only the privileged could set up an online business because the starting costs were high and external funding was limited unless a fortunate individual was a part of a family-owned business. Today, individuals can start and scale businesses online with a limited budget, irrespective of their level of business expertise and background.

Starting an online business has become way easier than before (Source: Pixabay)

An online presence for small businesses is crucial in today’s competitive business environment. Check out why having a digital presence has become vital for small businesses.

The fact that 64% of SMEs operate through their business websites and 19% of small business owners believe that a website would boost their business growth by 25% within the next three years says a lot about how important it has become to start an online business.

The best thing about starting an online business is that it has become a simple, step-wise method, with each step serving as a building block of your online business. Let’s get your venture up and running with the following steps:

1. Own Your Business Idea  

The first step is to think about a business idea and test it with the following questions:

• Is the business idea providing solution(s) to problems faced by your customers?
• What kind of business have you thought about? Is it a product or a service?
• Who will be your customers?
• Which market will you target?
• Are there any established competitors for your product offering? Who are they?

There are a variety of correct responses that can fill up the question area above, but it is essential to keep in mind the ‘Why’ of your business. Remember that it takes more than just a good idea to develop something truly remarkable. According to data from the McKinsey Global Institute, for every 7 product ideas, only 1.5 launch, and only 1 succeeds. This explains why effective brainstorming is so critical.

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2. Assess the Market for Your Business Idea

Now that you have found a fine business idea, it is time to identify the unmet needs, product or service niche, and select your target market. You can check out websites that may already provide the products or services you plan to sell online. Remember that these websites are your to-be competitors, and you can evaluate how your product or service will meet customer needs and provide value in a much better way. You can also read customer opinions and feedback on online forums.

Finding the niche of your business idea is also a crucial part of setting up your business online. Demand for niche products is growing, and small business owners will have to use innovation to stand out from other businesses of the same niche.

It’s easy to get lost in the world of brands and forget about the practicality of having a single, straightforward answer to a common problem when there are so many products and services of the same niche that claim to be innovative and ahead of the curve.

Your business idea should be unique to stand out from the ordinary (Source: GIPHY)

Many new businesses launch with the goal of finding a market once they’ve developed a marketable product. For example, for a home exercise equipment product, the target market would be individuals who are interested in staying fit and healthy. Some specific characteristics of this target market would include: age, gender, income, and geographic location.

For an online business, it is crucial to check and analyze the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for your product or service. This will help you to assess the online competition in advance and prepare accordingly.

Another important part of market research is to keep track of the keywords related to your product or service that are searched frequently online. You can use these niche-related keywords to improve the ranking of your product pages on the SERPs. Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner are free tools that you can use to find out high-ranked keywords, while Ahrefs and Semrush are excellent paid options.

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3. Check the Legal Requirements to Launch Your Business Online

In order to meet the needs of your customers, it will be helpful to have a firm grasp on the numerous regulations under which you’ll be expected to operate. It is necessary to obtain a business license if you plan to conduct business online. It is equally important to check state regulations before launching an online business in a particular state of a country.

Moreover, sales tax regulations also vary with the state where you are launching your digital brand. Without a valid seller’s permit in each jurisdiction where sales tax collection is required, you would not be able to conduct business online. A tax identification number will be required for all businesses. In order to file federal taxes, businesses need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). An EIN can be requested totally free of charge using the IRS’s website, regular mail, fax, or phone.

To be legally recognized as a company in the vast majority of states, you must make sure to come up with a catchy name for your company and register it with the state secretary’s office. Moreover, a specific domain name is required to start an online store for your new company. A domain name is a specific address for a website, and it is what customers will use to locate your company online.

Having a distinct trademark for your online business is just as crucial as selecting a special domain name. You should check the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database as you choose a company name and a domain name to make sure it is available.

Companies must have clearly articulated return and refund policies in order to comply with federal and state consumer protection regulations. While stores are not compelled to allow returns or provide refunds, they are required by some states to disclose their return and refund policies to customers.

4. Choose the Best Business Structure for Your Online Brand

Explore your options for forming a company before launching your internet venture. Your online business structure can be a partnership, sole proprietorship, Limited Liability Company (LLC), corporation, or an S-Corp.

Each business structure is suitable and essential for specific types and categories of businesses. A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is the most popular type and suits various business sizes. Many growing businesses and companies seek help from LLC formation services to manage tax burdens and ensure financial safety.

You can research more about these business structures online and decide which business structure best suits your business idea.

5. Work On A Reliable Product Sourcing and Business Funding Strategy

Product sourcing strategy is perhaps one of the most critical steps when initiating an online business. It is important to remember that you are selling a product or a service because:

i. You are a product manufacturer or a service provider yourself
ii. You are planning to dropship products of other businesses
iii. You are working with retailers to sell their products online

While it’s essential to keep your business funding sources flexible (i.e., crowdfunding and business grants), business loans and other conventional options are still great options. But if you want to find the best banks for business loans, you’ll need to do some research. Additionally, utilizing some of the best accounting apps can streamline your financial tracking and help present a clearer picture of your business’s financial health.

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6. Launch Your Business Website

With your business idea and structure finalized, market research completed, and product sourcing and business funding sorted out, it is now time to finally set up your website. One critical consideration in setting up a business website is to keep it simple and user-friendly. You only have a few seconds to grab the attention of a new visitor to your site. It’s crucial that the site’s navigation is user-friendly and easy-to-use.

A key building block of any website is its content. For your website to have solid content, you need to have persuasive copies for your home page and product pages. Always keep the reader (i.e., your potential customer) in mind when writing copies, and assist them in discovering “What’s in it for me?” by writing from their perspective.

Perhaps the most important page of any business website is its Contact Page. This is the page that will allow your customers to get in touch with you. The Contact Page must be easy to spot: usually on the top right or top left of every page of your business website. Ideally, the contact details you should include are the phone numbers for local and international customers, a corporate email address, and a complete address, along with the location on Google Maps.

The Contact Page of a business website should also have links to its social media accounts. These links can be in the form of hyperlinks or social media icons. You can also place these icons on the homepage of your business website.

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Short contact forms and live chats have become popular with customers, allowing them to connect with business representatives instantly.

It is essential to know that website visitors typically make their purchases in stages. Initially, visitors are not potential buyers. Everything from the customer’s initial visit to your site to the completion of the sale depends on how your website is set up.

As an online business owner, you will have to decide which payment modes to incorporate on your checkout page and how you will receive your business payouts. In addition to payment methods, it is also important to consider providing customer support during live streaming events using chat for live streaming, which can increase engagement and satisfaction with your brand. PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay are some of the most common payment methods in addition to credit card payments.

7. Promote Your Online Business

After setting up your online business, you must inform your targeted customers about your business offerings. This is where the final step of marketing comes into play. There are various types of marketing methods out there. However, some of these methods are more effective than others.

Some of the available online marketing options for small businesses (Source: Pixabay)

When talking about marketing, social media has become the most powerful advertising tool for online businesses. Instagram, Facebook, Google, YouTube, TikTok, and many other social media platforms have become popular marketing hubs for businesses. Since 69% of Americans have their social media accounts on Facebook, this social media platform has been identified as the major marketing channel for small businesses.

Paid marketing has also emerged as a popular marketing stragegy for businesses. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Influencer Marketing are effective paid marketing channels today.

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In contrast with paid marketing techniques, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique used to increase a website’s visibility in search engines via free, organic search results. Another popular marketing method used by advertisers is content marketing. It is worth knowing that more than 80% of marketers use content for marketing their products, and 70% of marketers have invested heavily in content marketing. Blogging is one of the most common forms of content writing, as nearly half of the online businesses leverage blogging in their content marketing strategies.

That’s A Wrap

From a unique business idea in your mind to realizing that idea in the form of a product on the screens of billions of web users, this 7-step method has covered everything for you. Each step will serve as a building block for your online business. The only thing left for you is to begin setting up your online business with the first step and make your dream come true!

Small businesses have become the backbone of the global economy in 2022, as according to globalnaps around 400 million Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent around half of the worldwide employment and 90% of business firms. Amazingly, most of the SMEs survived the economic devastations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you know how?

According to a comprehensive research conducted by Salesforce, more than 70% of SMEs reported substantial growth in their online businesses, and 71% of those small businesses revealed that their investment in creating an online business presence was one of the crucial reasons for their survival during the pandemic.

An interesting insight obtained from the data provided by the Top Design Firms concluded that 28% of the 30 million SMEs in the United States (i.e., more than 8 million SMEs) do not even have their business websites. Perhaps the most crucial statistic for these small businesses is that the number of online customers is increasing every year, with the figures rising from 1.32 billion in 2014 to a whopping 2.14 billion in 2021.

Rising number of online customers worldwide (Source: Statista)

It is fair to say that regardless of the nature of products or services they offer, SMEs that have no online presence at all may not be able to connect with billions of online customers. However, digital presence is not only about reaching a wide customer base.

Let’s have an insight into the reasons why an online presence is crucial for small businesses and what SMEs are missing out on by not taking their business online:

1. SMEs have reaped Substantial Profits by Going Online

Even though the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the profitability and growth of SMEs cannot be overlooked, the pandemic forced many companies to shift their businesses online, and this proved to be a turning point for them.

A family-owned jewelry business in Indiana, Moriarty’s Gem Art, suffered a major setback when the COVID-19 pandemic forced its retail store to shut down. The company went through crisis until it went online and began live streams that were advertised through the company’s website.

The results of this online transformation from Moriarty’s Gem Art were remarkable. The online audience count surpassed 1000 during the live streams, and the firm made $12,000 in its July 2020 show alone. Another live stream during the pandemic days enabled the company to reap a whopping $20,000 from the sale of a single gemstone alone.

Moriarty’s Gem Art website traffic rise after the COVID-19 outbreak (Source: PipeCandy)

Moriarty’s Gem Art’s total revenue generated from sales through the website in 2021 and 2022 is estimated to be between $1 million to $5 million. The number of monthly orders placed on the company’s website is between 500 and 1000.

Another valuable benefit of online business is that you can conduct seamless business operations, regardless of whether there is an outbreak or a pandemic.

Netflix, which originated as an SME in the video rental industry in 1997, was way behind Blockbuster, the leader of this industry. In 1999, Netflix took its rental platform online and struck an online streaming deal with Starz in 2008 to take movies to the comfort of their customers’ homes. On the contrary, Blockbuster reinstated its unpopular late fee policy and didn’t provide online video streaming services to its customers.

Netflix’s rise after taking their video rental business online (Source: Drift)

In 2010, Netflix was worth $24 million, while Blockbuster incurred a colossal loss of $1 billion and filed for bankruptcy in the same year. The digital presence of SMEs in the shape of a website has not only helped them survive and reaped massive profits but has also enabled them to gain a competitive edge over their rivals.

2. Online Presence is Crucial for Brand Awareness & Growth

A digital presence plays a phenomenal role in enhancing the brand awareness and growth of small businesses. This is particularly true for emerging SMEs that are employing E-commerce as their medium of business operations. SMEs can use E-commerce to connect with customers living in those regions where the business is not operating physically.

Bavarian Clockworks, a family-owned cuckoo clocks venture in Florida, represents a perfect case of how E-commerce enables SMEs to increase their brand awareness. The venture was launched in 2015 on BigCommerce, a renowned E-commerce platform for SMEs, after thorough market research conducted by its founder Robert Ellis. The shift to BigCommerce reaped ample profits for Bavarian Clockworks, as the company recorded an increase in revenue from $483,171 to $ 1,448,318.

In addition to e-commerce, chat for live streaming has also become an effective tool for small businesses to engage with their audience and promote their products or services. By incorporating live streaming into their digital marketing strategy, businesses can provide real-time updates, answer questions, and showcase their products, allowing them to build a stronger connection with their customers.

Another U.S based SME in Texas, Beardbrand, transformed its beard-care business from humble proceedings on YouTube in 2012 to prosperous E-commerce business. Beardbrand now makes handsome earnings, reaping million-dollar figures in revenue every month.

3. Online Presence Brings Priceless Advantages to SMEs that are Unavailable to Offline Customers

One of the best things about online presence for SMEs is that it brings them unmatched benefits when compared with those small businesses that are not operating online. SMEs can operate their business dealings 24/7, even outside of business hours. In-person businesses suffered the most when their business operations shut down after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North Carolina-based yoga outfit, Feel Better Yoga, was forced to shift its business online shortly after the COVID-19 restrictions were enforced. The company was able to continue its business operations online, hosting 35 virtual classes weekly. This enabled the business to continue its operations despite the closure of its business location in Burlington and earn thousands of dollars in revenue.

SMEs that are only conducting their business operations on site may face business disruptions or complete shutdown due to natural disasters or many other factors. This can result in a permanent loss of their tangible records and data. One added advantage online businesses have is that they can store their valuable business data online and recover it easily if their tangible records are lost.

Another crucial advantage of digital presence is the savings SMEs can make by eluding the costs of utilities, rent, and other expenses required to maintain business operations on site.

4. Digital Presence Enables Small Businesses to Monitor Customer Preferences and Sales

Digital presence allows small business owners to monitor and track customers and sales effectively. It allows SMEs to understand and analyze customer behavior; and then strategize their online marketing accordingly.

There are many free online tools to monitor website traffic. One of the most popular online tools is Google Analytics, which can show how users found your website, the time they spent on your website, and the pages they visited, what actions they took on your website, among many more.

Google Analytics overview of website traffic for a month (Source: Freepik)

Live Traffic Feed is another handy tool that can perform real-time tracking of visitors surfing a website, the pages they view, and their location. Clicky is also a free web analytic tool for websites. It does not only monitor the web analytics constantly but also updates the metrics immediately, enabling SMEs to get a live picture of user traffic on their business websites.

The California-based party clothing outfit, iHeartRaves, boosted its web marketing by monitoring the user traffic on its website. It not only enabled the firm to monitor customer preferences, behavior and understand their needs, but it also allowed iHeartRaves to make strategic decisions related to customer personalization. The company makes $25M-$50M in revenue every year.

And you don’t even need iHeartRaves level of resources to get the most out of personalization. Tools like Intellimize offer up an AI website optimization solution that personalizes unique experiences for every visitor. All the tool needs is contextual and behavioral data to serve visitors’ web pages that have the highest probability of converting.

5. Reconnecting with Existing Customers and Attracting a Wider Consumer Base

The COVID-19 pandemic has instigated a major shift in the shopping behavior and preferences of customers. Online shopping has become the latest trend, and it is here to stay. Customers are now looking for household products, daily essentials, medicines, and personal care products online. Growth in online purchases has also spiked in several other product categories.

Growth in use of online shopping before and after COVID-19 in different product categories (Source: McKinsey & Company)

The growth in online purchases has enabled SMEs to reconnect with their existing customers and extend their customer reach to untapped regions and customer base.

6. Adapting To the Evolving World

The world is evolving rapidly due to technological developments and the different demands of customers. It is crucial for SMEs to adapt to the changing market dynamics quickly and effectively. Having a digital presence allows SMEs to easily adapt to the changes.

Sears, an American department store failed to adapt to the changing market trend, which was shifting away from the ‘general store model’ and going online. Sears eventually failed to compete against Walmart and other smaller boutiques that went online.

The Michigan-based firm, Borders Group, began its bookstore operations in 1971. It didn’t take long for the company to become a successful book brand in the market. However, Borders failed to understand the evolving market fuelled by technology and the rise of the Internet. The company never took its business online, unlike its biggest rivals, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Borders Group declared bankruptcy in 2011, with the closure of its 399 bookstores and the lay-off of thousands of employees.

Hummer, a renowned manufacturer of military and civilian vehicles in Michigan, also made a similar mistake. The company failed to recognize that its customers were becoming more environmentally conscious in their vehicle purchases. Since Hummer’s vehicles consumed a lot of fuel, its sales went down drastically as customers opted for ‘gas sippers’ vehicles of their competitors due to their low fuel consumption and emissions. In 2009, the business was finally shut down. Online presence could have allowed Hummer to monitor the buying trends of customers and adapt to the evolving trends accordingly.

7. ‘Popping Up’ on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)

An increasing number of people have started to use digital search engines, especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Online search engines have become effective tools on the Internet, and billions of customers are using Google, Bing, and other search engine platforms to find the products they need. In 2019, 29% of the global web traffic was driven by search engine platforms.

Share of global web traffic in 2019 (Source: Statista)

An online presence allows SMEs to appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) in the form of corporate websites and social media pages, enabling customers to access them with just a single click. A website also allows SMEs to showcase their products and services. Once customers start accessing your business website from SERPs, your website serves as a ‘24/7 salesperson’ for your business.

Appearing in search engine results can give your brand more credibility. A website can ensure this by allowing customers to post reviews and feedback about the company’s products or services. In this way, prospective customers can stay assured that the content on the website is reliable.

Most customers use Google to search for services and products. This is evident from the dominance of Google in the search engine market share for at least the last 12 years. Google dominates 83% of the market share as of June 2022.

Google’s dominance in the search engine market share from 2010-2022 (Source: Statista)

Interestingly, search, and navigation is the most critical factor in the online shopping experience because of the accompanying ease of finding services and products, followed by product reviews and ratings.

Search, and navigation is the most important feature of online shopping experience (Source: Statista)

In today’s busy world, people have hectic schedules, and they find it difficult to take out time to visit business outlets for purchasing products, especially during business hours. Customers prefer convenience and comfort, which is why online presence for businesses has become essential. The customers can access the products and services they need from the comfort of their homes.

In A Nutshell

We are witnessing the peak of a digital business world in which market competition is becoming more intense with every passing day. The survival of SMEs in today’s competitive business environment strongly depends on them shifting their business operations online. From monitoring customer traffic to reaching a wider consumer base, we have uncovered the crucial benefits of having an online business presence. Best of luck to thousands of SMEs out there!

Facebook has recently taken action against advertisers who have failed to adhere to their advertising policies when using the platform. As a result, there has been a spike in ad rejections as well as page restrictions, leaving many advertisers annoyed and uncertain of what to do next.

Facebook notifies you via email and also on the social media platform if your page is restricted for advertising. To learn more about the restrictions applied to your Facebook page or business manager account, you can go to Account quality and check the page’s status.

Having your Facebook page restricted usually disallows you from creating any ad. Questions like these will immediately pop into your head: What caused Facebook to restrict my advertising page? How long will it take for the Facebook page restrictions to be lifted? Can I expect to be able to run ads again at some point?

Many concerned advertisers post reactions such as the one below to know more about why their account was blocked or why the ad was restricted.

These are all valid concerns, and based on the Facebook support team’s reputation, it may take some time before you receive a response.

The struggles associated with Facebook Page Rejections and Restrictions

Advertisers have been posting regularly about their Facebook pages getting restricted and facing many ad rejections. A common reason behind their frustration is that they are not informed of exactly why Facebook restricted their advertising rights. Facebook usually replies with a brief and automated response that the advertiser does not comply with its advertising policies.

Another annoying thing noted by advertisers is that Facebook is also giving mixed reasons every other day for restricting Facebook pages with no certain information. Advertising access may be restricted depending on the nature and severity of the ad infringement.

Possible Reasons for Facebook Ad Rejections and Restrictions

Facebook’s ad review system uses automated reviews to assess advertisements for compliance with Facebook’s advertising regulations. The Facebook AI reviews ads and helps enhance the platform’s automated systems in some situations. Facebook’s AI also examines the final destination of a user’s click on an ad, such as a landing page, a lead ad form, or an instant form on Messenger.

Facebook’s success hinges on its users and marketers being able to connect in honest ways. Implementing Facebook’s advertising regulations, community standards, and other policies and terms is critical. Any attempt to avoid this regulation by dodging or tricking Facebook’s review systems is forbidden as it endangers genuine and valuable connections.

Ads that attempt to hide words or phrases by clouding them with Unicode characters; and restricting Facebook’s access to an ad’s location page are also some of the causes of page restrictions or rejections. Ads that attempt to create new advertising accounts after the current ones have been disabled for not adhering to Facebook’s policies are also considered to circumvent Facebook’s evaluation process and other regulatory systems. When Facebook detects such conduct, advertising access may be blocked.

Restrictions on ad placement may also be imposed when Facebook discovers fraudulent activity. This can include caps on ad expenditure, restrictions on access to specific advertising tools, or a complete restriction on advertising on Facebook’s products.

Facebook prohibits using fake accounts, artificially increasing the content’s popularity, and other behaviors deemed to be evading the evaluation process and other compliance systems because these actions undermine the platform’s goal of fostering trusting relationships between people and businesses.

What Can Be Done?

There are many approaches that can be adopted by advertisers while they are waiting for a response from Facebook for their ad restrictions. So without further ado, let’s look at some of these so that businesses can continue with their marketing efforts without any undue delays.

1. Check the Advertisements to Ensure Adherence to Facebook Advertising Policies

Advertisers should check whether their advertisements comply with the Advertising Policies of Facebook. It may be possible that changes were made to these policies shortly before you posted your ad, and it failed to fulfill one or more of the policy requirements. It is essential to stay updated on Facebook’s advertising policies before posting ads in the future.

2. Creating A Fresh New Page on Facebook

Another important step advertisers can take is to create a new advertisement page on Facebook. However, they must first unlink Instagram from their old restricted page. Once a new Facebook page is in place, connect your Instagram back to the new page and try to ‘warm up’ the Facebook page by posting regularly and running small-budgeted engagement campaigns. Once that is completed, you can start posting ads.

3. Keep other Advertising Options Open

As the old saying goes, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,’ advertisers should not rely solely on Facebook ads. This has become even more important, keeping in mind the recent Facebook ad issues faced by many advertisers. Advertisers must shift their ad spending away from Facebook and engage in paid marketing campaigns on Google, such as PPC. They can also market their products and services on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Parting thoughts

As more advertising-page-restriction cases surface on Facebook, advertisers should not waste their valuable time if they are unsure when the restrictions on their Facebook pages will be lifted. The three tips discussed above can help keep your marketing campaigns running without disruption. Best of luck!

In today’s tech-savvy world, the mission to grow your business online tops the list. According to MarkinBLog, There are more than 26 million eCommerce sites worldwide, and the number is rising day by day. So, even if you are a small or a medium-sized business, you should look for ways to evolve with the trends and stand out.

Many businesses do not even have physical offices. In other words, they are dependent on Internet’s mercy. The Internet, however, has provided a great platform to ease business operations. It provides equal opportunity to a novice as it does to a multi-million-dollar company’s CEO. Therefore, the rules for online success are the same for everyone.

So, let’s look at the ways that will help you grow your business online so that you catch pace and make a mark in the industry.

The powerful ways to grow your business online in 2022

The following ways are a sure-shot route to the success of your business online. So without further ado, let’s dig in.

1. Structure your website well

If you do business online, website maintenance and optimization should be your top priority. Create a website that is easy to navigate. Everything should be aligned and integrated, from menu sections to contact details, so the users don’t get baffled.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the key to creating your online presence. If you integrate necessary keywords and streamline your website for crawlers to introspect your website, you can gain the upper hand in the search engine rankings of Google and Bing. Meta descriptions, title tags, and image alt text are some of the other areas in which target keywords can be integrated.

2. Stay active on social media

Social media was introduced to bridge the boundaries and bring the global community together. But today, social media is the hub of all businesses. Brands, big or small, must maintain an active social media presence so that more people can know about them.

The best part about all these platforms is that you can grow your brand without spending too much. So, create your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages to stay active and reach a wider array of audiences.

3. Protect your connection

According to Web ARX security, 300,000 malware pieces are created daily. This shows that Internet has its security concerns. You become a prime target for hackers once they know that you gain new user data actively through your website. That is when they sit between you and your customers to see what data is getting transferred.

With an unsecured HTTP connection, it is impossible to protect your communication. That is why you need to add an ‘S’ to HTTP. HTTPS or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure states that your connection is protected by an SSL or Secure Sockets Layer certificate encrypting the data transferred between your website and the user’s browser. With an SSL encrypted website, even if a hacker tries to compromise your website, they cannot read or see what is getting transferred. SSL comes in different types depending on the magnitude of your website. For example, if you have a single domain to secure, then a single-domain SSL would be enough to protect it. But, if you have multiple domains attached, you need a low-priced multi-domain SSL. For this purpose, you can go for SSL certificates like DigiCert Multi-Domain SSL, Sectigo multi-domain SSL protection, etc.

4. Get reviews and ratings

People are more persuaded to buy from you if they hear someone genuinely praising you. And that is where testimonials come in. Today, platforms like Google and Facebook allow customers to rate you. Apart from utilizing them, you can also go for video testimonials and feature them on your website. Good reviews and ratings will also help you gain better rankings as Google recognizes the traction your business is generating.

5. Know your target market

If a business knows whom it should target, they have a very high chance of success. Moving with a planned approach, they won’t be spending their monetary resources and time on spreading their campaign thin across all social media channels. For example, if a business deals in beauty products, Instagram and TikTok can be two of their most viable marketing platform options. On the other hand, if a business caters to middle-aged people, Facebook and email marketing are two of the best mediums.  The knowledge of social media marketing is a must to target your audience effectively and grow your business online.

6. Attend to the Price-Profit ratio

Prices have a deep impact on customers’ buying behavior. If an article is too costly, customers will refrain from buying it. On the other hand, if it is too less, you will bear the brunt of lesser margins and overall profit. That is why you must ascertain the price-profit ratio after considering factors like competitor’s price, market demand, production cost, cost of technology, and taxes. Every company wants to be profitable, but it is best not to go berserk. If you calculate your prices with a practical and rational approach, your company and your customers will be happy.

7. Maintain high standards for customer service

Your relationship with your customer enters its 2nd phase when they complete the purchase. The possibility of them repeatedly buying from you is high only when you provide optimum customer service. In the case of heavy-duty articles, you must integrate a crew of technicians who can provide instant on-site service. Also, have a flexible policy when it comes to returns and replacements. Since your priority is customer satisfaction, you should happily return the item and replace it if necessary.

Bonus Tip

You can grow your business online by integrating these seven tips, but how do you sustain your spot in the market for long? That is where business growth measurement comes in. Tools like Google Analytics can help you determine who your competitors are and where you currently stand in the rankings. So, apart from integrating these tips, you must also conduct research and analysis to monitor your progress. Most top-level websites have an in-house department where experts ensure that the graph of the company’s growth does not go down. So you too can take the help of specialists to take your business to greater heights of success.

Final Thoughts

Online business growth is directly linked to your approach towards the ongoing trends; If you are versatile enough to adapt to changes, nothing is tough for you, and walking on the journey to grow your business online becomes easier. So, follow the above tips and get set to enjoy the benefits that tag along. The time is near when your business will touch the sky.

Running a business of any size requires you to be familiar with what’s happening in the digital landscape. To stay ahead, you need to know the latest digital marketing trends and what you can do to incorporate these into your business to make it more successful.

Imagine having a website that doesn’t load in milliseconds or offering a browser-based service that doesn’t respond well. To avoid such situations, read a little about the current trends to stay ahead of the competition.

Introducing WEB 3.0

The 3rd generation of the World Wide Web is coming, and you should be a part of it. We strongly recommend embracing the trends that are building Web 3.0 because these will be the foundations of how the Internet works in the future. If you sign up for a Web3 bootcamp that teaches you the fundamentals of Web3 coding languages like Solidity, you can get a head start. 

Nowadays, we have Web 2.0 based on cloud computing, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. All the data storage is centralized, and we rely on said centralization to access the necessary files. There are many benefits of Web 3.0, and we’re going to go through a few, including other digital marketing trends.

Cloud Technologies

The current Web relies heavily on cloud computing, but it’s still a centralized structure, as databases and information transactions can be traced. If you’re a successful business owner, cloud technologies are a must for your services.

It doesn’t matter if you’re running a restaurant or a consultation agency dealing with finance. You need to have a website that’s based on the cloud to avoid downtime and make subscriptions, sign-ups, payments, and other services easier for your clients.

AI and Machine Learning

As businesses have access to an enormous amount of data, we need to consider what we can do with it. We can use machine learning platforms to gather data and analyze it to find a solution to any issue.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are a combination that can provide you with the insights needed to stay ahead of your competition. Here are some benefits of AI that can yield profits and increase your customers’ loyalty:

• Improved organization
  Artificial intelligence can help keep up with organizational issues, such as overlapping meetings, project management, resource allocation, budgeting, etc.
• Error reduction
  Integrating AI and machine learning into the data structures helps to identify and rectify almost any kind of mistake, which greatly facilitates the process.
• Customer experience
  Finally, it all comes down to flawless customer experiences because that’s what’s important. If the business is running smoothly, the customer will probably be satisfied. Furthermore, AI technologies play a crucial role in customer journey orchestration, enabling a business to deliver a seamless and personalized customer experience across multiple channels.

Blockchain, NFTs, and the Metaverse

Get onto the blockchain technology expedition. If you’re into finance, the best thing to do is to offer a blockchain technology-based system to your clients. Their transactions become more discreet, and they are more satisfied.

Even if you’re not into any kind of business, investing in a bit of crypto can come a long way. Another thing to look into is NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Similar to cryptocurrencies, NFTs are assets, but they’re not fungible.

Each NFT is unique and one of a kind, and represents a digital piece of art such as a video, a music file, an image, etc. Luckily, you can create your NFT design using NFT creation software. These amazing technologies are building up to the Metaverse.

Metaverse involves virtual and augmented reality and combines features of the digital and physical worlds. If you can help your business become a part of it by building a virtual shop or similar, you’re already ahead.

Incorporating the Latest Digital Marketing Trends

There are three types of digital marketing trends you should focus on in 2022:

1.   Social Media Marketing Trends

Social media marketing should be an integral part of every business’s marketing strategy. Especially now that TikTok is on the rise, overlooking it as well as other dominating networks such as Facebook and Instagram is not an option. Consider these trends to increase your social media engagement:

• Short-form videos
  Instead of using long explainer videos on your social media profiles, try short videos that contain key points. They are more likely to help you get new customers and clients.
• Infographics
  The best thing to do is post infographics that contain bits of information on the product or service that you offer. Think about your experiences. It’s much easier to read all the info at once instead of searching for the specs.
• Influencers
  There are many popular people that influence social media communities. Use influencers to your advantage and get the best possible results on your social media profiles.
• Paid ads
  Advertising is still a superb way to go, but try not to be too forceful with your ads. Show the customers that they need your product or service and try to make it an experience for them.

2.   Visual Marketing Trends

Apart from the suggested infographics and the short-form videos you can post on your social media profiles, there are other visual marketing trends you should look into. For example, think about your logo.

Logo designing is not that expensive, and it makes your brand stand out. Having a memorable logo will help you stay ahead of the competition. You can also hire a web designer to give your website the best possible look and functionality.

3.   SEO Trends

Some other digital marketing tips that should never be overlooked include SEO. At this point in time, search engine algorithms do not solely rely on keywords but instead on relevance to your search query. This relevance is based on:

• Search location
  If you’re searching for a specific keyword across the continent, it’s unlikely that your results are going to be from a country miles away. So, be location-specific in your content.
• Keywords
  Still, these contribute to relevance, as people type a word into the search bar to start the search. So, if a page contains your keyword, it’s likely to appear on the search results page.
• Content
  Finally, SEO professionals put a word on our webpage multiple times and think it is more relevant than the other pages containing the word. Remember, you need to integrate content that’s also quite relevant to the keyword.

Digital Video Formats for Efficient Data Storage

Finally, before posting videos on your business website, you need to consider which format is best for different videos, including how-to videos, informational videos, training videos, etc. Remember, storage is not infinite, so we need to focus on those formats that are storage-efficient.

By far, the best video format you can use is the MP4 format, as it’s supported by most browser apps and is space-saving. Plus, converting to another format like DVD to MP4 format will not affect the quality that much.

Conclusion

Make a smooth transition of your business to WEB 3.0. Incorporate as many trending technologies as you can, no matter which type of business you’re running. If you’re an individual, learn a bit about these because they can mean a lot in the future.

Once you hop onto the latest digital marketing trends journey, there is no stopping you from touching the pinnacle of success.

Terms like direct traffic, paid traffic, and organic traffic can be confusing if you’re only just taking your beginning steps into the world of digital marketing. This article will give you a quick overview regarding organic traffic, why it is important, and how you can increase it with ease. Without further ado, let’s get to it. 

Understanding Organic Traffic

The term organic traffic describes visitors to a website from organic search results rather than paid ads. When users enter queries on search engines like Google or Bing, they get a set of results, including top organic pages and ads. Users that click on organic results to visit a website are recorded as organic search traffic by analytics tools. 

Organic vs. Paid Traffic 

The primary difference between organic and paid traffic is that organic traffic is completely free while paid traffic incurs costs. To get traffic from search engines, you have two options: use SEO to rank your website high in search results without paying for it or place paid ads on top of organic results using Google Ads. 

SEO allows you to get traffic for free at any given time, but it takes some time to work and produce measurable results. On the flip side, pay-per-click (PPC) ads get you quick results, but you will end up paying for each click and visit to your website. 

PPC ads only last until your budget runs out. By contrast, organic results will continue driving traffic to your pages as long as you’re able to maintain good rankings on Google. This makes SEO a much more sustainable model for pulling recurring organic traffic to your target pages. 

Importance of Organic Traffic 

Organic traffic is important for any website. In fact, it is much more impactful in the long run than paid traffic. Even traffic from social media platforms like Facebook pales in comparison to organic traffic. The reason why organic traffic is important has to do with the fact that it is targeted. 

Users entering a query in search engines have a specific concern. If you provide them an answer or solution to the said concern, the chances of you gaining a new follower, email subscriber, or customer will be greater. Moreover, organic traffic is essential for increasing website trust, which has numerous other benefits. 

Users blindly trust websites that rank highly on search engines, increasing your chances of success of converting visitors, even more so than visitors coming from social media platforms or other mediums.  

Increasing Organic Traffic 

The best ways to increase organic traffic to your website involve following effective SEO practices, such as:

1. Only produce content that is of interest to your target audience. 
2. Use search terms/keywords throughout your content. 
3. Get links from reliable websites. 
4. Ensure your website is easy to use. 

These are only the bare essentials of an SEO-friendly website. The optimization actions and strategies necessary for boosting your website high on Google are seldom pulled off so easily. It’s an ongoing process that demands continuous experimentation, performance monitoring, and the marriage of data-driven optimization and creativity. 

You save money, but you expend more time and energy to secure a strong organic position for your website with SEO. And the best part? It truly pays off in the long run by making organic traffic the primary source of visitors to your site.

Businesses that want to establish a relationship with their target audience will need to emphasize branding. After all, branding is essential to build trust, and there is no better way to build a strong brand than coming up with a unique logo design.

However, coming up with a unique logo design is easier said than done. Fortunately, this blog will guide you on developing a unique logo design in no time. Without further ado, let’s dig in.

Simplify your Logo Design

Successful logo designs rely on appropriate shapes and font choices that are simple. Simple logo designs are easier to recall; for instance, people can easily recognize the Apple and McDonald’s logos without breaking a sweat.

When you use too many fonts and colors in your logo, you will only confuse your target audience. Most importantly, you will not be able to communicate your brand’s messaging. By keeping your logo design simple, you tell your target audience that you are organized.

A cluttered logo will leave a negative impression on your target audience, which is why you should take one step at a time to come up with the perfect logo design that best represents your brand.  

Avoid Special Effects

Most brands make the terrible mistake of integrating too many special effects into their logo design. The last thing you need is to do is to overdo your logo design with special effects.

If you rely on too many special effects to make your logo design memorable, you will need to work on your design. Well-designed logos do not have to rely on special effects solely. If and when you design a logo that does not require special effects, you have a robust logo design to work with. Once you have a final logo design, only then should you ever consider adding special effects.

Avoid Copying Popular Brands

Many businesses copy popular logo designs, but what they do not realize is they are doing more harm than good. Businesses that copy popular logo designs leave a negative impression on their target audience since they do not exude originality.

If you want a robust logo design for your brand, you will need to avoid borrowing, stealing, and copying ideas from popular logo designs.

Be Creative

While designing a unique logo for your brand, you should let your creativity take charge. Come up with numerous potential concepts with the help of photo editor software and apps, and work on them until you find one that shows great promise. If you are capable of working with unconventional designs, then there is no reason why you should not take a risk or two for an innovative logo for your brand.

There are several other ways you can develop a unique logo for your brand, but the steps mentioned above should help you get on track in no time. But then again, if you are unable to come up with a logo that best represents your brand, then you should consider hiring a professional logo designer. You can find a list of logo design companies that provide impeccable services. Just make sure the logo designer is experienced, has a great portfolio, and comes highly recommended, and you should be good to go!

If you want to develop a viable and successful web solution, you will need to implement the most recent web development trends. By doing so, you will not only increase engagement but grow your business at the same time. 

Since new technologies are emerging every day, entrepreneurs need to take advantage of them to stay competitive and engage users effectively. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some web development trends and practices worth following in 2021. 

AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Bots

AI bots and assistants can collect data, learn, and solve complex problems. AI bots and assistants can collect data, learn, and solve complex problems which you can store in a customer data platform to build personalized experiences for your customers. This domain will shape the future of web development, which should explain the rising demand for AI for communication in 2021. It should not come as a surprise that there are numerous virtual assistants, AI chatbots, AI voice generators, and so on, becoming a normal industry trend. With these technologies, businesses can engage with humans effectively. Chatbots can enhance customer experiences digitally for marketplace platforms, and even then, their potential is limitless.

Voice Search 

Until a few years ago, information was delivered in text, but now internet users prefer using audio over text messages. For this reason, and many others, the web now utilizes audio because it is a rapidly emerging technology when it comes to web development. 

Recent trends indicate voice optimization is integral for websites. Now, companies enhance their digital products by delivering voice search capabilities. 

Voice search has numerous benefits for business owners and users, out of which the primary ones are as follows:

• Users can order products more quickly and allows them to save time;

• Customer behavior analytics can be acquired. 

To optimize your website for voice search, here is what you need to do:

• Provide direct answers to questions while using natural language. 

• Update important information and remove duplicate pages. 

• Implement voice search by using the Web Speech API. 

Mobile-Friendly Websites 

With a massive number of users relying on their phones to use the internet, it should not come as a surprise that websites now have to be developed using a mobile-first approach. According to DataReportal, mobile phone users are north of 5 billion, and these numbers will continue to rise. 

The future of the internet is dependent on mobile-friendly websites. Businesses adopting a mobile-first approach will see a massive surge in traffic and conversions. Additionally, mobile-friendly websites look good on mobile devices and even desktop computers. 

It is worth noting that Google introduced a mobile-first indexing feature, meaning websites need to be mobile-friendly. Businesses have no other option but to ensure their websites are mobile-friendly, without which their visibility will suffer greatly. So, it is the right time to opt for a website redesign now.

Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology involves providing a transaction event. Simply put, a decentralized distributed network verifies each transaction, giving users complete transparency. Blockchain has several benefits for web development, which are as follows:

• Reduces business expense;

• Reduces the number of transaction contracts;

• Increases cash flow due to transparency regarding data/records. 

Blockchain also provides additional advantages as:

• Data privacy and security;

• Secure transactions;

• High interactivity with web pages. 

Of course, there are several other web development trends and practices worth following in 2021, but the ones mentioned above will get you started if you do not know where to begin. Continue exploring new web development trends and practices to interact with your clients like never before, and you will see your business reach new heights without compromising on providing an extraordinary user experience. 

If you plan to work on a website, especially if you are running a business, you are making the right call. Website development and design are a fairly large project, accompanied by various important activities from purchasing hosting, registering a domain, installing a website theme, building necessary functionalities, and much else.

As a result, website development can be costly. It’s important to remember that costs will always vary depending on the complexity of the project. However, it’s still possible to approximate the costs of a generic web development project, which we’re going to do here:

Website for Small Businesses

Websites for small businesses generally have little to no customization. They usually have 20 pages or less, featuring stock photos, with zero unique functionalities. Small business websites are as simple as they come and can cost $2000-$8000.

Website for Medium-Sized Businesses

Medium-sized business websites are commercial websites that can have as many as 75 pages. These websites have custom design layouts, imagery, and CMS (Content Management System). They can also have some unique functionality and can cost $10,000-$25,000.

Website for Large Businesses

Large business websites have hundreds of pages. These large-scale websites have imagery, CMS (Content Management System), multimedia creation, blog integration, and other personalized development. Large business websites can cost up to $25,000-$40,000.

Ecommerce Website

Ecommerce websites focus on giving customers the ability to browse and purchase products. These websites require payment gateway integration, copy-writing, imagery, CMS, and extensive beta testing. The cost of an ecommerce website is determined by the intricacy of the products being featured. It can range from $5000 to $40,000.

Other Important Expenditures 

There are several other costs associated with running a website. Here are some unavoidable expenditures that need to be dealt with when developing a new website:

·         Domain Name

The domain name is the URL that people type in to access your website. Without one, there is no way to access a website unless you remember the IP address. A domain name can cost from $9-$20 annually depending on the registrar, the name itself, and domain extensions (.com, .co, .org, etc.)

·         SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is needed to secure sensitive data like personal information and credit card numbers in your web database. An SSL certificate is essential for ecommerce websites to protect users from losing their private and sensitive data. Certification authorities are responsible for issuing SSL certificates. They can cost as low as $10 per month and go up to $1000 per month.

·         Website Hosting

When considering the cost of website hosting, domain registration, and other necessary components, choosing the right website builder can play a crucial role. For businesses evaluating platforms like GoDaddy and Wix, it’s beneficial to look at their unique offerings. For a detailed comparison of the features of GoDaddy and Wix, such as ease of use, online store features, hosting plans, and more, ensure to research thoroughly before making a decision.

·         CMS (Content Management System)

A content management system is required to display articles, videos, pictures, text, etc. While a CMS may not be mandatory, it can save a considerable amount of time, allowing you to make your website as efficient as possible. The cost for a CMS can depend on whether you are using a customized one or a free one, like WordPress. Moreover, you can also consider a new type of CMS knows as headless content management system which help provide faster and more personalized content delivery.

Wrapping Up

Building a website and taking it live is a multi-faceted process and quite time-consuming. Professional developers charge for their time and effort, but since your website is the most important component of your online presence, it’s well-advised to opt for the best design and development that you can find. PNC Logos offers three different web design packages:

• Beginner: $299
• Professional: $799
• Advanced: $1,099

For details, see this page.