Four essential elements of online presence
Though I am meandering from one topic to another, there is thread of continuity throughout my posts. Actually the format of the blog compels me to write on things which are topmost in my mind. My other activities no doubt have an impact on my writing. Presently I am consulting for a firm which wants to establish an online presence from scratch. The CEO is taken up with web 2.0 and social networking and wants to jump right into the fray. The Chairman is more circumspect ( after all, he is the one who started the business from scratch ) and also most skeptical. Online presence to him is a waste of money. Other management staff hold their opinion and don’t want to air their views. This is a typical scenario which I encounter often. The main issue here is not whether internet presence is good or bad or meaningless. The idea is to create more opportunities and to earn more income. How to do this using clear processes and systems is the challenge.
Well designed and focused website
Beginning of everything is the word. In internet, a website is the center of the universe. Your website is a billboard on the internet highway. People driving along this great freeway tend to like those websites which make sense. This means you must provide relevant content on your website. I cannot overemphasize the fact that your website must be meaningful. The focus should be clear and the visitors must know what to expect once they click on the link leading to your most important online asset – your website. In fact, the time spent on creating a website should far exceed any other activity. User experience combined with excellent content would automatically make your website a contender for top slot on search engines. After all search algorithms pay respect to content and give higher weight age to this factor.
Keyword optimization
This is a tricky issue. Like the question of which came first- egg or the hen? Ideally, website design should incorporate SEO organically rather than undertaking SEO activity after completing website design. But I have found that web designer have poor SEO skills, though many claim expertise in this field. Resolving this problem requires a more thorough approach which involves processes and systems. Unfortunately, small web designers lack process design skills as well. Search engine spiders index websites based on different criteria. One of them is Title and other html tags. Incorporating them at a later date after creating the website should be avoided.
Participating in groups on social sites
Once the website is ready you must create links to it through social networking sites. Finding peer groups is quite simple and if you have quality content on your site there should be no problem in attracting traffic to it. Since links are important for search engines, this activity will certainly help in your ranking. When should you submit your website to search engines for indexing? Some say we should do it as early as possible. In my opinion, it is better to wait and create a suitable ecosystem with appropriate links and some sort of traffic before trying to find a place on search engine results. This organic growth is obviously going to take some time and will certainly not be acceptable to your clients. You have to find a middle path which will satisfy both your client and yet meet the need of their website.
Establishing yourself as an expert
People would like to read your stuff if you are an expert in the field. Establishing yourself as an expert is once again a process. One of the tools which you can effectively use is to write articles on the subject and submit them to article directories. If others like what you have written, they would carry them on their websites thus creating links to your site. Over a period of time, you would be automatically be considered as an expert. This can help drive traffic to your site. The additional benefit is that links would help in bettering your search engine ranking.
Creating a blog is another great way to establish yourself as an expert. Since setting up blogs is free , this can be a great way to achieve your goal. I have known some people who have several blogs which they write under different names. But this strategy can be strenuous unless you get ghostwriters to write for you.
I am sure most of you would agree that there is no short cut to success. This holds true for your online presence. It is best to start at the beginning, which is creating your website and take it up from there. The online ecosystem you create will ensure your success.
