As the world becomes more interconnected through the internet, running your business online has become one of the most crucial ways to stay relevant. And you can imagine the challenges you might have to conquer to ensure your website ranks high among the over 1.1 billion websites currently running. You definitely do not want to start an online business that a buyer will not find when they do their searches.
According to a study by Oberlo, less than 1% of people explored the second page of Google search to find answers to their search queries. So, you always want to ensure that as your business runs online, it is visible enough to guarantee great returns. This article will explore some of the top strategies to help your online business stand out.
Surveying Competitors
Thanks to the internet, you can get diverse information about your competitors before launching. Different tools have now emerged to make access to such statistics possible. A website traffic checker, for instance, allows you to assess competitors’ website traffic data, ensuring you make well-informed decisions. Plus, these tools offer insights into top domains leading to competitor websites.
Such information can come in handy, especially when you want to use your competitor’s weaknesses to create marketing strategies that set you ahead of the curve. In some instances, there will always be gaps in the market, such as cases where competitors have been offering products that suit only the younger generation. For such cases, competitor analysis helps you to understand such hitches and make your advertising strategies more targeted.
A critical question you should often seek to answer is what customers should buy from you that’s not found on competitor websites. This is your unique selling point (USP) and can help you stand out from the crowded marketplace. Plus, if you want to enhance your brand name and reputation, USPs can be a great way to get you started. And if statistics mean anything, a CXL study found that about 77% of customers were more likely to purchase from a brand based on its reputation.
Developing Your Online Presence
As of 2024, over 2.6 billion people – 33% of the world’s population – purchase products online. This only shows that there has never been such an opportune time to launch your business online as now. There are several ways to set you off on this – you can self-host or take advantage of online marketplaces such as Amazon. Imagine that by 2019, a third of the US population was using Amazon to purchase their products.
Dropshipping is the way to go for those who don’t want to do business without maintaining inventory. Once a customer places an order, you forward it to the manufacturer, who ships it directly to the buyer. Numerous individuals have been turning to this venture, with Grand View Research projecting the sector’s market share to reach $557.9 billion by 2025. Alternatively, you can consider becoming an affiliate if you aren’t interested in creating your own products.
Enhancing Your Website
Just like the location of a physical enterprise is important, so is your web hosting service. However excellent your website looks, you want to ensure that your host does not have too much downtime. Search engines can notice when your site is inaccessible, which can lead to a lower ranking in search results if this happens frequently. Plus, StatusCake found that only 11% of buyers said they would return to a website that they couldn’t access just once.
You want to also ensure that your web design is responsive. We live in a world where most people access most services through their mobile devices. In fact, Storyly found that of the total eCommerce sales made in 2022, mobile device sales accounted for 65.7%. So, a responsive website ensures customers can shop seamlessly, which may lead to more sales.
Craft Prelaunch Marketing Strategies
Target audiences need to be aware of the products you intend to sell to them before you launch the business. Using information from your business plan, you can develop effective prelaunch marketing strategies that help you to stand out in the potential market. Once you have built up anticipation of your launch, this can be a great way to achieve a successful launch.
You can, for example, consider using email marketing. Just recently, in 2023, Radicati revealed that there were about 4.5 billion email users worldwide, with predictions of the number reaching 4.8 billion by 2027. So, taking advantage of email marketing can help businesses reach targeted audiences and nurture leads.
It’s clear enough that you don’t want only to launch an online business but also ensure the business is yielding significant profits. Especially now that the number of online businesses is rapidly increasing, the importance of search engine ranking cannot be overemphasized. You can improve your ranking by using effective prelaunch advertising strategies and ensuring your website is responsive.
