A strong online presence is essential when it comes to the success of your small business. In fact, according to the marketing firm Optify, it is vital for websites to appear on Page 1 of Google, especially in the top three positions. These spots receive 58.4 percent of all clicks by web users.
In order to increase your credibility and boost your online profile, you have a couple of options to select from. You can hire a costly professional in the internet marketing field, or take hold of the reins and find ways to bolster your online presence yourself.
If you take the route of doing it alone, there are several free applications you can take advantage of to help you. Read on for 7 brilliant tools you may not know exist:
Brandify
This Microsoft application was designed with the intent to help businesses, particularly small in size, build a competitive online brand. Enter your business information and Bradify goes to work evaluating your online reputation. The app obtains data from a range of places such as Google, Yelp, Yahoo!, and social media powerhouses Facebook and Twitter. The results are reported, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of your business visibility, along with ideas of how to better connect with a wider range of customers and boost your brand simultaneously.
Ning
Ning allows you to build a social network of your own. This network is a place designed for others in your field, both business owners and prospective customers, to join one another virtually and share ideas. The app provides hundreds of modules for users, so you can start building your community immediately.
Perch
More and more shoppers are using a smartphone to find what they are looking to buy. Perch is an app for smartphones created so business owners can observe the activity of their competitors on social media sites. Tweets, Yelp reviews and Facebook posts are collected and the findings are streamlined directly to a smartphone. If a competitor offers customers a great deal, you can trump the deal in real time with a better one of your own.
Tweriod
Do you know the best time to tweet in order to receive the most exposure? It is likely you do not. Tweriod is an app that tells you when your Twitter followers are online the most, helping ensure your tweet is noticed and re-tweeted, instead of being lost in the shuffle unseen.
Pagemodo
Small businesses with a Facebook page report that they see a lot of additional traffic on their website after first being spotted on Facebook. If you have a polished and informative Facebook page, more people will click from your page to your website, likely resulting in additional sales and repeat customers. The app Pagemodo offers a range of simple-to-follow templates that allow its users to build an attractive custom Facebook page in little time.
Before you take the next steps, you will want to check out Thalamus. It is a database of all advertising companies & publishers in the world, with data & contacts for over 50,000 vendors across the globe. www.thalamus.co/mobile/ad-network. It is 100% free and a very large resource.
In order for your small business to succeed, you must have a great online presence. Take the time to make sure your web presence is credible for improved page rank. This will bring more visitors will view your website. Market your business yourself with the abundance of free apps that are available, and watch your sales soar.
About the Author
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.
