As just about every imaginable industry has gone remote in 2020, businesses have relied on ecommerce more than ever.

But for those who are brand new to the transition, it can be tricky. And yet the world of online trading presents incredible opportunities for growth whether you’re looking to boost your reach to local customers or expand your appeal further afield.

This article explores just three ways that small businesses venturing online for the first time can boost their digital presence.

1. Create the perfect website

Online Trading 101 begins, of course, with your website.

And if you think your small business doesn’t need one, think again.

Whether you’re branching out into ecommerce or simply looking to boost your reach, your website should be at the heart of your online activities. A solid way to raise brand awareness, it’s an essential resource for customers seeking information about your business, and when done correctly, enables them to engage with your brand and services.

2. Social media

Whilst some businesses foraying into the world of online for the first time will prioritise social media over their website, others will do the opposite.

And whilst one or the other may be more effective depending on your business and customers, both are absolutely essential to your online presence and you should not attempt to go without.

Social media is vital for building customer relationships, as well as keeping up with the competition, and is a great way to raise brand awareness.

The key to a strong social media campaign is to create quality content that users will engage with via likes, comments and shares – algorithms on sites likes Facebook and Twitter mean that these interactions are as good as free advertising, and posts can be promoted for a fairly small price to boost their reach even further.

And contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to be on every available platform – instead, choose those that your customers are most likely to use, rather than spreading yourself thinly across multiple channels. For instance, if your target customers are in the 18-24 age range, Instagram is one of the most popular mediums with which to reach them.

3. Optimise for search

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is assumed to be a tool for big businesses. But it can have huge benefits for SMEs as well.

Factors such as your social media and site can both play a role in your search engine rankings, but a strong SEO campaign can make a major difference.

If you’re totally new to SEO, it’s worth bringing in the experts – Leeds based agency Maratopia Digital Marketing have extensive experience in creating successful campaigns that can launch your site up the rankings and bring in profitable results.

These are just three simply ways that small businesses can boost their online presence and drive sales through the roof!