Deciding to quit your day-to-day job to become an entrepreneur is not an easy decision. It’s also not a decision you should take lightly. You need to make sure that you are ready to make your solo venture work, which is why all successful entrepreneurs recommend preparing your entrepreneurship journey carefully. Even with reasonable expectations, you have to brace yourself for the struggles ahead. Building your business is a costly and time-demanding process, which can make it tricky to cover your bills at home. Therefore, it’s a good idea to make sure you can afford to leave your career and income safety behind. Perhaps, it’s best to start with a side hustle you can grow progressively so you don’t have to give up on your job at first.
However, regardless of your approach, your online presence will be crucial in managing the challenges of entrepreneurship. A solid digital presence serves many purposes. It promotes visibility so that your clients can find you easily. It shares your personal brand and offering. It also acts as a selling platform. There’s only one thing you want to check: Can your online presence tackle the challenge?
Is it engaging?
Engaging online visitors means they stay longer on your website. As a newcomer to the market, your website will be your online business card. You can use it to showcase your expertise, using an online portfolio and specialist blog content, for example. Yet, your effort will be vain if visitors don’t stay on the website long enough. Building an engaging online presence is about encouraging web visitors to stay. You want to focus on keeping your load time low, using a mobile-friendly design, and making your content easy to access.
Is it interactive?
You know your website can drive profit if people interact with it. Reading a site is a passive process that consists of gathering information. But interactions are active forms of engagement where the visitors build a connection with your content. Simple features, such as a chatbot, can elevate your presence and tackle queries before they interrupt the visit. More web platforms offer chat plugins; WordPress users can visit this website for more information on how to set up their live chat functions. Using gamification features is an excellent strategy to drive profitable interactions. Gamification features generate comments and calls to action by giving visitors an incentive to interact. While it might seem irrelevant, interactions drive content, advocacy, and brand reputation.
Is it visible?
You can’t think of your online presence without considering your google search results. Google is by far the most popular search engine, which is why it pays off to ensure your website is easy to access and find via the many Google tools available.
The Google Search Console is an entirely free service that enables you to submit your sitemap for indexing by the search engine. Registering your business with Google My Business is also going to boost your ranking for local searches, as you can appear on Google Maps. Last but not least, you can use Google’s Page Speed Insight to receive recommendations on how to improve your page load time.
In conclusion, if you are considering starting your first solo business, you want to establish your web presence. Your website is your portfolio and resume, showcasing your expertise to your audience. As such, making your site engaging, interaction-friendly, and SERPs visible will give you the best foundation to launch your venture.