How To Build A Strong Online Presence

How To Build A Strong Online Presence

Imagine waking up each day knowing you’ll get a high-value lead or sale without doing anything.

That’s the power of a strong online presence.

But if you’re not currently investing any meaningful time into building your digital brand, you’re not the only one.

A lot of service providers get enough business via referrals that they neglect building out their online presence. Others selling info products or e-commerce products get enough sales via one of two marketing channels that they’re not investing into other channels either.

So why is building your online presence so important?

Relying on referrals or a single marketing channel is, frankly, a huge risk.

You’re often just one month or one technical issue away from watching your business collapse in front of your eyes.

Starting today, we’re not going to let that happen.

In this post we’ll look at 12 genius ways to build your online presence quickly and effectively, in a way that diversifies the sources of your leads and sales.

We’ll also give you key tips to use each method to get fast, short-term results.

Ready to start?

Let’s dive in!

Not convinced You Need an Online Presence? You’re Not alone

If you’re not completely convinced about investing in an online presence, you’re not alone.

Maybe your business has grown steadily through referrals, or maybe you’ve cracked a single channel (like Facebook ads or PPC) that brings in cash flow.

 If it works, it makes sense not to see online presence as a priority – why spend hours on social media, blog posts, or outreach when you’re already seeing results?

You’re in good company with this mindset.

Let’s look at some stats:

  • 60% of small business owners don’t use social media at all (TBTech.co).
  • 41% of small business owners feel their business doesn’t need a website (Moneyzine).
  • 36% of small businesses don’t even have a website at all.
  • 25% of small business websites get updated less than once a year.
  • 40% of small businesses admit they don’t understand how websites or social media can help them attract new customers.

Mind-blowing, right?

Especially since we all know the internet’s reach: Over 3.1 billion people actively use Facebook, and 2.5 billion people actively use Google.

So why aren’t you taking advantage?

There are several common reasons that hold a lot of business owners back:

  • It’s uncomfortable – You might feel uncomfortable putting yourself out there or promoting yourself on social media.
  • You’ve been burned – You might have invested in social media or SEO services only to feel disappointed by lackluster results.
  • No time – Delivering for clients might take so much time that there’s none left for online efforts.
  • Operational overwhelm – Maybe the thought of where to begin feels overwhelming – so you put it off.
  • No short-term gains – Maybe you feel the results will take too long to see, making it hard to justify the effort.

Despite these blocks, if you’re reading this there’s still a lingering thought that maybe it’s time to build your online presence.

So let’s look at some good reasons why.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Build an Online Presence

If you want a sustainable business or financial freedom, it’s essential to build your online presence starting today.

Think of online presence like having a storefront in a busy area: if potential customers can’t see you, they won’t come in.

Here are five reasons more reasons to convince you why building an online presence is so important:

  1. Expand Your Reach Beyond Your Past Clients
  • An online presence lets you reach a broader audience, connecting with people outside of your immediate network. Research shows over 50% of shoppers start their journey online, so building an accessible online presence is essential for stable growth and a steady flow of new customers.
  1. Build Credibility and Trust
  • Consumers tend to trust businesses they can research, and a solid online presence establishes brand credibility. Studies show that 81% of buyers research products online before buying; having a website and active social channels reassures potential clients and can make a difference in closing sales.
  1. Unlock New Sales Opportunities 24/7
  • With an SEO-optimized website or regular social media content, your services are available any time of day, making it easy for customers to convert when they’re ready. Businesses with consistent content marketing see six times higher conversion rates, allowing you to capture leads and clients without constant manual effort.
  1. Resilience in a Changing Market
  • An online presence provides resilience against market shifts, helping you connect with clients across multiple channels. If one source of leads dries up a diversified online strategy – using social media, organic search, or email – keeps you adaptable and keeps your income stable.
  1. Scalability for Long-Term Success
  • Unlike in-person efforts, your online presence can scale as your business grows, allowing you to expand your client base without a proportional increase in work. For digital service providers or info product sellers, this means reaching a global audience and gaining income stability as you scale.

Convinced?

Good.

Now let’s look at how you can start building your online presence, and see the results fast.

12 Genius Ways to Build a Strong Online Presence (And Get Results Fast)

Below we’ll go through 12 genius ways to build your online presence.

We’ll also give you some key tips to start using each of these methods to see short-term results and help you build momentum and motivation.

1. Get Clear on Your Target Audience

Why it works: Knowing your ideal customer’s pain points, motivations, and interests allows you to tailor your online presence specifically to them. You save time and resources by targeting the right audience from the start, enhancing your chances of engagement.

Who should consider it: Ideal for any business looking to grow its online presence, particularly if your offerings cater to a specific niche.

How to use it for quick wins: Create a one-page customer avatar that outlines your ideal client’s characteristics. Refer to it every time you create content or make an online connection, ensuring you always address their needs directly.

Customer avatar template with sections for goals, values, challenges, sources of information, and objections, featuring colorful boxes for organized data input.

2. SEO

Why it works: SEO places your website in front of people actively searching for relevant products or services, making it a powerful organic tool for visibility.

Who should consider it: Essential for businesses selling products or services with high search demand.

How to use it for quick wins: Focus on low-competition, long-tail keywords. Rather than “weight loss products,” try “natural weight loss products for women over 50.” Targeting niche terms or highly localized markets can lead to faster results.

3. Google Business Profile

Why it works: Google Business Profile (GBP) is free and puts you in front of people searching for local services, giving you visibility in Google Maps above other search results.

Who should consider it: Especially beneficial for local service providers aiming to attract nearby customers.

How to use it for quick wins: Complete your profile thoroughly, including images and services. Gather reviews, as these contribute to rankings and attract customers, positioning your business as a trusted local option.

4. Build an Email List

Why it works: An email list gives you a direct line to potential customers without relying on social media algorithms, allowing you to reach out and convert leads at zero cost.

Who should consider it: Best suited for e-commerce, info-product businesses, or those with recurring launches.

How to use it for quick wins: Start with a CTA on your site or social media, offering a freebie or discount to new subscribers. Use an automated email sequence, like the “soap opera sequence,” to warm leads and guide them toward making a purchase within a week.

Flowchart depicting a 5-day plan: Day 1 sets the stage, Day 2 high drama/backstory, Day 3 epiphany, Day 4 hidden benefits, Day 5 urgency with a call to action.

5. Social Media Platforms

Why it works: With billions of daily users, social media offers a vast reach for building awareness and trust with your target audience. Regular, relevant content lets you connect with potential customers personally.

Who should consider it: Any business—but it’s crucial to choose platforms aligning with your audience: LinkedIn for B2B, Instagram for e-commerce, TikTok for younger audiences, etc.

How to use it for quick wins: Use a “Dream 100” strategy to engage with key potential clients regularly. Comment, like, and share content to get noticed by your target audience and encourage reciprocal interest in your content.

Chart titled "Dream 100," with colored stick figures in the center and connection lines to sections: Follow/Friend, Podcast/Blog, Value?, Endorsements, Promote, Joint Venture. Topics: Dig Your Well, Promotion.

6. Niche Sites

Why it works: Platforms like Behance, GitHub, Clutch, Upwork, and Fiverr attract users interested in specific professional services, helping you find a highly targeted audience.

Who should consider it: Perfect for creative professionals, tech specialists, or consultants whose audiences frequent these specialized sites.

How to use it for quick wins: Build a strong portfolio on relevant platforms, prioritizing positive reviews, ratings, and showcases of past work to establish authority quickly.

7. Build (Or Update) Your Website

Why it works: Your website acts as a digital storefront, showcasing your services or products while also providing valuable SEO potential and supporting credibility.

Who should consider it: Vital for any business building an online presence, especially those utilizing SEO or directing paid traffic to their site.

How to use it for quick wins: Emphasize social proof on your site. Showcase testimonials, reviews, and case studies that resonate with your target audience to foster trust and boost conversions.

8. Blog Content

Why it works: Blogging establishes authority by addressing your audience’s specific questions and pain points, drawing organic traffic, and encouraging social sharing.

Who should consider it: Valuable for any business whose customers research before buying, especially service-oriented or educational brands.

How to use it for quick wins: Focus on your audience’s biggest challenges. Create posts with actionable solutions, highlighting how your products or services provide essential support in their journey.

9. Video Content

Why it works: Many people prefer video for its accessible, engaging format. You can educate potential customers and demonstrate expertise, capturing interest quickly and effectively.

Who should consider it: Ideal for businesses needing to showcase product usage, provide educational insights, or explain complex topics.

How to use it for quick wins: Address common questions or problems with short, informative videos. Position yourself as an expert by solving viewer pain points, and upload to YouTube to capture SEO benefits.

10. Meta Ads

Why it works: With targeted ads, you can instantly reach your ideal audience on Facebook and Instagram, gaining traction without the lengthy process of organic growth.

Who should consider it: Especially effective for consumer-focused businesses with products or services suited to social platforms.

How to use it for quick wins: Promote a low-cost product or a lead magnet to gather emails and get people into a sales funnel. Lower-priced offers encourage impulse buys, helping you generate quick conversions while building a warm audience.

Diagram of a marketing funnel with stages: Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Intent, Evaluation, Purchase. Includes strategies and tools for lead generation, lead nurture, and sales tactics.

11. PPC (Pay-Per-Click)

Why it works: Like SEO, PPC puts you in front of high-intent customers, but without the extended wait. It’s an immediate way to drive traffic and sales with scalable results.

Who should consider it: Ideal for businesses with products or services people are actively searching for, particularly in competitive markets.

How to use it for quick wins: Set up targeted landing pages to capture leads efficiently. Optimize regularly to refine keywords, landing page copy, and conversion rates, creating a funnel that’s built to convert.

12. Influencer Marketing

Why it works: Influencers already have engaged audiences who trust them, making it easier to showcase your products to a receptive group, bypassing the need for gradual organic growth.

Who should consider it: Best for businesses with a strong visual element, such as lifestyle, fashion, beauty, or fitness, that can attract influencer partnerships.

How to use it for quick wins: Collaborate with influencers who share similar audience demographics. Look for those who have promoted products like yours successfully, as this indicates compatibility with your brand and customer profile.

Ignore This, and Your Online Presence Will be Worthless

Imagine you’ve just implemented one or more of the 12 strategies to build your online presence.

You’ve gained visibility and are attracting visitors to your website or social media profiles.

But as time goes on, you notice something troubling: the leads and sales you expected just aren’t materializing.

What’s the problem?

It’s likely your newfound traffic isn’t converting into tangible results. When this happens, it’s often because you lack an effective sales funnel.

Simply getting people to your site isn’t enough; you need a structured way to nurture them into becoming leads and ultimately customers.

This is where ClickFunnels comes in.

Designed specifically to address the issue of converting online traffic, ClickFunnels offers DIY funnel-building software that provides all the essential elements to turn visitors into leads and sales.

Here are five ways ClickFunnels can help implement the strategies we’ve discussed:

  • Create Landing Pages for Lead Magnets: Attract email subscribers by offering valuable content that resonates with your audience.
  • Add CTAs to Your Website: Direct traffic to custom landing pages, guiding potential customers through your sales process.
  • Build Multi-Step Funnels: Seamlessly turn readers into leads, then nurture them into low-ticket sales before upselling to mid- and high-ticket items.
  • Automate Email Sequences: Develop targeted email campaigns that sell products and keep your audience engaged over time.
  • Design Without Developers: Easily create blog posts, embed video content, and customize design elements without needing extensive technical skills.

Don’t let your hard work go to waste.

With ClickFunnels, you can create a compelling online presence that effectively converts traffic into leads and sales.

Try ClickFunnels Free for 14 Days!

Final Thoughts: Turning Your Online Presence Into New Customers

Building a strong online presence is essential for success in today’s digital landscape.

Implementing strategies like optimizing your website, engaging on social media, and creating valuable content can significantly boost your visibility.

However, gaining traffic is only half the battle.

Converting that traffic into leads and sales is crucial. Without a structured funnel to guide potential customers through their journey, you risk wasting your efforts.

ClickFunnels is designed to address this exact challenge, providing user-friendly tools to create effective sales funnels.

By allowing you to build landing pages, automate email sequences, and design without needing technical expertise, ClickFunnels empowers you to transform your online presence into a powerful sales engine.

If you want to turn your traffic into real results, ClickFunnels is your go-to solution.

Start optimizing your conversion rates today!

Try ClickFunnels Free for 14 Days!