{"id":808549,"date":"2025-01-24T15:13:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T13:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=808549"},"modified":"2025-01-24T15:13:34","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T13:13:34","slug":"5-steps-to-help-your-small-business-stand-out-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/808549\/5-steps-to-help-your-small-business-stand-out-online\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps To Help Your Small Business Stand Out Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In 2025, you need more than a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/websitebuilder?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/websitebuilder?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">professional website<\/a> <\/strong>and active social media accounts to help your business stand out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your small business needs to practice being strategic and smart online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=January+2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to learn more about Domains.co.za<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re building a new website, improving your existing one, or ramping up your marketing, now is the time to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/blog\/small-business-trends-for-2025\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/blog\/small-business-trends-for-2025\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">invest in strategies<\/a><\/strong> that will truly deliver results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why is it so important to stand out? Because your consumers are online. People turn to the web first to look for products, services, and information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Create awareness for your brand by following the steps below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 1: Optimise your website for SEO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your website&#8217;s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/blog\/ticking-the-technical-seo-box\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/blog\/ticking-the-technical-seo-box\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)<\/a> <\/strong>ensures your business appears in search results organically; this refers to your natural ranking without the need for paid advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO is not a one-and-done task, but rather something you work on daily, weekly and monthly by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Using local keywords to align with user searches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Publishing high-quality, engaging content like blogs and videos.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritising fast loading speeds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building credible backlinks with reputable and authoritative sites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensuring your website design is responsive for mobile devices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 2: Sign up for reliable and secure web hosting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your website is the star of your online &#8220;show&#8221;, then think of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/web-hosting-south-africa?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>web hosting<\/strong><\/a> as the stage that supports the sets and movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hosting you choose has a direct impact on your website\u2019s security, speed, and uptime \u2013 all of which are fundamental to its success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for the following from your <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/pages\/about-us?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/pages\/about-us?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hosting company<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An uptime guarantee of 99.9% or more to limit any potential downtime.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free value-added features like SSL Certificates, firewalls, and regular backups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fast loading speeds and high-quality servers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Upscalable packages to accommodate your growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A knowledgeable and efficient support team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 3: Develop a winning digital marketing strategy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A digital marketing strategy that includes everything from social media to email marketing, and paid ad campaigns, can help you reach a wider audience, and boost sales\/leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideas to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Build brand awareness on social media by posting and boosting diverse content regularly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use personalised email campaigns to nurture leads and promote products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invest in paid search ads to increase your website\u2019s visibility for competitive keywords.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create blogs, videos, and infographics to educate and engage your audience while driving traffic to your site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider partnering with an influencer who has a smaller but highly engaged audience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>TIP: Ensure that your logo, colour scheme, and messaging align across all platforms to strengthen brand recognition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Make the most of customer reviews<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>People trust peer recommendations more than promotional claims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, reviews play a significant role in building credibility and attracting new customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make it your mission to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Actively request reviews on platforms like Google, Hello Peter, or Facebook after completing a sale or providing a service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thank customers for positive reviews and address negative feedback professionally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight glowing reviews on your website, social media, or marketing materials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Sell online<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ecommerce and social commerce have experienced significant growth for businesses in all industries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you don\u2019t sell physical products, you can sell online digital services or memberships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By selling online you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expand your reach to customers locally, nationally, and even internationally.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help you sell 24\/7.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offer a convenient way for potential customers to browse and compare your products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help you obtain valuable data about what your customers want so that you can improve your offerings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Article&amp;utm_term=January+2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.domains.co.za\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=SponsoredArticle&amp;utm_campaign=Domains.co.za&amp;utm_term=January2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to learn more about Domains.co.za<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2025, you need more than a professional website and active social media accounts to help your business stand out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":808553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[14469],"class_list":["post-808549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-domains-co-za"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808549"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":808570,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808549\/revisions\/808570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}