Setting Up Your Online Presence: A Step-by-Step Checklist for New Business Owners
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What Does It Mean to 'Have a Strong Online Presence'?
In a nutshell, having an online -- or digital — presence really just means making sure people can find and learn about you or your business on the internet.
This can include:
Website: A professional, on-brand website.
Social Media: Profiles on platforms of your choice, like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
Content: Blogs, videos, podcasts, and other content shared online.
Directories: Listings on online directories like Google My Business, Yelp, etc.
Engagement: Interaction with people in your community through comments, shares, likes, and direct messages.
Purpose of creating and developing your online presence:
Visibility: To be seen and known by a wider audience, and by YOUR specific audience
Branding: To communicate your brand identity - who you are, what you stand for, etc.
Connection: To engage with your audience, build relationships, and grow a community.
Information: To provide information about yourself or your brand.
This guide provides an easy-to-follow checklist to help you get started. I’ll break down the process of establishing or customizing your online presence into simple, doable steps.
Before we get started, if you want all this in a handy dandy checklist, swipe your free copy right here:
01. Setting Up Your Online Presence
Decide on Your web & Social Platforms:
Think about where you want to establish your business online. Do you need a website, or can you start with social media pages?
Choose which social discovery platforms to focus on, like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn.
Even if you don’t plan to use a website right away, you should consider registering a domain name for future use.
Choose a Business Name and Domain Name:
Before you settle on a business name, check if it’s already in use and ensure it doesn’t infringe on any trademarks.
You can search online or use a trademark database.
Also, check with your state or local business registration office for name availability and requirements.
To check domain name availability and register it, use services like Squarespace Domains (affiliate link), GoDaddy or NameCheap.
Helpful links:
02. Building Your Website
Choose a Website Platform.
Here are the most popular in 2024:
Squarespace: Easy to use, all-in-one platform with drag and drop capability.
Pros: User-friendly, integrated features, ability to customize.
Cons: Limited customization if you don’t know code, plus it’s getting more expensive.
WordPress: Flexible, requires more setup, ideal for extensive customization.
Pros: Highly customizable, strong community support.
Cons: Steeper learning curve, susceptible to plug-in bloat or hacks.
Wix: Beginner-friendly, simple drag-and-drop interface.
Pros: Easy to use, wide variety of templates.
Cons: Limited customization, worse for SEO than a lot of other options listed here.
Shopify: Product-based e-commerce platform for building and managing online stores.
Pros: User-friendly interface, extensive app ecosystem, robust marketing tools.
Cons: Monthly fees can add up, limited customization without coding knowledge. Not a good choice if you’re a service-based business, obvi!
Showit: Design-focused, great for creatives.
Pros: Full creative control, integrates with WordPress for blogging.
Cons: Steeper learning curve, not as great with accessibility design and SEO, higher cost.
Webflow: Advanced design and development capabilities.
Pros: Powerful design features, full control over HTML/CSS/JavaScript.
Cons: Steeper learning curve, more suited for those with design or coding knowledge.
Framer: Innovative & popular with powerful capabilities.
Pros: Advanced animations and interactions, visual design interface. Great for people who know & use Figma.
Cons: Can be complex for beginners, higher learning curve for advanced features.
Read more here: WordPress vs Squarespace vs Showit vs Shopify
Design Your Website:
If you use a platform like Squarespace or Showit, you can use templates to create a professional-looking website. There are lots of good template shops out there if you want something a little more bespoke or customized.
You can also hire a web designer to help you. I offer one and two week custom web design services, as well as a one day service where I’ll either build you a one page website or customize your chosen template.
If you want to know more about DIYing your Squarespace website, here are some posts to help ya:
03. Claiming Your Business Properties
Buy Domain Name(s):
Get your domain and common variants (e.g., .com, .co.uk, .co). Redirect these to your main domain to ensure all traffic goes to your primary site. Purchase and manage these through providers like Squarespace (affiliate link), GoDaddy, or NameCheap.
Claim Social Media Handles:
Set up business pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok. I recommend claiming the handles even if you’re not planning on using a certain platform. That way, nobody else can take it down the line, which could be confusing for your people!
Make sure your handles are consistent with your business name. This’ll help maintain brand consistency and makes it easier for your people to find you.
04. Setting Up Your Business Email Address
Set up your business email using your domain. I recommend using Google Workspace (affiliate link). This will keep everything organized and separate from your personal email, and looking professional to your clients.
05. Online Security
Implement strong passwords and use a password manager (I use LastPass, but there are a ton out there)
Set up two-factor authentication for your accounts
Regularly update your website and software
Back up your website and important data
Use a VPN to add an extra layer of security when you’re online. VPN’s are great when you’re working + traveling, digital nomad-ing, working from coffee shops, or just want that added level of security. I use and recommend ExpressVPN (affiliate link).
06. Directories
Listings on Online Directories:
Create a Google My Business listing.
List your business on Yelp. Note - they can be aggressive in their sales. Just know you DON’T have to buy anything or pay for their services!
Consider other relevant directories — e.g., Bing Places, TripAdvisor, local small business directories relevant to your industry. For example, an eastern medicine college might have a listing of local thai massage provider graduates, or your neighborhood association might have a complimentary or affordable listing for neighborhood businesses.
07. Marketing
OK, so, disclaimer: You don't need to use all these marketing channels I’m listing!
Pick at least one channel for discovery (that won't make you miserable being there - if you can’t open Insta without breaking into hives, just avoid it. There are no rules that say you need to be on there!), and at least one channel for nurturing.
Discovery Content: How do people find you who don’t know about you? This is how you reach people. Think YouTube shorts, TikTok, Blog Posts, or Pinterest.
Nurturing Content: Content created for people are already in your system. This is stuff that isn’t as ‘searchable’ but is still valuable.
Content Marketing
Discovery:
Website Blog: Regularly update your blog with valuable content related to your niche. Optimize for SEO to improve visibility.
Nurture:
Website Blog: Engage with your existing audience by providing valuable content. Maybe it’s not something ‘searchable’ but it should be helpful, interesting or engaging.
Social Media Video Marketing
Discovery:
YouTube Long Form and Shorts: Create both long-form content and short, engaging videos.
TikTok: Use short-form video content to engage a broader audience.
Nurture:
Instagram Reels: Share engaging and informative short videos to keep your audience connected.
Livestreaming on Twitch and Facebook Live: Interact with your audience in real-time.
Social Media Image Marketing
Discovery:
Pinterest: Share beautiful content that solves problems or inspires. Pin frequently, and seasonally, if you can.
Instagram: Post high-quality images to attract new followers.
Nurture:
Instagram Stories and Posts: Engage with your existing followers through regular updates and interactions. Use Carousel posts and Stories to educate, promote, and inspire.
Audio Marketing
Discovery:
Podcasts: Start a podcast to share your expertise and reach a new audience. Note: Podcasts are harder to find success in a Discovery area, so only do this if you feel very confident about people finding you somehow.
Nurture:
Podcasts: Maintain a loyal audience by regularly providing valuable content.
Online Networking
Discovery:
LinkedIn: Connect with professionals in your industry.
Threads: Start and participate in conversations with people in your network/industry.
Forums like Quora and Reddit: Participate in discussions related to your niche. This is especially great as I’m writing this, and Google is serving up forums as results for search enquiries.
Online Networking Events: Attend virtual events to network and learn.
Nurture:
LinkedIn: Maintain relationships and share updates with your connections.
Threads: Continue conversations and share valuable content with your followers.
And there we have it! Want a checklist to make this even easier? Download this free companion checklist to streamline your process so you can get online and start rocking your biz!
