Is Your Online Presence Holding Its Weight?

When we talk about building an online presence, most people tend to think of the same tired checklist:

1. An amazing, super-complex website filled with blogs, company news, and information that if you’re being honest 99% of the time nobody reads.

2. A huge social media following packed with likes, followers, and "evangelists" for your brand.

But here's the reality: having all of that doesn’t automatically mean you have a strong online presence. In fact, it’s possible to have no website at all or only a small social media following and still build something incredibly powerful.

How? Because, like many things in life how good something is is more to do with what it actually does than what it looks like.

Step 1: Define Success on Your Terms

The internet is a massive, dynamic, and complicated ecosystem, and there’s no single blueprint for how to make your mark on it.

Your online presence shouldn’t just be a list of things you’re “supposed” to do, like building a website or growing a huge following. Instead, it’s about having a presence that moves your business forward.

To do that, the first step is to ask yourself, what does success look like for me? Are you trying to bring in new business? Create brand awareness? Drive people to subscribe to your newsletter or fill out a contact form?

The clearer you are on what you’re trying to achieve, the easier it will be to cut through the noise and focus on the right actions.

Step 2: Find Your People

Once you’ve figured out your goal, the next step is finding the people who will help you achieve it—your audience. The key to building a strong online presence is knowing exactly who you’re speaking to and where to find them.

Ask yourself:

• What does your ideal customer or client look like?

• Where do they spend their time online?

• What are their interests and pain points?

• What questions are they asking that you can answer?

This research helps you accomplish two important things:

1. It forces you to articulate exactly who you want to speak to.

2. It guides you toward the right tools to reach them.

For example, if your audience spends their time on LinkedIn and values thought leadership, you might focus on building a strong personal brand there.

If they’re constantly searching for how-to guides, maybe creating high-quality blog content or an email newsletter will be more effective. The point is, understanding your audience determines which platforms and content strategies make the most sense for your business.

Step 3: Choose the Right Tools

After you know your audience and where they spend their time, you can start building your online presence around them. There’s no need to check every box, like having a website or social media presence on every platform.

Some examples of useful tools could include:

• Email Newsletters: A powerful tool for nurturing relationships and staying top of mind with your audience.

• LinkedIn: Ideal for professional B2B brands or thought leadership.

• Google Search: Search engine optimization (SEO) can bring in traffic from people actively seeking your services.

• Direct Engagement: Sometimes, simply being active in the right forums or groups can have a bigger impact than a flashy website.

The key is to choose the platforms and tools that align with where your audience is, not just what looks good or what everyone else is doing.

Step 4: Make It About Connection

A strong online presence isn’t about having the most followers or the flashiest website; it’s about building real connection with your audience. Your presence should reflect who you are as a company and create a relationship with potential customers.

People do business with brands they trust. So, whether you're sharing a story about how you solved a tricky customer problem, offering advice that helps them save time, or showcasing the values that guide your work, everything you do online should aim to create trust and build that connection.

If your website, newsletter, or social media content presents a clear, authentic picture of who you are and how you can help, you’ve done your job. Even if you don’t post on social media every day or have a 10,000-strong follower count.

Strong Means Functional, Not Flashy

Ultimately, a strong online presence is a machine that moves your business forward—not a checklist of fancy features. It’s not about having a huge following or an SEO-optimized website with a million blog posts. It’s about functionality—how well your presence aligns with your business goals and connects with your audience.

If you’re delivering value consistently, creating connection, and moving people toward a decision—whether it’s filling out a form, subscribing to a newsletter, or contacting you for more information—then you’ve built a strong online presence, regardless of how many followers you have or whether you even have a website.

The bottom line? Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing online. Focus on what works for your audience and your business. That’s how you build something meaningful.

Thanks for reading all the way.

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And if you want help or advice on building an online presence that drives your business in the direction you want to go, feel free to message us on LinkedIn.