Any company that doesn’t have a website is likely to struggle to attract new customers. Bringing in new customers helps a business grow, and it helps to build long lasting relationships with a strong customer base. For companies that want to increase sales and attract more customers, having an online presence is essential. For those businesses that have not yet started to utilize the Internet, here are three important steps to take to help get them there:

1. Custom Website Design and Development – Creating and maintaining a website is a necessity for any business that wants to connect with consumers in the digital age. Websites should be professional, attractive and appropriate for the nature of the business. It is important for a company to make sure that important company information is listed on the website and that it is easy to navigate, otherwise online consumers will go to a competitor’s site. Online marketing companies can help a business to both design, create and maintain a professional and effective website.
2. Local Business Listing Optimization – While it is important to have a solid company website, a company must also know how to market a website effectively in order to attract customers to the site. Local business listing services are a great tool that can help make a website more visible. Google, Yahoo! and Bing are just a few sites that list local businesses in a specified section of their search pages to help customers find local businesses that are related to their search. Local business listing optimization can help a company get to the top of the first page of these listings to help drive traffic to their site.
3. Social Media – Social media is another essential tool that should be utilized by all businesses trying to improve their online presence. It is important for a company to understand its customers’ habits if they are going to build long-lasting customer relationships. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are used by millions of consumers, and creating a company account on these sites can help a business relate to its customers. This is also another great way to drive traffic to a company’s website.

Creating a professional website and marketing it effectively can help a business to be more visible to consumers, and it can build a stronger customer base. The Internet is an essential tool in today’s digital age, and companies that do not have a website and aren’t using local business listing optimization or social media are missing out on an important segment of the market.
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