How To Advertise For Free On The Internet.

It is not enough to set up a business; you also have to advertise your business so potential clients can know you exist. While this is easy for big businesses because they have the budget for TV commercials, radio jingles and paid advertising on the internet, it can be a little challenging when you are a small business or start-up. Thankfully, all hope is not lost because there are different ways one can advertise for free on the internet. Sometimes, the difference between achieving success and failing at a venture is the lack of information. You don’t have to miss out on advertising opportunities for your small business and we will show you how.

Optimise For High Ranking On SERPs

If your business does not have an online presence, the best time to set that up was yesterday, the next best time is now. And it is not enough to be on social media – even though that is equally important – you need a company website. Even though your business is targeted at a local audience, the best place to find customers is on the internet, especially if you don’t have the budget for paid advertising.

Now, getting a website is just a start; you have to optimise for high ranking on SERPs. Search engines will show your website when people search for your brand name or URL but since the idea is getting exposure, you need to rank high on organic search for keywords related to your niche. For instance, if you are an architectural firm, you want your firm to come up on the first page of search engines when users search for “architectural firms in (your location)”. The only way to do that is to make sure your website and webpages are well-optimised.

Get A Google My Business Account

Google My Business is a platform by Google to help businesses increase their ranking in local search results. Many websites are competing for the first or second pages on Google, so ranking is a lot of work but with Google My Business, you can rank easily when searchers search for your type of business in your geographical location. Get an account on GMB and when you do, make sure to add all your details accurately, add images and have some customer reviews. You also need to optimise for Google map with your GMB account, which will be explained in the next point.

Optimise Your Google Map Listing

Google Maps is another way to advertise for free on the internet. After you have created a Google My Business account with your accurate and detailed information, the next thing to do is to make sure your business is optimised for Google Map listing. You do this by putting your address on GMB and making sure it matches the address on your website, adding a Google map to your contact page on your website, making sure your business is verified by Google and working on the mobile-friendliness of your website.

Engage On Social Media

Social media is perhaps the easiest way to advertise for free on the internet. You don’t need to go through the hassle of optimising for search engines on social media; all you need to do is get the right hashtags. One mistake most people make is to create a social media account, make a post and don’t engage. You have to engage with other users, and engagement starts from one, understanding the dynamics of each social media platform and two, engaging with similar or related brands and individuals. Networking and making valuable posts on LinkedIn will always help.

Guest Post

Networking is very important for free advertising on the internet. Reach out to other similar brands, let them know you exist. Guest-post on other related websites and get other webmasters to guest-post on yours. That way, you both can benefit from the traffic of both websites.

The main reason for advertising is to gain exposure; you want potential clients to know you exist. The ways listed in this post will give you exposure by increasing your visibility on the internet and directing traffic to your website to see what you are doing, so make sure your website is properly designed and developed with accurate and detailed information to get them to stay customers.