Making money online is easier than it’s ever been before. The opportunities are also much more varied. There are people making money from their blogs. Others start their own companies online. Some people earn a little pocket money taking surveys and testing websites. Some work as freelancers, spending their time providing their skills and services to others. Some of these people even employ other staff, giving them the same chances to work online with flexibility. This is fantastic. The world of online business is open to everyone, and it gives people a brand-new way to earn money for themselves. But, it also has its disadvantages.
The wealth of people making money online means that it can be much harder to be taken seriously. You say “blogger” or “online entrepreneur” to some people, and their eyes will roll. They think of all the people that they’ve seen advertising poor products and scams on social media and they fail to realize that there’s a lot more to working online than this. Presenting yourself as a serious business can be the best way to get taken more seriously, helping your business to grow and develop. Here’s how to do it.
Make Sure Your Website Works
Do you ever go on to a website only to click away after a few seconds because it hasn’t loaded? Or, try to shop on a mobile site only to find that the store doesn’t work well on a small screen, and you can’t make your purchase? Don’t let your website be one of these.
See your website as the face of your company. It’s your chance to sell yourself and make a great first impression. But, only if it works well and is easy to use. The first thing that you need to do is audit your site. Check out the test my internet speed page, to make sure your site runs quickly. Then, test it out on a mobile screen to make sure it looks great and works well. Check it for broken links and poor placement, and if you run a store, make sure the checkout process is simple. Then, take a look at your site. Are your fonts easy to read? Are the colors easy to look at? Is it easy to navigate through your menus and sections? Do you have a search box and easy to find social media icons? Go through your website like a customer, making sure it offers a great user experience.
Change Your User Names
Are you still using your Hotmail email address from 2004? Are your social media account names silly? If so, you need to change them. You’ll never get taken seriously with daft usernames and email addresses.
You might want to keep private accounts, as well as business accounts. But, it’s still a good idea to be more professional on your private profiles, as they could get found.
Change Your Profile Pictures
Your profile pictures are a big part of the first impression that you are making online. If you want to be taken seriously, get some professional headshots taken and start using them.