Meta is rolling out subscription options for businesses, and you’ve likely seen the verified badge appearing across its platforms. Does your business rely on Facebook and Instagram to attract customers? It might be time to take a closer look at your online presence. Here’s why.
Ride Social Media, Don’t Rely On It
When you use Meta, you’re essentially a guest on someone else’s platform. Your reach can change, features can be restricted, and accounts can be suspended. You also have little control over how the platform decides who sees your content.
Meta’s new paid business offer is being rolled out in Australia. Current (free) features will soon change. New inclusions such as verification, support, website links, and greater account protection will be available. Depending on the subscription chosen. But even with a paid service, Meta still controls its algorithms, features, and visibility.
Social media is a fantastic marketing tool, but it shouldn’t be your only one. Your business needs other ways to be found, too.
Business Search: Where Do Your Customers Look?
Let’s put ourselves in our customers’ shoes for a minute. When you need a product or service, where do you look?
Now, I know you’re all going to say the Lake Mac Family Life Business Directory first! But generally, people start by searching online. And let’s be honest, Google is a pretty good business buddy when you want to be found at the right time.
You already know the value of online visibility because you’re part of our directory. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is built into every page of our Lake Mac Family Life website. We understand how important it is to help local families find the businesses they need.
And yes, we know this because we built it!
What Are We Doing at Lake Mac Family Life?
Our job is to connect local parents with local businesses. We do this by bringing people to our website and directing them to businesses that can help them.
We use a mix of marketing strategies, including SEO, website content, and social media. However, our website is a particularly important part of that mix. We can build its content around what people are actively searching for.
Social media helps us extend our reach and encourage more people to visit our website. We’ll also look at Meta’s verification options when appropriate, but a badge alone isn’t our strategy for attracting customers.
Our goal is to get local families onto our website, where they can discover and connect with your business.
The Basics of SEO
Search engine optimisation helps Google understand what your website offers, who it serves, and when it’s relevant to a search.
For example, if your business sells fish cakes, your website might naturally include terms such as fish cakes, seafood cakes, and fish cakes in Lake Macquarie. These phrases help explain what you sell and where customers can find you.
When someone searches, “Where can I buy fish cakes in Lake Macquarie?”, Google looks for pages that best match the search. It considers many signals. Including the content of your website, its technical setup, and relevance to the search. Reputation and other indicators of trust and usefulness are also considered.
This is where the behind-the-scenes work matters. Website titles, page headings, descriptions, internal links, and other SEO elements. They all help search engines understand your content. A website can look fantastic, but if its foundations aren’t set up properly, it may not be reaching its full potential.
And simply adding a few keywords isn’t enough. Your website needs useful content that answers the questions your customers are asking.
Authority Referrals: A Little SEO Fairy Dust
So, how do you strengthen your online authority? One way is through links from other relevant websites to yours. These are called backlinks, and they can help Google discover your website and understand how it connects to other trusted sources.
Websites that attract significant traffic and have established credibility can be valuable sources of referrals. Lake Mac Family Life attracts approximately 500,000 clicks each year, making it a well-established local platform for families looking for businesses, services, and activities across our region.
When we link from our website to yours, we’re creating a pathway for potential customers to find your business. A relevant link can also contribute to your website’s SEO by helping search engines understand its connections and credibility. Think of it as a little authority fairy dust!
It’s like having a big brother in the online world. We’re helping local families discover your business while giving Google another relevant connection to consider. Of course, no single link guarantees better rankings, but quality links are one part of building a stronger online presence. And that’s another reason why being visible on established, relevant local websites can be valuable for your business.
Know The Limits
Knowledge is power. Understanding the basics of online marketing helps you make better decisions about where to spend your time and money.
Meta still offers a valuable place to connect with customers. Customers could discover your business through Google and then check your Facebook or Instagram page to see your work. They want to read posts and get a feel for who you are. It’s a form of social proof.
Social media is also useful for advertising directly to specific audiences and building relationships with customers.
But the key is diversification. Enjoy the benefits of social media, ride the ups and downs, and don’t rely on it as your only source of traffic. A change to an algorithm or a platform’s features shouldn’t leave your business without other ways to attract customers.
What You Own Is Power
There are parts of your online presence that you can actively build and develop over time.
Your website: Invest in its SEO, content, and user experience.
Your email database: Build it with permission and use it wisely to maintain relationships with customers.
Your content: Create helpful information around the products, services, and questions people are searching for.
Your referrals: Word of mouth remains powerful. Make it easy for happy customers to recommend you.
Your reputation: Build trust through great service, genuine reviews, and a clear point of difference.
Your relationships: Connect with complementary businesses and industry partners who can help you reach new audiences.
These are valuable business assets. The more you develop them, the less dependent you become on any single marketing platform.
Introducing the Online Business Health Check
Have you ever wondered whether your website is doing everything it should to help customers find you? Or whether there are simple improvements you could make to strengthen your position in Google searches?
You’re not alone.
Many business owners invest in a website without really knowing whether the SEO foundations are in place. They may not realise that a few behind-the-scenes issues, missing links, or poorly optimised pages could be holding their online presence back.
That’s why we’re exploring the idea of an Online Business Health Check through Lake Mac Family Life.
With a background in marketing and SEO, we can review the key elements of your online presence. For example, identify opportunities for improvement and provide practical recommendations. Helping you make more informed decisions.
The idea is simple: you receive a confidential report outlining what’s working, what could be improved, and where to focus your attention. This may include website SEO, links and contact details, online visibility, and opportunities to attract more relevant visitors.
We’re looking at making this an affordable service for small businesses. A clearer picture of their online position without committing to a large marketing project.
Would an Online Business Health Check be valuable for your business?
If you’d like to register your interest, get in touch with Becky. Your feedback will help us determine how we shape the service and what to include in the introductory package.
Because sometimes, the best place to start isn’t spending more on advertising. It’s making sure the foundations you’ve already invested in are working as hard as they can.
To qualify for a business health check, you first need to be advertising in our Lake Mac Family Life directory. Click here if you’d like more information: Joining Our Family.
