5 Factors That Prevent the Growth of Your Online Business

When you started your online business, you didn’t intend to keep tapping in one place. You probably started small, but you planned to work towards indefinite progress. At some point, when you took a look at the quarterly report, you realized that the growth wasn’t happening. Can you define the reasons for such state?

The online world gives you immense opportunities for business growth. Billions of people are online at this moment. That means you have a great chance to attract your target audience, but you also face huge competition that won’t let you succeed that easily. When it comes to turning leads into customers, you have to try something different than everyone else. Maybe uniqueness is where you fail?

There are five possible factors that may prevent the growth of your online business. Many guides and tips promise you to make a difference, but you won’t notice any progress if you don’t analyze your mistakes first. Go through the following list and think about your actions. When you become aware of your flaws, it will be easy for you to fix them.

  1. You Are Dependent Upon Your Social Media Presence

Social media addiction
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It’s nice to use social media for the sake of business growth. You communicate with your audience, you get comments and constructive criticism, and you present your new products and services in front of potential customers. Establishing strong social media presence is a business strategy that always work, but you cannot base your entire marketing efforts on it.

If you’ve been neglecting the necessary website improvements before you get all you need through social media, then you’re making a big mistake. There is only one proper way for an online business to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social platforms: as media that attract potential buyers and direct them towards the main website. That’s where the magic happens – your website. Do not focus too much on social media. If you invest too much time on maintaining these platforms, you’ll forget about the main purpose of your online business.

Read: The 30 minute Social media workout for Every marketers.

  1. You’re Getting Too Inspired By Industry Leaders

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The reason for analyzing industry leaders is to learn from their strategies and implement them in a unique way that’s appropriate for your own online business. You should not copy them! No customer would like to do business with someone who copies an established brand; they wouldn’t choose you over the leaders if you don’t offer something new.

The only way to attract potential customers is to gain their trust. When you analyze the leaders in your industry, use that data as a guiding point, but do not turn your own business into a clone.

  1. You’re Trying Too Hard to Look Like an Expert

Look like an expert
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If you’re following the example of real industry experts, you might think it would be wise to leave an impression as an arrogant, unavailable person. Yes, such reputation works for well-established industry leaders who don’t have time to build connections with regular customers. Don’t play that game! If the customers don’t feel like they can communicate with you, they won’t like your business. Don’t place yourself on a pedestal; that’s a certain way of repelling your potential clients.

[Tweet “Your priority should be building a proper connection with your audience.”]

Let’s say you’re looking at TripAdvisor reviews for Cuban hotels. You’re considering two options: both of them have many reviews, but the manager of one of those hotels responded to the comments and promised to take the remarks into consideration. You would surely choose the hotel with more accessible management, wouldn’t you?

You can be an expert everyone feels close to! Expose yourself to public opinion and be as accessible as possible. Respond to online comments and do everything to make your customers happy! That’s the type of leader everyone wants to do business with.

  1. You’re Not Doing Enough to Boost Your Website’s Traffic

You own an online business. Its success always depends upon the traffic you attract to your website. You can build perfectly organized pages with the right color scheme and tons of information your customers need. That won’t do you any good if you don’t have a traffic-building strategy.

Everyone loves podcasts these days. Try to get interviewed by a popular host, and you’ll attract many visits the same day of its publication. Publish press releases and gain authority by maintaining an awesome blog. Build strong connections with influential bloggers and get your links featured in their posts. Offer free products/services to people willing to share their reviews with the online community. Do everything to attract more audience to your website!

Read: 101 tactics to increase blog traffic that you can implement right now

  1. Your Strategies Are Outdated

Outdated stratgies
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Technology evolves at a fast pace. If you can’t keep up with the new trends, your online business will definitely suffer the consequences. The strategies that worked for ages may not be effective in the current online setting. E-mail marketing is a classic, but maybe you’re sending old-fashioned lines that no longer work? Maybe you are publishing lengthy articles that used to be a synonym of expertise, but are not attractive for today’s readers with short attention span?

Remember: old-fashioned strategies won’t lead your business towards growth. You need to base your online presence upon contemporary techniques that today’s Internet users appreciate. Most of all, you need to focus on direct and casual, but professional communication with your audience. Bring something new to the table; the most important thing is to be unique!

If Your Online Business Is Not Growing, You Need to Make a Change!

The moment you become aware of the slow or nonexistent online business growth, you need to focus on making changes that will push it forward. Everyone makes mistakes. Some business owners are successful because they recognize them on time and they know how to fix them.

[Tweet “If Your Online Business Is Not Growing, You Need to Make a Change!”]

There are tons of opportunities in the online space, but the business environment is not as welcoming as it once was. You need to do your part of the work. Make the necessary changes, and your business will start growing.

How’s your online business doing? Are you growing or stagnant? Let us know in the comment section below. And if you enjoyed this article, do share it in your network.

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Authored By
Stephanie Norman from Sydney has been a contributing blogger and professional writer for 4 years already. She writes creative and business content covering writing, online marketing, and content marketing issues as a freelancer.

16 thoughts on “5 Factors That Prevent the Growth of Your Online Business”

  1. chery

    Hi Stephanie, Thank you very much.I am very much impressed about your blog post. Informative, stick to the point and focus oriented. To improve online business and increase traffic your views will show us the way. Thank you.

  2. Ritesh

    Thanks for increasing my knowledge through this great stuff. Its necessary to keep up with the trend because we see changes in online world every now and then. Its absolutely necessary to be unique and active to generate best possible leads out of your online business.

  3. Praveen

    Awesome tips, it’s ingenuity to work according to the research strategies that will bring better results. Moving with the crowds end in crowds. Online success depends on taking innovative steps that ensure the needs of the world in a better way.

    Thank you, Stephanie.

  4. Joseph Jones

    These are great online points that may have overlooked by most internet marketer. I can say that at some point, I am drawn to do social media only and forgot all other social media avenues.

  5. Jennifer Alvarado

    Hi Stephanie, thanks a lot. I Will surely follow your specific tips for enhancing my online business. Before reading this blog, I only knew that social media is a major factor for increasing the traffic on the website. But after reading your views I have understood that we too have too focus on increase the quality of the content and gain the trust of the customers for increasing huge tarffic on the websites and earn handsome amount of money. I will follow all your fantastic tips. Thanks once again

  6. Mahesh Yarramsetti

    Hi Stephanie, Many people depending on social media for getting traffic if the content is good we will get a good traffic via social if not it leads to get a bad impression on our blog. better to concentrate more on quality and search engine friendly content to get a good traffic, rather than concentrating more time on social.

    Thanks for nice article.

  7. William

    I couldn’t have said these things more. Business owners should not only look into the things that can help their businesses but also the things that can derail them on their way to success.

  8. Pankaj Dhawan

    Wow! You have made a good list. I agree Social Network is not the only thing that we should rely on and there are other methods as well like podcast or even videos that we should explore into and not just setting in content creation. But honestly speaking, Big players including Harsh are good source of inspiration to many including me 🙂

  9. Vishwajeet Kumar

    Very Well written article Stephanie. You have mentioned some realistic factors that prevent online business growth. I am sure that this article really helps online businesses to grow.

  10. Subhabrata Kasyapi

    Hi Stephanie!
    I’m totally agreed with you.
    Cloning an Industry Leader is really very very much tempting. But we’ve to stay away from that temptation.
    I’m just about to start my Professional Blogging Career within a few days.
    I’ll surely keep your points in mind.
    Thanks a ton.

  11. Robin khokhar

    Hi Stephanie,
    I think that this article is for me only, I am going through the same. And surely will make changes to overcome it.

    Thanks for sharing this amazing post.

  12. Rajeev

    Excellent post Stephanie, totally agree with #3 – trying too hard to look like an expert. Does not work for everyone! it’s better to be original and make time for customers and provide real value when it comes to digital marketing / business growth.

  13. Jagmohan singh negi

    Hi Stephanie ,first of all nice article with inovative idea …in my view Deep thought and marketing analytics of online business is the only way of success .
    Loyalty ,hard work ,brand value etc are the other factor .but I am fully stasified with your second point …different thought can make u different and u can place yourself on the top of success.

  14. Harshika

    Thanks Stephanie for enlightening content on how to manage online business presence effectively. I completely agree with you that we shall have balance in everything for growth of online business. I believe, One must ready to change and grab the opportunity to have addressed critical barriers effectively.

  15. jayesh

    Yes i Totally Agree with you if you not aware of what’s going on in market you’re out in the market
    so,be aware to market and analysis market then plan and apply,
    after see what to do change your planned plan

    this article is really good for who want to increase and develop his/her business…

    awesome post…!

  16. Gary Cooney

    Hi Stephanie, yes we should be more updated with latest tactics to get new business.

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