Everything everywhere all at once: the title of a popular film but also the philosophy behind the marketing concept of web presence optimization (WPO).
WPO vs. SEO
WPO evolved as an expansion of search engine optimization. As Webbiquity notes:
“The idea was to extend search engine optimization (SEO) more broadly. SEO was (and is) about being found at the top of search results. WPO was and is about being found everywhere online where your prospects are looking for what you offer.”
In short, SEO and WPO are not mutually exclusive but work together. SEO remains relevant, but is one part of a larger WPO process that is focussed on using multiple platforms and media to get noticed. (As with SEO, WPO can also help build authority, as your greater presence enhances your reputation as an expert on a given topic.)
What’s Involved in WPO?
For large companies, WPO can include podcasts, live events online, paid advertising, and media placements by public relations (PR) teams along with more traditional promotional tools like social media. It can be an all-encompassing and all-consuming pursuit.
If you’re a smaller business you don’t necessarily have the budget for paid ads or PR staff to send everything everywhere, all at once. Does that mean WPO is not feasible for you?
Not necessarily. But it will require an investment of time, especially at first. Once you get into the flow, it will get easier and eventually you’ll have a well-oiled promotional apparatus. Here are a few tips to get you going.
Getting Started with Web Presence Optimization
WPO starts with content, for obvious reasons. To be everywhere all at once, you need something to share.
To get to the “well-oiled machine” level, you’ll need to start with a plan that includes ideas for content and distribution via different formats and platforms. You also need some kind of branding to ensure your presence gets recognized. Finally, if you’re drawing people to your site, you need to ensure your site is in good shape or, in industry speak, that it provides a good user experience.
Content Planning
Always start with a plan. The investment in time needed to create one will be worth it. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
I worked with a branding agency that created a content bank for me. It consisted of a spreadsheet with a column for a blog post topic, another with the text for an Instagram post, and a third with slightly different copy for Bluesky or Threads.
The takeaway: I had multiple blog post topics and ideas on how to share those posts on at least three social media platforms, all collected in one tidy little spreadsheet.
Keep It Manageable
Remember, you are a small business so you don’t need a firehose approach to content creation. Being everywhere all at once doesn’t mean you have to be blogging and posting every day. Make a plan that is manageable and allows you to create high-quality content for distribution on a few different platforms.
Maybe that means writing one blog post a week or a couple each month. You could devote a day or half-day each week to writing for your blog and creating a few social media posts that you can then publish throughout the week, maybe one per day on a different platform–Instagram one day, Pinterest another, Bluesky or Threads after that. It’s about being present at a pace you can manage.
Distribution
Once you have a base of content, like blog posts or web pages, it is time to get it out there. Try to use different formats and the various platforms where your target audience hangs out. For example:
- Pull a quote to create a social media post for Bluesky, Instagram or Threads. (See the second page on that linked post.)
- Create a reel using some of the main points from your post and use some catchy tunes to draw attention to it.
- Create boards on Pinterest that correspond to your website content and add new content there as you create it.
- Publish select blog posts on Medium to reach new readers. You don’t want to post everything here. Focus on evergreen content, i.e. content that doesn’t age. There is minimal work required here–just cut and paste an existing post.
- If video is your jam, create something for TikTok or YouTube.
- Develop a newsletter and use it for outreach to your customer/client base.
By using images, videos, or newsletters, you can distribute your message in different ways that will appeal to various audiences.
And it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Take advantage of free resources like Canva for graphics and videos, and Unsplash or Pexels for stock photography.
If you have the time and expertise, you can reach out to podcasters to get your voice heard, literally, or buy ads on social media to expand your reach even more.
Branding
Branding is vital. If you are going to be everywhere all at once, you need a consistent look and tone. You want to be readily identified, whether you are a larger company or small, one-person business. If you’re not sure what to do, invest in a branding package as I did or DIY it by selecting a couple of colours and fonts that you will use consistently on your website and social media.
User Experience
Because the entire point of WPO is to draw people to your site, you need to ensure it represents you well. Your site is your online anchor so it needs to convey the authority implied by your larger web presence.
Make sure your site is well-designed and easy to navigate. Again, this doesn’t have to be complicated. A few pages to explain yourself and a blog to maintain fresh content is all that is needed.
Keep designs clean and simple, and use a good structure in your pages and posts. Use your brand colours and fonts as much as possible so you are immediately recognizable to new visitors from different platforms.
It Will Get Easier
Once you get into the web presence optimization habit and create some standard formats for social media posts and newsletters, you can basically plug and play by dropping new content into existing templates. Just be sure to stay on top of your content planning and allocate sufficient time each week, depending on your content schedule, to get that content prepared and published.
Photo of radio by Nacho Carretero Molero on Unsplash.