There are so many online platforms these days that it borderlines on ridiculous. Video sites, blogs, social media, an endless number of websites–it seems almost impossible to create something successful amongst the competition. But it’s not impossible. It just takes the right approach.

Concept

Whether you have a blog or Instagram account, you need to consider this: Is your idea unique? Will people stop to take a second look? Because of how much competition is out there, you need a fresh approach. Create an apt name, add some creative humor to your advertising, or talk about something you don’t see everywhere.

That applies to your design, as well. Websites that look good and are easy to navigate have far more repeat customers than the basic ones. Social media accounts that stand out have double or triple the followers. Are you making YouTube, Instagram and Facebook accounts to share basic beauty tips? Everyone has seen a million of those. Spice it up by creating a professional and eye-catching logo. Think up a name that would make someone chuckle or smile. Get some serious personality out there and invest in great editing, whether it’s video or writing edits.

SEO

People Google everything. No other search engines stand a chance today, and Google ranking is critical. You must have a mobile-friendly option for your website or blog, and integrate the right keywords for maximum visibility. Check out your competition’s sites and the things they talk about.

Commercial keywords are far more valuable than basic informational keywords. Commercial words include things like buy, sell, purchase, sale, shipping, order, deal, purchase, and other words about buying things. It’ll get you higher rankings, meaning more viewers, and more money in your pocket.

Engage

You must engage with people to retain them and further your marketing. If someone comments, respond to it, neutrally and with positivity. If you get a message, answer it quickly. On social media, ask questions to draw followers in a conversation. Never stop being present in your business or brand.

Engaging the public is vital in marketing; if nobody knows you’re there, they can’t visit your site or blog. Put your brand out there in every way imaginable. You can buy social media ads that will plaster your brand in countless people’s faces every day. Reach out to other businesses or public figures with a similar brand to yours and ask to do a marketing swap. Most successful bloggers, Instagrammers and YouTube personalities will accept payment for product placement. If someone with 100k followers shouts out your name, you could get thousands of followers instantly.

Persistence

Nobody is going to have instant success. It takes years sometimes to get to a level where you’ve reached a steady revenue stream. Allow at least one year of constant work before you re-vamp what you’re doing–it might just take a few adjustments to get into a groove that works.

Every month, look at your website traffic or follower count. Is it increasing at a steady level? Keep up the good work and put even more effort into it. If your traffic has slowed or declined, tweak your methods and see what happens. Keep this up; don’t stop. So many failures come as a result of quitting way too early. Don’t be one of them.

Becoming a success online isn’t impossible, it just takes more work than it did 10 years ago. Follow these steps, put in the work, and reap the benefits for years to come.