Whether you are trying to promote a business or find a better job, the benefits of having a strong web presence are becoming hard to ignore. Increasingly, the internet is the primary media source that individuals turn to for information. So when someone is looking for you online, how do you know what they are going to find? Will they be able to find anything at all, or, if they do find something, will you wish they hadn\’t?

The fastest and cheapest way to establish your personal or brand web identity is through social media options like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. These sites are very popular these days, and they are free to use, so it is a very quick way to get your profiles where they can be found. However, you can\’t just show up one day and expect to have a following! Social media still takes some effort and outreach. Find similar people and get to know them. Join conversations about topics that interest you or relate to your profession, and most importantly, try to help others! Only by sharing good advice can one become recognized as an authority for some subject.

While social media is a convenient and powerful way to establish your online identity, there are always going to be limitations when you put your data in some other company\’s hands. The obvious problems with social media sites is that you will never have full control over your information, how it is shared, and how policy changes might effect your intended use of the site. For a recent example: Many web marketers invested solely in their Facebook profiles, and now that commercial accounts need to use ads to reach their audience, those marketers will have to come up with a backup plan pretty quickly! A small change in the policies can completely upend your internet marketing strategy if you rely on a third party\’s website to carry it out.

Luckily, setting up your own website is also much easier than it ever has been in the past. The most important step is to find a good web host with content management installation scripts, because once you have access to that creating a new domain is just a matter of a few clicks and answering a few questions. While web hosting doesn\’t have to be expensive, it is still a little bit more than free social media profiles. In return though, you do get full control over your web presence and you establish a more professional image. Ideally, a personal or business domain will complement your social media profiles, so don\’t look at it as an \”either-or\” situation!

In addition to the minimal costs of running your own website, it will definitely take a little bit more time and learning than social media alone. Even with easy installation scripts to help you get started, advanced website features can require progressively complex actions. Setting up a blog with a resume or directions to your store is one thing, and building a fully interactive online store is something completely different.

When you are starting out, though, it is important to take everything one step at a time in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed. If you focus on the basics, the more advanced concepts will come naturally in time. Just remember, you cannot learn unless you go out and try!

John is a writer and web publisher working to help new webmasters start websites and get in to online business. Click here to find out how you can start a website today with the low prices that are only available through limited-edition hosting coupons.

John is a writer and web publisher with more than six years of experience working online. Be sure to check out his site at http://websitebuilding.biz to get all of the latest news about the doing business on the internet.

Author Bio: John is a writer and web publisher working to help new webmasters start websites and get in to online business. Click here to find out how you can start a website today with the low prices that are only available through limited-edition hosting coupons.

Category: Internet
Keywords: web, internet, presence, online, business, personal, career, social media