HPP website on an iPad

Sometimes we take for granted how accessible everything is in today’s world. Whatever the question, we have the answer, literally at our fingertips.

So when it comes to people finding out more about your business it makes sense that they would head online to learn more. In fact, research indicates that 81% of customers research online before buying something. Yet, there are numerous businesses who, for various reasons, have yet to take the plunge into the online marketing game. Often there are reservations about cost or concern about adding yet another thing to manage. However, it doesn’t have to be complex. Here are the online business presence basics that will help your business thrive well into the future, including what’s changed now that AI has entered the picture.

Contents

1. A website

Without a website, you have nowhere for people to go to find out more about your business. Your website is your online shopfront and a mark of legitimacy. It’s pretty much essential for all businesses to have one these days. Not only will it be where people go to find out your location, service offerings and contact details, it’s also the end of the rainbow in terms of where you direct any online marketing efforts.

Think of your website as the one piece of online real estate you actually own. Your social accounts can change their rules overnight, but your site is yours. It needs to load fast, look professional and work flawlessly on a phone, because a clunky or dated site does more harm than no site at all. If you’re starting from scratch or due for a refresh, our complete guide to website design walks you through it.

2. Simple contact options

One of the main reasons people will jump online is to get in touch with you. It’s best to have a range of easy contact options such as an email address, a telephone number and an online enquiry form. You may also like to have an instant messaging service that allows people to get answers to their questions when you’re not available.

The golden rule here is to make it effortless. Every extra click or hard-to-find detail is a chance for someone to give up and go to a competitor. Put your key contact options somewhere obvious on every page, and make sure they actually work, a dead contact form or unmonitored inbox quietly costs you business every single week.

3. A presence on social media

You don’t need to be on all the social media platforms but it is important that you’re on at least a couple. The most beneficial will depend on your audience: Facebook and Instagram for most, LinkedIn if you’re in a B2B industry, and increasingly TikTok or YouTube if visual or video content suits you. Jumping into social media is free and, since it’s a key place for prospective customers to go hunting for you, it’s highly effective.

The trick is to go where your audience actually is, rather than trying to be everywhere. One or two platforms you post on consistently will always beat five you neglect. Social is also where a lot of brand discovery now happens, so it’s worth treating it as a genuine shopfront rather than an afterthought. Strong visual content goes a long way here.

4. A Google Business Profile

This one didn’t make the original list, but in 2026 it’s essential, especially if you’re a local business. Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows up in Google Maps and in that box on the right when someone searches your name. It’s often the very first impression people get of you, before they even reach your website.

Claim it, fill it out completely, and keep it accurate: your hours, location, phone number, services and photos. Consistency matters more than you’d think, because the same business details appearing identically across your website, your profile and directories is one of the signals that helps both Google and AI tools trust and surface your business.

Google Business Profile for Embark Agency Gold Coast

5. Reviews and reputation

Reviews have quietly become one of the most powerful parts of your online presence. They’re social proof at its most persuasive, most people trust an online review almost as much as a personal recommendation, and a healthy stream of positive reviews is a big part of why people choose you over the business next door.

There’s a newer reason to care, too. Review sites and the opinions on them are some of the sources AI tools lean on most heavily when they recommend businesses. So a strong, current set of reviews doesn’t just win over humans, it increasingly influences whether you get mentioned when someone asks an AI for a recommendation. Ask happy customers for reviews, make it easy, and always respond, to the good and the bad.

How to register your business on Google Embark Reviews

6. Regular updates and fresh content

An online presence is one thing but if someone jumps on your Facebook page and sees you haven’t posted anything since 2012, they’re going to think you’ve gone out of business. You need to update at least semi-regularly. The same goes for your website. The content needs to be current and relevant. Most content on your website is easily edited, even by the most technically challenged. Your website developer can show you how.

Fresh, helpful content does double duty now. It keeps you looking active and credible to visitors, and it’s exactly what search engines and AI tools reward when deciding who to surface. Helpful how-to articles, clear answers to common questions and really useful content are what get found, quoted and recommended. Thin, stale or salesy pages get ignored.

Being found in the age of AI

Here’s the biggest shift since this article first went out. People don’t just “Google it” anymore. A huge and fast-growing share of discovery now happens inside AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, and inside the AI summaries that sit at the top of Google itself.

The numbers are striking. ChatGPT roughly doubled to around 800 million weekly users between early 2025 and early 2026, about a third of people say they’ve discovered a new brand or product through an AI tool, and Deloitte expects nearly a third of adults to start their daily searches with an AI summary in 2026. At the same time, roughly 60% of searches now end without anyone clicking through to a website, because the AI answers the question on the spot.

So what does that mean for your business? In short, it’s no longer enough to simply exist online. You need to be the kind of business that AI tools can find, understand and confidently recommend. The good news is that the fundamentals overlap heavily with everything above:

  • Keep your details consistent everywhere. Same business name, address and phone across your website, Google Business Profile and any directories. AI trusts information it can verify in multiple places.
  • Be really helpful. Clear, specific, well-structured content (how-to guides, FAQs, plain answers to real questions) is what AI tools pull from and cite.
  • Earn mentions and reviews. AI leans heavily on third-party sources, review sites and what others say about you, not just your own marketing.
  • Don’t abandon traditional search. Google still drives the lion’s share of traffic. AI shapes the shortlist; traditional search and your website still close the deal.

There’s an important nuance, too: people don’t fully trust AI answers yet (only around one in five say they do), so they still click through to verify before they buy. That’s your opening. If AI puts you on the shortlist and your website and reviews back it up, you win. This is the same lesson we keep returning to, that AI is a tool, not a team, and in a world drowning in AI-generated noise, being clear, helpful and truly human is what gets you found.

Your online presence checklist

Here’s the lot in one quick reference:

Essential Why it matters Where to start
A website Your online shopfront, hub and mark of legitimacy, and the one bit of real estate you own. Get a simple, professional, mobile-friendly site.
Easy contact options People come online to reach you, so don’t make it hard. Offer email, phone and an enquiry form, and check they work.
Social media Where many prospects go looking for you and discover new brands. Pick one or two platforms your audience uses and post consistently.
Google Business Profile How you show up in local and maps search, and a key trust signal. Claim it, complete it, and keep every detail accurate.
Reviews and reputation Powerful social proof that also feeds AI recommendations. Ask happy customers for reviews and respond to them.
Fresh, helpful content Signals you’re active and helps you get found and cited. Update regularly and publish useful how-tos and FAQs.
AI visibility A third of people now discover brands through AI tools. Keep info consistent, be helpful, and earn mentions and reviews.

You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the basics, stay consistent, and build from there. Want to know more? Check out our digital marketing strategy for those just starting out.

If you’d like a hand making sure your brand actually stands out once people find you, a free brand audit is a good place to start, or explore our website work.

Leave your mark.

FAQs

What is an online business presence?

Your online business presence is the sum of all the places and ways people can find, learn about and interact with your business online. That includes your website, your social media, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and increasingly how you show up in AI tools and search summaries. A strong online presence makes it easy for the right people to find you, trust you and choose you, no matter where they start looking.

What does a business need to have an online presence?

At a minimum, you want a professional website, easy ways to get in touch, a presence on one or two social platforms your audience uses, a complete Google Business Profile, and a healthy set of reviews. On top of that, keeping your content fresh and your details consistent everywhere helps you get found, both by traditional search and by AI tools. You don’t need all of it on day one, but each piece strengthens the whole.

Do I really need a website if I have social media?

Yes. Social media is important, but you don’t own it, the platform does, and its rules, reach and even existence can change overnight. Your website is the one piece of online real estate that’s entirely yours, it’s where you control the message, capture enquiries and send all your marketing. Social media is best thought of as a way to reach people and point them back to your website, not a replacement for it.

How do I get my business found by AI?

Being found by AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI summaries comes down to a few things. Keep your business details (name, address, phone) consistent across your website, Google Business Profile and directories so AI can verify you. Publish clear, really helpful content like how-to guides and FAQs, since that’s what AI tools pull from. Earn reviews and mentions on third-party sites, because AI leans heavily on what others say about you. And keep your traditional SEO strong, since the two work together.

How important are online reviews?

Very. Reviews are one of the most persuasive forms of social proof, with most people trusting them almost as much as a personal recommendation. They heavily influence whether someone chooses you, and they’ve taken on a second role lately: review sites are among the sources AI tools rely on when recommending businesses. A steady stream of positive, recent reviews now works for you with both humans and AI, so it’s well worth asking for them.

How often should I update my online presence?

Regularly enough that you always look active and current. For social media, that might mean posting at least weekly; for your website, keeping your information accurate and adding fresh content when you can. The exact cadence matters less than consistency. A page that hasn’t been touched in years signals you might be out of business, while a steady drip of updates keeps you credible with visitors, search engines and AI tools alike.