Online Visibility as an Entrepreneur: How to Grow Your Business

Imagine this: a potential customer hears your name for the first time and looks you up online. What do they find? As an online entrepreneur, your online visibility is your first impression—and often the reason someone chooses you or doesn’t. In this blog, you’ll learn why a strong digital presence is essential for your business, which platforms deliver the best results, and how to get started with them in a practical way. I’ll also share examples from my own experience.

How Online Visibility Can Benefit Your Business as an Entrepreneur

By being visible on the right platforms, you attract customers, build a personal brand, and grow your remote business—all without an advertising budget. Your online visibility is your digital business card. In an age when customers Google you before they reach out, having a lackluster online presence is no longer an option. It’s a necessity. How you present yourself online is how people get to know you, trust you, and ultimately hire you, buy from you, or want to work with you.

As an online entrepreneur, I notice this every day. A large part of my business comes directly through social media—not through expensive ad campaigns or cold outreach, but simply because people come across me online, follow my content, and at some point say, “You’re exactly who I’m looking for.” I’ve now positioned myself as an authority in the remote work niche, which is why I’m regularly asked to serve as an expert by newspapers and news outlets. But I can tell you, you don’t just end up in National Geographic, NU.nl, RTL Nieuws, etc. out of the blue. That’s the result of my online visibility, networking, and consistency.

For me, LinkedIn and Instagram are the most valuable channels. But choosing which platform is right for you depends on your niche, target audience, and communication style. One thing that’s universally true, though: your personal brand starts online. And that starts with visibility. Your number of followers and your engagement are certainly important factors here. Especially if you want to collaborate with other entrepreneurs or brands, your reach is still a key consideration.

Social Media as the Foundation of Your Online Strategy

Social media is more than just a place to post photos or scroll aimlessly. It’s a place where you can spot trends, follow competitors, reach customers, and establish yourself as an expert.

Search Engines and SEO/AI Search engines also play a crucial role in your online visibility. Google, as well as AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, are increasingly indexing social media profiles, blogs, and videos. A strong presence across multiple platforms boosts your SEO and ensures that you’re found by people who are actively searching for what you offer. That’s why it’s very important to incorporate keywords related to your field into your bios, posts, and descriptions.

TikTok and Viral Videos TikTok has proven time and again what a single viral video can do for a business. There are now countless examples of restaurants and stores that suddenly saw lines form outside their doors thanks to a single TikTok video. It’s no different for online entrepreneurs: a single video that resonates can increase your reach tenfold in one fell swoop. Still, I don’t recommend constantly trying to go viral. Be sure to pay close attention to what does and doesn’t work on this platform—that will at least increase your chances.

Pinterest as a Revenue Model Pinterest is very appealing to some online entrepreneurs. Especially in niches such as interior design, fashion, food, travel, or lifestyle, Pinterest can generate a steady stream of website visitors and thereby generate revenue, either directly or indirectly.

YouTube as a Long-Term Revenue Model A YouTube channel takes more time to build, but has potential as a “passive” revenue model. Ad revenue, sponsorship deals, and attracting customers through content creation are all three realistic options if you consistently invest in a channel. Don’t underestimate how many hours of work this will take before it starts generating a decent income.

Your Own Website as Your Home Base In addition to all social media channels, it’s almost always essential to have your own website. Social media platforms can change, algorithms can limit your reach, and accounts can be blocked, but your website is yours. It’s the place where your full story is told, where people can book or buy from you, and where your SEO strategy comes together.

The Value of LinkedIn as a Professional Platform

LinkedIn is an indispensable platform for online entrepreneurs and remote professionals. It’s more than just a digital resume; it’s an active community of business professionals, decision-makers, and like-minded entrepreneurs. For me, it’s the most important channel. And with 13,000 connections, it’s also my largest.

Fun fact… Four years ago, one viral post was the direct catalyst for me to start Working Remotely. I went to spend the winter in Spain for four months, with my employer’s approval, and wrote: “Vamos, off to Spain,” which racked up 85,000 views in no time. The comments, questions, and conversations that followed set a snowball effect in motion. I knew right away that I’d found my niche here and that there was a lot of interest in it.

I actually found three of my current colleagues through LinkedIn. It just happened because we followed each other’s content and then reached out to each other. For one of them, I was specifically looking for a social ads specialist—and I found one. We actually click so well that we’re going to expand our collaboration to include other tasks. That’s the power of networking on this platform. LinkedIn also shows you the trends in your industry and what people are talking about. By following what successful entrepreneurs share, you not only learn from their insights but are also inspired to share your own knowledge.

Your Visibility on Instagram

Instagram has a different character than LinkedIn, but as a platform for online entrepreneurs, it’s just as valuable—depending on your niche and target audience. On Instagram, you’ll meet lots of like-minded people. The platform brings people together based on shared interests, making it ideal for building your community. It’s also a source of inspiration: What are other entrepreneurs in your niche doing? How do they present themselves? How do they communicate with their followers?

That brings me to an underrated use of Instagram: market research. By taking a close look at your competitors—which posts are performing well, what do the comments say, and what are they missing? This way, you can gather valuable information without spending a single euro on research.

And I can’t leave out the personal aspect: over the past few years, I’ve gotten to know several good friends through Instagram. These are people with whom I’ve collaborated professionally, but I’ve also built genuine friendships with people who share my lifestyle—and I even go on trips with them from time to time.

Being Active on Social Media: More Than Just Scrolling

There’s a big difference between being on social media and being active on social media. Passively scrolling doesn’t get you anywhere. Being active means: responding to posts, sharing your opinion, asking questions, sharing content, and contributing something yourself. And that has a concrete result: you feed the algorithm. How does that work? Platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok track your interactions. The more active you are, the more your profile and content are shown to others. The algorithm rewards engagement (and reach).

That doesn’t mean you have to be online every day. That choice is entirely up to you. You can also schedule content using tools like Later or the platforms’ own scheduling features. That’s what I do myself. A practical tip: set aside one fixed day a week to create all your content and work according to a content strategy—don’t just post aimlessly. This is more efficient and keeps you from aimlessly scrolling. Because let’s be honest, spending a lot of time on your screen without a purpose costs you more than it’s worth.

Expand your online network

You don’t build a network by sitting on the sidelines. Making connections and sending messages is a choice you make yourself—and one that many online entrepreneurs put off for too long out of hesitation, insecurity, or modesty. There’s no need for that, because you surely have valuable knowledge to share. My advice: don’t be too cautious. It’s okay to ask, and the worst-case scenario is that you don’t get a response or receive a rejection. You’ve got nothing to lose—you might just get a “yes.” But do think carefully about your message before you send it. Don’t just throw something out there. And definitely don’t send a sales pitch as your first message. Nothing kills a potential connection faster.

I get a ton of messages from people who “want to grab coffee” or just chat, but unless there’s a specific reason or something in it for me, I don’t do it. It has to be about something, have a purpose, or hold some potential. Do you want to make an impression or actually get a response? Then take the time to look into someone’s profile and come up with a strong opening line. A good networking conversation starts with genuine interest in the other person. Ask a thought-provoking question. Give a sincere compliment. Respond to something they’ve shared. That’s how you start a conversation—and conversations lead to opportunities.

Keep your profiles up to date

This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many entrepreneurs have outdated profile pictures, vague bios, and job descriptions that are already two years old. A strong profile across multiple platforms is the foundation of any online visibility strategy.

Your profile is your first impression. Make sure it’s accurate:

Profile photo: professional, recognizable, up-to-date
Bio or summary: clear, specific, and focused on what you can do for others
Current Position and Work Experience: Up-to-date and Consistent Across All Platforms
Skills: Be sure to list them on LinkedIn, because they help determine how easily you’re found
Reviews and recommendations: actively ask for them, because social proof is worth its weight in gold for your online reputation—whether on your Google Business Profile, social media, or your own website

Online entrepreneurship starts with getting noticed

Without visibility, there’s no reach and no online network. And without reach, there are no customers. The platforms are there, and the opportunities are right at your fingertips. The only thing that makes a difference is whether you take the step to maintain a consistent presence and show yourself as you are. Start small if you have to, but start. Make sure people can find you—and that they’re glad they did.