Online entrepreneurs know that knowledge is power – the phrase is attributed to an English philosopher in the 16th century and has been used in numerous scenarios along the years.

Despite its age, the phrase retained its power and even gained on it as it has never been more accurate than the present time. In our highly technologized times, with readily available mountains of information, knowledge is extremely powerful.

As an online entrepreneur in today’s hyperactive online world, you can never have enough knowledge. New skills will keep you one step in front of the competition and will make you better prepared for modern customers’ demands.

3 Technical Skills Online Entrepreneurs Should Have

While an online entrepreneur must have a diverse set of skills, from a wide range of domains, technical skills are crucial. Of course, this is a broad term, so we narrowed it down to three main tech skills that any online entrepreneur must acquire.

1. SEO Basics

The world of search engine optimization (or SEO) is complex and dynamic. Google, as the most popular search engine of the present, is constantly adapting to provide users with the best experience. As a result, every new update leads to new SEO rules and guidelines.

For instance, Google launched two broad core updates in 2020 (one in January and one in May).

While they perform small updates almost daily, Broad Core Updates have an impact on search results all over the world. This is usually seen in changes in search ranking. For instance, if a site’s content improved in relevancy towards its core audience since the last update, it will be moved up in SERP. If it lost relevancy, it will be pushed down.

What ONLINE Entrepreneurs Should Know

Whether you have a team of SEO specialists working around the clock, or you’re a one-person business, there are a few knowledge bits that can help you stay on track with these changes:

How Keywords Work

There will always be people who will say that keywords don’t matter anymore.

And, to some extent, they are right.

While search engines don’t establish a page’s position by the number of keywords it uses, they still use them as a factor for relevancy and ranking. Furthermore, according to SEO specialists, it matters the type of keywords you use.

Source: https://neilpatel.com/

Long-tail keywords are the ones that help you reach a specific niche, that’s more likely interested in making a purchase rather than browsing.

For instance, if you develop a virtual reality (VR) software product (an app or a game), the go-to keyword is “virtual reality”. However, the competition is high on this keyword and the audience is broad.

On the other hand, if you use “virtual reality games for PS4” or “virtual reality app for Android”, you have a better chance of standing out from the crowd. With long-tail keywords, the competition is lower, so it’s easier to rank in search engines.

Content Relevancy is Key

 You probably know that “content is king”, but you also need to know how to use its power. There are many bloggers out there who post new content on a daily basis without any significant results.

So why doesn’t it work for them?

It’s all about relevancy and how search engines interpret your intentions. Are you creating content just for ranking or are you genuinely trying to create value?

According to a study done by Neil Patel, the May Google update impacted (in a negative way) websites with old and thin content the most.

In conclusion, search engines appreciate content that’s constantly updated to reflect the present and that brings value to the target audience by providing detailed information.

 Follow the Trend

Google updates also show the trend of the market and the industries that are the most volatile at the moment. For instance, the May update showed the industries most affected by the 2020 pandemic (real estate, travel, and health were among the most affected).

This sort of knowledge can be integrated into SEO strategies to adapt to the current market demands and prevision for future fluctuations.

2. Coding Skills

Whether you own a standard website or you’re a prolific e-commerce entrepreneur, coding skills are a must-have.

While there are plugins (especially with flexible platforms like WordPress) that can help with virtually anything, there are situations when a few lines of code can save time and money. As such, basic coding skills are valuable knowledge for today’s online entrepreneur.

Most modern web pages are developed using a mixture of HTML, CSS, JavaScrip, Java, and Python, but it never hurts to consider other technologies as well.

Luckily, nowadays it’s rather easy to understand how coding works and it doesn’t take much to learn your way through functions and procedures. Also, there are plenty of online coding courses one can join and it only takes a few weeks of study to become familiar with the process.

As an online entrepreneur, you will work with highly-skilled developers, but it helps to know how to solve quick and easy problems. It’s also a way of knowing your product, whether it’s an app or a web page.

3. Social Media

Why is Social Media a technical skill? After all, you’re only using these platforms, you’re not developing them.

Social media is a bit different for businesses than it is for regular people. As an entrepreneur, you’re using these platforms to attract new leads and disseminate messages in an optimal manner.

This means that you need to understand how the platform works and how it is being used by your audience.

For instance, according to HubSpot, the success of your Instagram posts depends on the day and time of day you decide to publish. Research suggests that the best time to post on Instagram is on a Thursday, at 5 AM, 11 AM, 3 PM, and 4 PM.

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/

Of course, the data is different for other platforms, and it’s important to understand why and how the information is relevant for your target audience.

In addition to this, social media platforms offer analytics data and tracking tools that can be useful in planning new marketing strategies. As a successful online entrepreneur, you must be up to date with everything social media has to offer and learn new methods of promotion.

Wrap Up

There’s more to a successful business than just learning new skills, but it all starts here. When you’re open to new information and knowledge, you open your mind to new possibilities. As a result, it will be easier to accept and implement change and adapt to a market that’s highly influenced by new technologies.

Erika Rykun is a content strategist with Udemy which offers online courses and producer who believes in the power of networking and quality writing. She’s an avid reader, writer, and runner.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-rykun

Twitter: @erika_rykun

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