Think back to the last time you strolled through a public garden.

Most often, they’re a sight to behold. There are so many different varieties of plants and a seemingly endless array of flowers, all with a different color or shade—you could spend all afternoon taking it all in.

One of the coolest things about a great garden is that despite the variety in its individual pieces, each plant or flower has a purpose.

Each one has been chosen because it contributes to the overall impact of the garden as a whole.

Gardens like this are not happenstance. They’ve been purposefully designed and expertly cultivated, then meticulously cared for, watered, and weeded.

The gardener doesn’t simply stand over the soil and throw out a handful of seeds, hoping for the best. He or she knows exactly what they’re doing.

The result of that thoughtful approach? Breath-taking beauty.

A well-cultivated garden is a great way to think about your online presence, too.

As business owners, we’re usually so excited about our business that we want the whole world to know about it, so we start sharing it online everywhere and anywhere we can.

But with that approach, It’s like we’re throwing out seeds, hoping for the best, hoping our efforts take root and grow…

…when instead we’d be much better off (and make a deeper impact) by slowing down and cultivating a web presence that’s intentional and memorable.

We’d be much better off (and make a deeper impact) by slowing down and cultivating a web presence that’s intentional and memorable. Read more: Share on X

Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as you think. Here are three steps to get you started:

1. Get crystal clear on how you want to show up online and what you want to project.
Ask yourself these questions:
What do you want to amplify and share online?
Why?
Who do you want to reach and connect with?
What are your goals for amplifying and sharing your business online?
What does a successful web presence look like for you?
How are you going to grow your presence and share your business?
What tools, methods, or platforms will help you achieve your goals?

2. Assess how effective your web presence is right now, and then determine if you need to reinforce it, tweak it, or change it altogether.

A fantastic (and free!) tool to see where you stand can be found at OnlineIDCalculator.com. It was created by personal branding guru William Arruda and will let you know if you’re “digitally disastrous”, “digitally distinct” or somewhere in between. Follow the step-by-step guide to figure out your current web presence.

3. Finally, take a look at the goals you set for amplifying and sharing your business, and make a plan for how you’re going to achieve them.

Break them down into tactical mini-steps. These will help you meet your goal and can also serve as the basis for your marketing plan. Win-win!

When you get intentional about cultivating a memorable web presence, you’ll find that like a beautiful garden, each individual piece will have a purpose toward your greater goal. Instead of haphazardly throwing seeds online, you’ll create a cohesive, consistent message with your business and make a much bigger impact overall.