How can social media impact an online business?

Social media significantly impacts an online business primarily by enhancing its brand presence, engaging customers, and driving traffic to its website or online platforms. Through active participation on social media, businesses can create a recognizable brand identity, allowing them to connect with their audience on a more personal level. This connection fosters customer loyalty and encourages repeat business.

Engagement is a key component of social media, as it provides companies with the opportunity to interact with customers through comments, shares, and likes. This two-way communication not only empowers customers but also enables businesses to gather valuable feedback, which can inform product development and marketing strategies.

Additionally, effective social media strategies can drive traffic to a business's website. By sharing compelling content, promotions, or news, businesses can inspire social media users to visit their site for more information or to make a purchase. This traffic is crucial for online businesses, as it can lead to increased visibility and sales.

The other choices do not accurately represent the impact of social media on online businesses. For instance, social media does not influence web hosting costs, nor does it replace the need for search engine optimization (SEO) by minimizing its importance. Similarly, while social media is a valuable tool for marketing, it does not eliminate the requirement for a website,