5 Mistakes Women in Tech Make When Building Their Online Presence

Have you ever typed your name into a search engine and nothing about you or your work pops up? That’s a sign that you are not visible enough, and you need to do better. Yes, having great skills and a good career is important, but nothing beats visibility. It can open doors you didn’t even know existed.

Many women in tech still make some mistakes that hold them back, but here are five common ones and how you can fix them. 

1. Stop Waiting for “Perfect”

You need to stop waiting for your work to be perfect before you post. Stop using the “Oh, it’s not ready” excuse to delay yourself. In fact, it is always advisable to share your progress and your process. Write or talk about your mistakes and what you’ve learned from them. You will be surprised at how easy it is for people to connect with your honesty rather than perfection.

2. Stop hiding behind “I am still learning”

Yes, we know you are still learning, but guess what? Everyone else is too. Don’t use that as an excuse to hide. You don’t need to be an expert before you start showing up online. Someone out there will relate to whatever you have to say, and that is how your community starts to grow.

3. Don’t Start by Being Everywhere 

You don’t need to be on every platform to build your presence. You’ll burn out trying to post on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok all at once. The best thing is to start with one or two platforms that align with your goals. Then, build on them and get grounded before you expand to other ones. It is better to be known on one platform than invisible on all of them. 

4. Not Showing Your Work

You might be doing amazing work behind the scenes, but if no one knows about it, it doesn’t exist — at least not online. No matter how little the project is, talk about it. Don’t wait until you get a promotion or finish a big project before you share. Talk about what you are building, the tools you’re learning, and the challenges you’re facing. Your progress is proof of your growth.

5. Ignoring Community

One thing I always tell women is that you cannot grow in isolation. Many women in tech make the mistake of focusing only on their skills and forgetting the power of connection. In case you don’t know, community is where opportunities hide. Whether it is in group chats, Slack channels, tech meetups, LinkedIn or even Twitter (X) threads, engage with others, share insights, ask questions, and celebrate people’s wins. The more visible you are in your community, the higher your chances of being noticed by recruiters or founders. 

Building an online presence is all about being seen for what you do best. You don’t have to be perfect before you show up, just be consistent and intentional. The more you share, the more people begin to associate your name with your work. Remember, visibility is a strategy that has been proven to work overtime.