Before you start, you need to decide what type of web-based business you want. For example, do you want to sell products and/or services? Do you want to be a middleman and start an affiliate-based website where you recommend products and/or services and earn a commission on any sales you help create? Being clear about what you want is a critical step.
Instructions
Three Critical Steps
1. You'll need to get a domain name for your website. The success of your site will depend on how well you market and promote your website, and marketing and promotion starts with the domain name.
When choosing a name, keep the following considerations in mind: 1) Keep it short and descriptive of your business. 2) Try to make it memorable. 3) The name should be specific to your core business. 4) Register the domain name for the longest period possible to save money.
2. You'll need to find a web host for your website. There are many different types of web hosts--which one you need depends on the type of website you want to have. You'll want a host that provides you with a feature-rich and user-friendly control panel that will allow you to manage your site easily, so look for top-notch technical support. The technical issues and challenges involved in running a website are considerable, and the last thing you need is to get sucked into dealing with technical issues on your own because of a lack of technical support. Make sure there is telephone or online chat support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Make sure the host can provide the technology your website needs. For example, will your site be a static website that just discusses the services you provide or will you be selling goods and services that will require a database?
3. You'll need to do marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Too many hopeful website business owners make the fatal mistake of thinking "if I just build it, they will come." But that's not enough. According Micheal Miller in his book, "Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurus" (Wiley, 2008), your success will depend on getting your product or services in front of not only the right people but the greatest number of them. It's all about optimizing your web site for good search engine ranking and designing a site that will effectively sell what you have to offer.
There are two ways to go: 1) Build your own website by hand, using website building tools such as Coffeecup or Dreamweaver. However, if you go this route, you should really hire an Internet marketing and SEO specialist to help you design your site to get as much traffic (i.e., website visitors) as possible. However, purchasing these tools and hiring an expert can be a very large up-front cost, especially for a small online business just starting out.
Perhaps a better and more affordable option is to avail yourself of a third-party company that is designed to help you start an online business. There are many such companies out there, so you'll really want to shop around. You'll want to look for a one-stop shop that will provide you with hosting, website building, and marketing and SEO support. This is probably the easiest and fastest way to start your own website business.
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