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Starting Your Own Internet Business
Okay, you've been lurking on a number of email discussion lists,
visiting all sorts of web sites, and subscribed to a number of
Internet marketing newsletters for some time now trying to
figure out just how to take your first step in creating a
business on the Internet. Many of these discussion lists and
newsletters take for granted that you already have your Internet
business established and are looking for help with making it
prosper. You've read everywhere that you can make money on the
Internet, but you aren't quite sure how to get started doing it.
Are you ready now to take that next step in starting your online
business? In this article, I want to take a little time to
discuss a few of the basics for how to do just that.
I can think of at least ten important steps one must take in the
process of creating a new online business. There are other key
tasks, of course, but I believe these are enough to get you
started. You can get to some of the rest after you're
established. Here is a brief description of each of the ten
steps I deem essential:
1. Secure a Domain Name for Your Business This is a must in
order for your business to have its own distinct domain name
with which your customers will associate both your web site and
your product(s). A long, unrelated domain name URL is actually
detrimental to your business interests.
2. Find a Reliable Web Host This step goes hand in glove with
the first step. It's best if you can settle on a reliable web
host who also sells domain name registrations. This way, you can
usually get a bargain deal which includes the domain name
registration, a web hosting account, and any other particulars
that might go along with setting up a web hosting plan.
3. Set Up Legal Terms for Your Online Dealings This is for your
own good. You are vulnerable to frivilous law suits without it.
If you don't feel capable and/or comfortable writing your own
policies, better hire a good attorney who specializes in
Internet law.
4. Create and Upload Your Web Files This is the most involved
part of the whole process, since this is where you must build
your web site to attract customers.
How you design your site makes a BIG difference! Again, if you
don't feel capable of encoding your own web pages, better hire a
good web design company. The image your web site presents
impacts how your potential customers view your business'
professionalism.
5. Obtain an Online Merchant's Account You can't do business
effectively on the Internet without an online merchant's
account. There are a variety of providers.
You're better off going with the more reputable, big name
companies, such as the credit card companies themselves, as
opposed to some of the lesser-known, bargain dealers. PayPal and
ClickBank are good alternatives, however.
6. Conduct a Site Analysis There are at least three different
ways to do this, and it is of key importance that you do so. You
can use the "built-in" analysis tools provided by your web host
(assuming they include this with their plan), or you can use one
of the free site monitors, such as SiteMeter, or you can pay for
the advance featured services of SiteMeter or Hits Link.
Needless to say, if you skip this step, you'll be "shooting in
the dark". That is, you won't know how or from where people are
accessing your site or with what search keywords.
7. Optimize Your Site for the Search Engines While this is still
Contentment In Gratitude"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in ..... an inexact science as yet, you simply can't ignore the role of a
well-placed ranking in the most popular search engines. I read
somewhere recently, though I neglected to note the source, that
if you aren't in the top 20 on the list for your keywords, an
estimated 85% of searchers just won't find you, because they
won't bother to go any further.
8. Promote Your Site This is a no-brainer, yet what is the best
way to do it? I focus on getting FREE exposure for my sites.
Banner exchanges and link swapping are two other important ways.
Writing articles for ezines is one of the most effective ways.
There may be times when paying for inclusion or advertising is
worthwhile, but I haven't been convinced of that just yet.
9. Consider an Affiliate Program This step can help you with
both promoting your site and selling your product(s). Don't
underestimate the power of a good affiliate program. You'll need
good affiliate tracking software or a paid affiliate tracking
service to help you do this. A quick search of Google will yield
a plethora of sites to help you with this.
10. Maintain Excellent Customer Service While this may seem
obvious, it's amazing at how underemphasized it is! Don't get so
caught up in trying to sell your product(s) that you forget to
sell your customers on your service after the sale. Like a
doctor with a bad bedside manner, no one wants to deal with an
apparently uncaring person. After just one bad experience, they
not only will avoid doing business with you again, but they will
warn all their family and friends and even casual acquaintances
to avoid you as well!
Certainly, there are further steps you can take in creating and
managing your online business, but I believe these ten steps
constitute the basics. If you're ready now to finally create
that online business you've been studying about for so long,
follow these steps to make your dream a reality.
About the author:
Michael L. White is a Christian Internet entrepreneur. Visit The
Web Marketer's Guide at http://webmarketersguide.com, or to Parson
Place at
http://www.parsonplace.com, to subscribe to his two
newsletters, The Web Marketer's Guide and The Parson Place
Newsletter.
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