Having an online business start-up checklist has proven invaluable over the years. Used by many successful online entrepreneurs, it ensures that all the basics are covered in setting up your business. Like any start-up business venture, a business plan is required.
· You will need to do your due diligence and research your business idea to determine if it will be a viable venture. In this process, the potential target audience for your business will also be revealed, information that will prove invaluable at the marketing stage.
· You then need to decide on the best business model for your idea and for you as a person. The most popular business models adopted by online businesses are e-commerce, affiliate marketing, freight forwarding and business service offerings.
· Once you have decided on your business model, you then need to raise funds for your business. Included in this figure are the cost of merchandise, the cost of registering your domain name and building your website.
· Registration of your domain name – before you can build a website, you must first register a domain name. Following in the footsteps of successful online entrepreneurs, keyword rich URLs or domain names are recommended as they are great for search engine optimization. This step can be compared to acquiring a plot of land and getting the address assigned to it.
· Building a website – the next thing is that you create your own website on your newly acquired domain. Going back to the land acquisition analogy, this is like setting up a commercial property or building on a piece of land that you just acquired. You need to use the services of a web designer to complete professional work. We don’t want to give any chance here. One way to find a good and professional web designer is to ask your business associates and colleagues who have completed the job satisfactorily. Depending on the service you choose to offer, you may need to have facilities on your site to accept payments, otherwise explore the alternatives. I’m sure your website designer will be able to offer some advice on this
· Promote your site – after completing your site, it is time to promote your online business. The goal here is to drive traffic to your website and ultimately sell your products and services. Now, there are various ways to promote your online business – using paid and unpaid promotion methods. Both types of promotion methods can be used and each has its place in increasing the visibility of your online business and establishing yourself.
The online business start-up checklist outlines some of the important steps required for the successful launch of your online business. Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to achieving your goals and dreams.
One of the biggest challenges many online entrepreneurs face is driving traffic to their website once everything is set up and this requires education.