Building an online business is just like building any type of business – it requires careful planning, determination, discipline, and diligence.
Below are 10 steps one should take before deciding to make a website online to ensure online success.
- Choose the best domain for your business: You can opt for Namecheap.com, Godaddy.com, etc., but before buying a domain, make sure that the one that you are choosing will ring a bell. Remember, you are creating a brand, an identity. Your domain is one key element in your branding and marketing efforts.
- Get an eCommerce Web Hosting Package: Compared to regular web hosting package or the one for personal use, the eCommerce Web Hosting will grow with your business by incorporating features an online business needs to operate. Aside from web marketing tools, this package also includes up-time reliability, store-like interface, secure transactions, and shopping cart functions among others.
- Merchant Account: A merchant account will help your online store secure Paypal and credit card transactions. Ensure that your account is capable of accepting at least the top three credit cards, accept bank drafts, and process Paypal® payments.
- Work with a Professional Web Designer: Not all web designers are created equal. Choose the one who are really working on e-commerce websites. Design your website in a way that it is pleasing to the sight and can be easily navigated.
- Enhance Web Marketing Campaigns: Nowadays, in order for a brand to really make it big, it has to make a difference in the market. To achieve this, one has to work hard on their campaigns by utilizing e-commerce and online store elements like dedicated mailboxes, targeted mailing lists and consistent promotions. A business has to stand out in the crowd for it to succeed.
- Put Effort in Tracking Your Campaigns: Have a keen eye on your marketing efforts. Your results will show you which promotions have been effective and which ones failed. Your web designer can establish specific codes for every promotion you create for easy tracking.
- SEO: Optimize your website content to get better ranking in search engines. Study keyword analysis or have someone do this for you. This is to ensure that you are targeting the right keywords and results are directing sales to your websites instead of the competitor’s.
- Socialize and Promote: Most of the giant social media platforms are free so maximize them. Assign someone to focus on the social media marketing efforts. Managing several platforms like Twitter, Facebook pages, and Instagram can be a handful.
- Paid Advertising: If you have the budget, go for this. Paid advertising gives you enough leverage over your ads.
- Evaluate: Success doesn’t end nor will it start with advertising. You need to evaluate the result of your ads, both paid and free. Check which campaign gathered the most leads and turned into sales and evaluate the rest. Do you still need to include it again on your next roster of marketing activities?
Any business is trial and error. You might have everything planned out but if you don’t focus on what works and what didn’t, it’s a sure fire way for a business to go down. In a nutshell: make a website online, promote, and evaluate results — three broad steps in making it successful online.
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