4 Steps On How To Start Your Online Business
How to Start an Online Business
Are you planning on starting your own business but don’t have the capital to buy an upfront store or a franchise, think through starting your business online. An online business will help you reach thousands of customers and you don’t need to pay for retail space.
However, similar to any other business you’re going to need a good product, great services plus an excellent marketing plan. Learn what it takes to start your online business.
#1: Setting up Your Business
Starting your business online will give you the opportunity of having access to thousands of customers, and a lot of competition. You can trust SOMS web design Perth, because whatever you’re trying to sell expect that other online retailers have the same product or idea. The first thing you need to do is to find a niche.
This is what differentiates your product from similar ones out on the market:
- Make sure that your product is unique
- Offer expertise in a field related to your product.
This can be your best selling point. - Check your competitors.
Find out the things that they don’t offer and find a way to fill that hole.
Choose a Niche and a Business Idea
A business niche is your primary focus area, a market segment, and a target audience. This can include anyone from sports fans to hobbyists to professionals. You must select a market niche for your new venture.
Product Investigation
When conducting product research, keep the following primary product types in mind:
- Downloads in Digital Format
You can also sell digital products, which are any products that a customer can download to their device, such as eBooks, audio courses, podcasts, online courses, and so on. When compared to physical goods, digital products have higher profit margins. - Physical Items
Physical goods, as the name implies, are material objects that must be manufactured, stored in a warehouse, and shipped to customers. - Services
Almost any remotely available service can be sold online. Selling services is one of the quickest ways to start and profit from an online business. However, keep in mind that this is a business model in which you are selling your time.
Perform Market Research
Starting your own online business requires extensive market research. It aids in determining the depth, competitiveness, and profitability of any chosen business vertical. Here’s how to begin conducting market research:
- Competitors in Research
Beyond SERPs, you should pay close attention to your main competitors. What are the most successful business ventures in your industry?
How much money do they earn? What are their advantages and disadvantages? - Examine the SERPs
Examine search engine result pages for variations of your product/service keywords (SERPs). What kind of content is currently ranking first on Google? What companies are paying to have their ads appear at the top of organic search results? - Monitor High-Performance Keywords
Monitor niche-relevant keywords to see how demand for different products changes in your niche and what content ranks best.
Define Your Target Market
You can start soliciting sales and scaling your business by understanding who your target audience is and what they want. Make sure to research the following to learn about their needs and preferences:
- Psychographics
Psychographic data includes psychological traits such as beliefs, opinions, values, and interests. - Demographics
Gender, income, age, ethnicity, and job title are examples of basic socioeconomic characteristics and templates found in demographic data.
Find Products or Services to Sell on the Internet
Running a successful online business will be difficult if your products are mediocre. Consider your sourcing strategy when sourcing products or services to sell online by:
- Producing Your Goods
If you intend to sell digital products, this option is relatively simple. Physical product manufacturing, on the other hand, necessitates considerable effort in terms of design, interactions, material selection, and so on. The financial costs are also higher. - Locating a Dropshipper
Finding a manufacturer who allows you to dropship their products can be very profitable. - Working With a Distributor
A wholesaler can supply your company with a variety of products to buy and curate in your online store.
#2: Register Your Business
Your business should be registered. To make it official, choose a business name and work on the appropriate paperwork. You have to consider things like:
- Product costs
- Taxes
- Shipping
- Web hosting charges
When you get your business going, make sure you comply with the business regulations in your state. It is important to choose a name that is short and catchy. In most cases the best names are the ones that people remember, it doesn’t have to be Perth Coffee Shop to make people remember your brand, think about some of the names in the industry already that are well recognised like DOME, Gloria Jeans and Coffee Club.
As you can see the key here is to focus on a name that is catchy and people can remember not a location and description of the product. Also, take into consideration that long names are hard to remember and type in when you are returning emails or searching for them. Before you register your business name, always do a google search and see what other businesses with the same name come up with.
It is no good naming your coffee shop a well-recognised name, in the same industry. E.g., For McDonald opposed to MacDonald you will never be found on the internet. Once you have registered your business name you need to do the following.
#3: Choose a Domain Name
Your domain name needs to be different to your business name, they do not need to be the same but it is good if it is possible, once again it should be short and catchy. The domain name is the search name that people will use to find your website on the worldwide net. This is known as your URL.
With Selling Online Made Simple services, registering your business is easy or you can go to a website like this one www.idomainsmadesimple.com and choose a name that you’re interested in, if you land on a name that you like, go ahead and register.
#4: Get Your Web Built and Hosted by a Professional Company
There are a lot of free website hosting services on the internet but if you’re planning on running your business long-term, consider paying for one that offers all the services you’ll need. Choose a hosting service that allows for growth because you’ll encounter problems when your business starts to take off. Selling Online Made Simple website packages start as low as $299.
This is a mobile-friendly and SEO-ready website including CMS. Choose a highly structured web hosting, this means a hosting provider that is a fully managed service you don’t have to tick the boxes to include backups, web URL indexing and so on. Selling Online Made Simple fully managed web hosting comes with all the business essentials required to host a business solution.
An e-Commerce site is the most direct form of business you can start online. With the help of a fully managed hosted website, you will be marketing your online business products and services to many potential customers.
The best part of selling online made simple is our team, is here to work with you to achieve total control over your online success.
SOMS websites start from $299. See terms and conditions Call Andrew to get started today: 1800 811 646
