Five Steps to Owning a Thriving E-business
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 29, 2009 in "E-commerce"
If you want to have your very own e-business, take note that there are several things that must be done in order to get up and running online. Not to worry, we have listed the five simple steps you can take to do just that.
Register a Domain Name
A domain name is simply a URL that acts as the name for your website. You can register one with registrars such as Dotster, GoDaddy or Yahoo. Registration is good for a year, but you typically have the option to register for up five years depending on the registrar. A domain name doesn’t cost much these days as you can easily find them for under $10 per year. When registering the name, think of something that will be easy for people to remember and one that perfectly suits your business.
Find a Web Host
If you intend to run your e-business through a website, then you will need to sign up with a web host. Web hosting companies offer the service you need to create and maintain a website. They offer the server that will serve your content and the connectivity that allows your site to be accessible by internet users. There are thousands of companies that can provide you with this type of service. What you have to do is perform the necessary reach to ensure you land a reliable service provider.
Site Design
Once you have registered a domain name and signed up with a web host, the next step is to create your website. For this step, you essentially have two choices: hire a professional web designer, or build the site yourself. Hiring a professional designer can be very expensive depending on the requirements of your website. And while creating a website can be difficult for someone with no experience, many tools exist to simply the process. There are a number of special programs that make it easy to create a website through a variety of templates and pre-built components.
Payment Method
If you plan to sell products or services from your website, then you will need to find a way to accept payments from your customers. In order to accomplish this, three key components are required: a shopping cart, merchant account and payment gateway. These components may be obtained separately or together in a bundled service. For example, PayPal is a service that can provide you with a shopping cart, merchant account and payment gateway, everything you need to accept and process payments in a secure, and efficient manner.
Promote Your Site
Once your site has been created and integrated with the necessary features, it’s time to promote it to drum up some business. There are many ways you can go about promoting your site, including online advertising, PPC campaigning, and search engine optimization. Everyone has their own preferred method, so it is up to you to find out what works best for your site. Just remember that site promotion is critical, because without traffic, your e-business can’t survive.
