Small businesses can manage their e-commerce websites and sell products just as large corporations do. Learn how to start and run an online business, from building a website to finding customers.
Why e-commerce?
Before we start, let’s first consider some of the benefits of starting and managing an e-commerce business:
1. You can reach a huge audience all over the world who may not have had access to your products before.
2. E-commerce businesses typically cost less than traditional brick and mortar stores.
3. Your customers can purchase something online at any time of day or night from their home or office computer with just a click of the mouse – no need for them to even get dressed!
4. The internet is constantly expanding with new potential customers, making it easier than ever before to grow your customer base quickly and easily using email marketing and social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook which can keep you up to date on customer
feedback
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5. Since websites are relatively inexpensive to build and maintain, you can now create your own website for your business at a fraction of the cost of opening a traditional storefront or brick-and-mortar store.
6. E-commerce businesses allow you to test the success of a product before going through with large investments in inventory and production costs, which is why it’s important for small businesses to enter this growing market.
7. Selling products online allows you to provide more selection than what would be available in a physical storefront that would have limited shelf space compared to an e-commerce website allowing customers from around the world 24-hour access to whatever it is they’re looking for.
8. You have less overhead than you would with a brick-and-mortar store.
What is a good niche for an online business?
Niche businesses are perfect for e-commerce because they often sell products that can be easily shipped and don’t require the customer to come into a physical store.
For example, an online business that specializes in selling tools or equipment would have a much easier time shipping products than, say, a bakery that would need to worry about the freshness of their goods.
If you’re having trouble deciding on a niche, consider looking online for forums and discussion boards where people post about their interests and needs. This can give you some great ideas for products to sell.
Once you’ve decided on a niche it’s important to do some research on what type of products you should be selling. It’s also essential to know your competition and what they’re offering.
Remember that while some businesses are looking to sell products in your niche, there can be many opportunities for you to stand out from the competition by providing superior service and support.
Are you ready to get started?
Great! Let’s get started with building your website.
We’ll begin with how to choose a domain name, hosting accounts, and plan your overall site design.
If you already have a business but lack an e-commerce platform, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered on that too!
At the end of this guide, I will discuss some important points on search engine optimization (SEO) which is vital to any successful online business – after all, what good is having a great website if no one’s ever going to find it?
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the web address for your website, so think of this as something similar to a street address. If you are setting up an online business you will need to have a domain.
There are different kinds of domain names that can be purchased through different companies called registrars.
To give you some examples, there are .com domains which are what most people use, .net which has been used by larger corporations in the past, but now seems to mainly be used by medium-sized businesses and bloggers who want to present themselves as more professional, and recently there’s also been the option for new customers to purchase .co domains where ‘dot-co i.e. ‘co’ refers to the country of Columbia.
There are also international domains that can be purchased through third-party websites such as GoDaddy which will allow you to purchase .ca for Canadian customers, .cn for Chinese, or maybe even something like .tv if you plan on streaming video content on your website.
You can purchase a domain through a registrar such as Namecheap and pay a yearly fee from usually around $10-$15.
Once you’ve been approved to use their service they will give you access to an interface where you’ll be able to make changes in advance before going live with yours.
When choosing a domain name it’s important to keep a few things in mind:
- -The domain should be easy to remember and spell
- -It should reflect the type of business you are running
- -Avoid using numbers or special characters in your domain name as these can be difficult for customers to remember
- -Be sure to check to see if the domain name you choose is available through one of the many registrars out there.
How do I find a hosting account?
Once you’ve registered your chosen domain, you’ll need to find a web hosting company that will store your website files on their servers.
This may sound daunting, but don’t worry – there are many cheap hosting companies out there who want to make it easy for you set up shop online.
Once again, hosting companies will sign you up for an account and give you access to a control panel where you can make changes in advance before going live with your website.
The two most popular and reliable web hosts are blue hosts and site ground.
Tools needed to build your online store?
Now that you have a domain name and hosting account, you’ll need to set up some tools in order to start building your ecommerce store.
The first thing you’ll need is a content management system (CMS) which will allow you to easily make changes to the content on your website without having to learn coding or programming.
The most popular CMS’s are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. You can find free themes and templates for all of these platforms online, and many of them are specifically designed for businesses who want to sell products online.
If you’re not familiar with any of these CMS’s don’t worry – we’ll be discussing each of them in more detail later on in this guide. Additionally, you’ll need an SSL certificate in order to keep your customers’ information safe and secure while they’re browsing through your store.
Now that you have a website and some tools in place, it’s time to start designing your store!
In the next section, we’ll be discussing the different types of e-commerce stores that are available and help you decide which type is best for your business.
Creating your brand and planning your marketing strategy!
The next step is to create your brand and plan your marketing strategy.
If you don’t have a business already, this might seem like an overwhelming step – but it’s really quite simple to come up with a unique brand name that conveys the message of your business to potential customers.
For example, if you’re selling dog food for small breeds, try coming up with a name that will appeal to these demographics such as ‘Snuggles n Bits’ or maybe even something along the lines of ‘Small Breed Delights’.
Once you’ve got your unique brand name it’s time to think about what kind of logo you want to use which will be featured on every page of your website.
It’s important not to copy somebody else’s logo because this can get very confusing for customers and may even lead to trademark infringement.
After you’ve got your logo and branding ironed out, it’s time to start thinking about your marketing strategy. This will vary depending on what type of business you have, but a few basic things to keep in mind are:
- – Setting up a social media profile for your business and regularly sharing content with your followers
- – Creating a website or blog where you can share information about your products or services
- – Running ads online or in print publications that target your ideal customer
- – Sending out email newsletters with special offers or discounts to past and present customers
The options for marketing your eCommerce store are virtually endless, so take the time to think about which marketing strategies are best suited to your business.
Now that you know what type of store you want to create, what tools will be required, and how much it’s all going to cost – let’s take a look at the different types of online stores available!
Setting up SEO for your eCommerce store
If you want your e-commerce store to be successful, it’s important to make sure that it’s visible online.
This means optimizing your website for search engines so that potential customers can easily find you when they’re searching for the products or services you offer.
The best way to do this is by setting up SEO (search engine optimization) for your website.
This involves using keywords and phrases in your content that are relevant to your business and optimizing your website’s structure and design for maximum visibility. You can also run ads on Google or other search engines that will help drive traffic to your store.
You can ensure that as many potential customers will see your e-commerce store as possible by following these tips!
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