Starting an online business

Outsourcing the design work for the site leaves you with more free time to look at the bigger picture and also gets the work done more professionally. Choose a company that offers affordable website design and creative website design as your site is the front face of your business and the point of contact between the products and the potential customer. Make sure that the website is designed to retain and convert.

Starting an online business can be a really simple uncomplicated process provided that certain thumb rules are kept in mind.

Business Plan
Before actually proceeding with a new website development it is important to lay down a business plan. Identify the market – whether you will be targeting a niche segment or a mass market.

Short listing areas that set you apart from your competitors helps in identifying areas of the site that will be focused upon. This would mean that a short review of competitor websites – their services, products and offerings would be required.

Once the target audience is finalized, it is a good idea to try and get to know a little about more about your potential customers. Use this information to build a site catered to your selected audience.

Knowing what sells online (you can check some competitor websites for this) gives more clarity in the deals and any other add ons that you would offer online.

An online business optimization strategy should also be worked into the overall business plan. This helps streamline the online promotional activities that would be carried out at the time of launching the site.

Domain Name
Hunting for a good domain name can be quite a daunting task as most related names are mostly taken. Keep in mind that a domain name should be short and memorable and easily typed.

Reliable web host
Before selecting a hosting provider some ground work to check - the support, uptime provided, availability of a backup system, provision of other web hosting features such as email features, scripting features etc., needs to be done. Other areas that should be addressed are storage space to store the files that make up your web site, the bandwidth allowed, Compatibility with any server-side software you use.

Website Design
Outsourcing the design work for the site leaves you with more free time to look at the bigger picture and also gets the work done more professionally. Your site is the front face of your business and the point of contact between the products and the potential customer. Make sure that the website is designed to retain and convert.

Ensuring that the site adheres to search engine friendly guidelines brings in the possibility of increased online traffic.

Merchant account
With a multi fold increase in online purchasing signing up for a secure merchant account makes it easier for the user to make a purchase. The aim of the site should be to make it as easy as possible for the potential buyer to make a purchase. Signing up and providing access to an easy payment option adds to the ease of use. Areas where merchant accounts can be compared are the fees associated, discounts, additional costs like transaction fee, monthly statement fees, gateway fees, annual membership fees, cancellation fees etc.

Site Security
When collecting sensitive information form customers, you need to make sure that the transaction is secure. This is achieved with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. SSL encrypts the connection so that a hacker cannot penetrate and steal the sensitive information. For sites dealing with sensitive data purchase an SSL certificate and make sure that the site is secure.

Manage and track statistics
Monitor real trends in traffic. Web analytics will help you understand user behavior and improve the performance of your site. Identifying pages that perform better helps focus on the necessary in order increase profits. Over a longer run - tracking traffic, results in increasing targeted web site traffic and improved search engine rankings.

Keeping some of these factors in mind helps in developing a well organized, easily navigable site geared for higher profits and better visibility.