There is a common misconception that running an online business is like sitting on the beach, sipping martinis, and perhaps maybe checking your bloated PayPal account for three minutes a day. If that were the case, then not a person on the planet would ever do anything else. Running an online business can be quite liberating from the everyday grind, but it is still quite a task. However, once you get everything up and running, that’s when the fun begins. So, what are the 8 steps to getting your online business off the ground?

Do Your Homework

That’s correct, you are still going to have to do your homework. In fact, the difference between a job and a business is risk. That is one reason why you have to know exactly what you’re doing before you do it.

Get To Know Your Future Customers

Your future customers are going to have a certain style, a niche. So, it is important that you get to know them, because you are going to use that knowledge to rope them in, and come up with the next step.

Come Up With the Domain Name

Your domain name is your brand. If your domain name doesn’t make sense, then your brand will be confusing, and you are likely to lose potential customers. Your domain name needs to describe what you sell and what you can do.

Website Design

Your website design is crucial for the simple fact that if it is difficult to navigate, or people don’t understand what it is about; then visitors won’t stick around. Statistics say that if you don’t catch a person within 7 seconds, you will lose them forever. Determine if you want to create it yourself or hire a pro.

Web Hosting

This step is actually rather simple. You just need to choose a hosting service with great customer service, an affordable price plan, the options you need (and the power to save money on options that you don’t), and enough space to get the job done.

Content Creation

This part is rather simple, as you are likely to be able to fill up the website with information about your business rather quickly. If you are not proficient with writing, then feel free to also hire a pro.

Marketing Strategy

It is important to figure out how you are going to get customers. So, you need to determine how you want to advertise and keep track of where your clicks came from.

Sales Strategy

This is the part where you have fun watching your sales numbers and profits roll in. Of course, in this way, you need to come up with a solid system of payment, orders, shipping, etc.