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      eCommerce: Start to Finish

      Web Development, SEO, Traffic & Conversion

      by

      Liv Montgomery

      The eCommerce Gal

      Website Development Tools

      Building the Perfect Online Money Machine

      There are plenty of reasons to start an online business. You may want to join the ranks of successful eCommerce entrepreneurs because you want to escape a grueling rush hour and the toil or even the mind games of the workaday world. Maybe you’re drawn to the idea of creating an online business because of the promise of prosperity and the low start up costs. Maybe you’re forward thinking, and you recognize the trend toward interconnected worldwide business. Perhaps you already have a brick and mortar business, and you want to fulfill your customers’ expectations by providing information, products and services online.

      What was appealing about the Internet lifestyle in the beginning has been transformed as the concept of online business ownership has become more popular, or even mainstream. Once the image of the online marketer was associated the techno geek, typically a young pasty-faced guy who stayed up all night writing code, putting out flames on forums, or giggling maniacally into his webcam like a modern day mad scientist. Not pretty.

      While this notion that you had to be a techno geek to build a website wasn’t far off the mark some 10 or 12 years ago, these days the picture of the online marketer is a little closer to the everyday world of mom and pop shops, stay-at-home moms, retirees looking to boost their pension checks, or high school kids who’d rather make their spending money online than delivering pizza.

      All of these are compelling reasons to hang up your virtual shingle in the digital realm. But I’ve got to tell you, while they’re the result of intelligent self-interest, in and of themselves, they mean very little to Google and the major search engines. The reality is that while your own reasons for creating a website are valuable inasmuch as they’ll keep you going when the going gets tough, the world online is truly the great equalizer.

      Why Be In Business?

      The biggest reason to be in business is to bring value to the marketplace. You can only do this by being of service to the people you would like to call your customers. If you provide enough value, you can set yourself free financially. It’s very democratic. The power in having a website is that if you keep the focus on the parameters that count, you have a 100% equal opportunity to achieve online business success. The key factor that counts online is whether or not you’re providing enough value to your prospects and customers. Your website is like the setting for the jewel that is your core offering.

      Whether you intend to focus your promotional efforts on email marketing, directory submission, social networking or article marketing, every one of these methods is, in some way, subject to the rules of online engagement - chiefly, where your site comes up on the Search Engine Results Page. You can only achieve top ranking by offering value in an intelligent, relevant way. You can only achieve long term success by serving others. eCommerce can be a very humbling endeavor, and you must keep the spirit of service alive in your business at every moment. Provide useful, relevant content on an optimized page; Offer products that solve problems; and develop lasting connections with people; and you’ll find success in eCommerce.

      Having a website means you have a unique opportunity to make an income online that, once set up and properly promoted, requires very little maintenance. An eCommerce site that is virtually hands free is often referred to as a money machine. This kind of solution is one that a lot of online marketers dream about, and it’s often the reason they become involved in eCommerce in the first place.

      But all too often, the stumbling blocks along the way can lead to a whole lot of discouragement, or even abandonment of their online real estate. The learning curve to create a quality website can be pretty steep, and shortcuts in technology get pricey in a hurry if you’re not careful. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way.

      Gone are the days when developing a website involved coding HTML by hand. You don’t need a degree in computer science or graphic design to use the latest web development tools. In fact, the tools that are available today level the playing field. There are plenty of solutions for creating a website that looks good, is easy for your visitors to use, and is optimized for traffic. These days, websites have become a necessity for almost everyone. Companies, organizations, individuals, even very young folks have created websites that fill a need online. Whether your motive is profit or entertainment, in the next half hour you’ll find some great insider tips for building that perfect online money machine.

      In this chapter we’ll be taking a look at steps to Creating an Online Business. We’ll take a comprehensive look at the parts of the eCommerce marketing machine that work together most effectively. You may be tempted to use others, and it’s a good idea to stay informed about new methods and trends. But be careful not to scrap your initial marketing strategy. Give it a chance to work. Stay focused on your goals, and make refinements to your existing plan. In most cases, small changes can mean big results. Whether you already have an established professional service or storefront, you’re looking to make a little extra money with an online business, or you’d like to set yourself free financially, the steps to building an eCommerce business are the same. Let’s take a look at them now.

      Preparing For Online Business Success

      Before we dive into the technology and talk about creating a website, you’ll need to consider the factors involved in any successful online venture - things like market research, the cost of design, development and maintenance. You’ll also want to consider your technology’s ease of use for your customer, which web host to use and logistical issues. These factors will either bore you to tears or thrill you to the marrow. The fact is, this is the foundation of your business and it will dictate your technology needs when you build your website. Get these things right, and the rest will flow almost of its own accord. The beauty of eCommerce is that all of these factors can be addressed for minimal cost, and in most cases, there’s a perfectly viable free solution. You simply don’t have to spend a bundle to get started online.

      Now, your first step is to do a little market analysis and determine whether or not there’s a demand for your idea. Choose a niche and specialize in it. If you’re stuck for ideas, pick up a few magazines and thumb through them. Take a good look at what’s featured on the cover, in the table of contents, and especially the ads in the back of the magazine. This gives you a good indication of what people are interested in and what they’re buying. Also check Dummies.com. If there’s a Dummies book on the topic, you can bet there’s a market for it.

      Take a look at what’s trending now on Yahoo, MSN, Google, Amazon and eBay. Each of these sites tells you right up front what’s popular now. Pick a niche that will be relevant a few years from now as well, something evergreen like pets, relationships, health or finance.

      Once you’ve chosen your niche, create a written business summary, including your overall business goals, how you expect to achieve them and the timeline for reaching those goals. Don’t trust your brain to carry this stuff around for you. Take the time to put your plan in writing. You’d be amazed by how many savvy business people don’t do this. Once you’ve gotten where you want to go, what’s your exit strategy? It pays to think this through before you ever get started. By the way, there are website valuation tools available online, such as Cubestat.com. Make use of these free tools periodically to keep current with your site’s estimated market value.

      Next, you’re ready to choose or create a product and identify your main source of revenue. You’ll definitely want to create your own product, and join a few affiliate programs as well. The most solid affiliate programs include ClickBank, Commission Junction, PayDotCom, TradeDoubler and LinkShare. Also, both Amazon and eBay have their own affiliate programs. This will be more than enough to keep you busy.

      Once you’ve got your niche and a few products to sell, now you’re ready to find a good name. Choose one that’s easy to remember and spell. But don’t just shoot from the hip on this. Do your keyword research, and find high search/low competition keywords. Use them in your domain name, title tags,

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