3 Essential Tools to Starting an Online Business

Do you want to start an online business? Building an online business does not need to be hard. In fact, it can be relatively easy. But, do not confuse easy as meaning no work. It is easy to do, but it takes a lot of work. So, in this article I want to layout the three things you absolutely need if you want to start making money online. Without these three things, in my opinion it is virtually impossible to start an actual online business. No, I did not say that it is impossible to make money, but rather it is impossible to build an online business without these three things. So, let’s jump right into it.

Domain Name

A domain name is your presence on the Internet. It is like your business in the off-line world. If you do not have a building or a place to do business, you are not in business. The same holds true on the Internet. You need a presence. You need your own place to conduct business. So, a domain name is absolutely essential.

Hosting

Once you have your very own domain, you will need a place to host that domain. A hosting account is simply where you put your domain and all of the files so your website can be viewed online. Now, you can host your website from your own servers, but that will be very expensive and very difficult if you do not know what you are doing. So, I would suggest that you go out and find a good reliable hosting company. You can find great hosting companies for under 20 bucks a month. That will get you started. If you look at the cost involved in starting an online business compared to off-line business, you will see that this is a very minimal cost.

Payment Processor

Okay, now that you have your domain name and hosting, you will need to have a payment processor that will take payments for you. This is very easy to set up for most people. For some people it will be difficult, but for most it is fairly easy. For example, you can easily get a PayPal account. PayPal is one of the most known and respected payment processors online. Plus, it is free to set up an account. You are charged fees for your transactions, but it is free to set up.

As you can see, there are very few things you need to actually get up and going. There are some technical aspects of getting this all set up, but it is very easily overcame. For example you can outsource the entire setup of your websites. But, in all reality setting up an online business is much easier than setting up a traditional off-line business. So, if you have the right mindset there is no excuse for why you cannot start your own business online.

5 Useful Website Design Tips For Your Online Business Ideas

All online business ideas need a well designed website. It does not have to use award winning graphics, just some simple website design basics. If you have new business ideas, you need to be online. A well designed website allows you to compete alongside the big organisations because visitors to your website do not know if they’re dealing with a global company or a one-person operation.

1. Allow For Different Web Browsers.

The website for your online business ideas must be compatible with different web browsers and operating systems. Currently, the most popular website browsers are Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. If your prospective customers cannot view your website properly, they will move on to one of your competitors and not return to yours.

2. You Need A Responsive Website Design.

More people are researching, shopping and generally using the internet via mobiles and tablets. A responsive web design for your online business ideas means that your website provides an optimal viewing experience across a wide range of devices from mobiles, to tablets to desktop computer monitors.

3. Use Appropriate Content and Images.

The best online business will have both good content and relevant images on its website. Images have the ability to portray strong emotions and relevant pictures on your website will help to put forward your online business ideas. Take care that you do not put up any irrelevant and outdated pictures and that the file size is optimised for the web. High resolution pictures take too long to load and viewers will just close the page down.

4. Have Clear Navigation.

Your online business ideas may have the best looking website ever made, but if your website is complicated to navigate or does not function correctly, you will lose visitors very quickly. The main navigation options are usually in a horizontal bar along the top of the website. The secondary navigation options are generally underneath the main navigation bar or on the right or left side of the page.

5. Don’t Forget ‘The Fold’.

The area above ‘the fold’ (sometimes called ‘the scroll’) is the area of your website that is visible without scrolling. The information that you put above the fold should be the most beneficial aspect of your online business ideas for your customer. Your call to action should be located in the upper section of your website, along with your contact button.

Make the best effort to design your website with your customer in mind. Take care of your website users and continually aim to satisfy his or her needs in your website design. Remember, it is your website visitors that will determine if your internet business ideas will be successful or not.