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8 Key Factors that are essential for a Solid Internet Business
by Mark Bellinger
Published on this site: September 9th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
There are a number of ingredients that go into making and
growing a successful internet business, but the most important
is action.
As an entrepreneur you will understand that time is against
you and that with each passing day your competitors are taking
your potential customers and profits.
However, to make money on the internet you need to know the
fundamental requirements to establish a solid online presence
from which you can grow a profit pulling business…
- A Strategy
Without establishing a strategy and business plan your business
will wander around aimlessly without achieving mush at all.
It is vital that your plan is reduced to writing to ensure
that it is structured and well thought out.
- Funding
Whilst the beauty about starting an internet business is
that the start up capital requirement is significantly less
than other businesses, it is still wise to ensure that you
have the funding to keep the business afloat for at least
6 months.
This would mean having the cash flow to provide for the
following expenditure;
a. Web hosting
b. Web design
c. Software
d. Hardware
e. Office Rental, lights & water
f. Telephone
g. Accounting fees
h. Advertising
i. Manufacturing of product (if required)
j. Training courses
- Domain Name
For your internet business you must register at least one
memorable domain name, i.e. not a freebie which will hurt
your search engine rankings and your credibility.
It is important spending some time researching keyword relevancy
when choosing your domain name as this can have a beneficial
effect as to how well your site ranks on some search engines.
- Web Hosting
Ensure that your web host supplies you with the appropriate
amount of disk space for your site and bandwidth allowance
for your traffic.
For cost effectiveness you can start off with a small shared
plan and upgrade as required.
Eventually you may require a dedicated server to cater for
your internet traffic load.
- Products and/or Services
If you can, choose products and services that you already
have an interest in and you are knowledgeable about.
This will encourage you to remain focused, driven and motivated
in promoting your business as well as being an authority
in your chosen
field.
- Website Design
The perception a site visitor has of your business will
be determined by the design of your site.
This means that regardless of how great your services and
products are, the site visitor will not get to find out,
let alone buy anything, if your site is shabbily designed
and portrays a poor image.
A good idea would be to ensure that the purchasing, sign-up
and newsletter processes are all automated.
- Website Traffic
A great business concept and website will not do much for
your bottom line unless you have visitors flocking to your
site.
Traffic is essential and traffic generation is a huge topic
on its own although you need to pay special attention to…
a. Optimizing your website in the design phase
b. Ongoing website optimization
c. Link building – getting inbound links
d. Submit your site to the major search engines
e. Submit your site to relevant directories
f. Advertising
g. Newsletters
h. Distributing free content
- Motivation
Your high tech site is up but nothing is happening!
This is the time when your drive and motivation is seriously
put to the test.
It is even more difficult when you are working on your own
with nobody to commiserate and strategize with.
However, if your business plan was detailed and thorough,
keep on referring to it and it will guide you through the
hard times.
Finally, always remember what motivated and drove you in
the beginning and rekindle that inspiration.
Mark Bellinger is a successful businessman and creator
of the following websites:
http://www.income.za.net
http://www.internetbusiness.co.za
http://www.onlinesynergy.za.net
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