If you are just beginning to think about how to start an Internet business, I shall suggest a few ideas for further exploration prior to writing your business plan. These will point you in the right direction, help you understand the unique jargon of Internet marketing and allow you to build a business that can grow over time.
While it doesn’t really matter what order you obtain these, here are the three that I consider absolutely necessary to all beginning e-entrepreneurs:
You should try to locate a free course on Internet business. Stay away from any that promise some secret or magic formula to instant riches. There is no such magic bullet. You need to learn how to put together a real business, built on sound principles.
Get a Google account by going to the Google home page (google.com). You will see a few blue links. Select the link that says, “Business Solutions.” I suggest taking a few hours, or however long it takes you, to nose around the various options. Many are free. Here are the particular solutions that I use on an almost weekly basis, although you may find others that are equally applicable to your new business.
– AdWords (the advertising platform for Google’s pay-per-click program)
– Analytics, which provides statistics for all of your major website metrics–free
– Checkout (a payment processing system)
– Website Optimizer (tests your content on your website)–free
– Google Site Search (allows your users to find relevant content on your websites)–free
I also use additional services from Google that are available to any Internet user, such as Google Docs and the Google (RSS) Reader (both free). Signing up for any of the services will provide you with a Google account that is valid for all their services.
If you are able to find one, get a hyperlinked list of necessary resources. One website has such a list of resources useful for online businesses available in a pdf format for easy access and use. It includes a number of highly useful free resources as well as many that have costs associated with them.
If you follow these suggestions, you will greatly improve the chances for your long term business success. It is very important to get off to a solid start.
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