How to Start an Online Business: 5 Steps to Success
More and more online businesses are cropping up every day. The internet is a great facilitator of business success – but, with so much competition, working out how to start an online business isn’t easy. Whether entrepreneurial spirit is something that naturally comes to you or not, it’s possible to generate success online. All you need is a bit of expert know-how. Luckily, we’ve broken down how to start an online business into five steps:
- Find a need
- Build an easy-to-use website (and regularly update)
- Drive traffic and use social media
- Ask for reviews and feedback
- Sort your postal needs
Online success is closer than you might imagine. It takes a bit of bravery to start your business journey, dedication to keep up your levels of motivation and a lot of commitment to your customers to maintain high standards. But, as you build success, you’ll be thankful for the moment you set up a new domain.
1. Find a need
The internet is a crowded place. 
Within a few clicks, consumers can find a huge choice of products and services. To be successful, it’s important your online business doesn’t just add to the clutter. It’s got to fulfil a need.
Once you’ve got an idea, do your research and find what competition is out there. Would your business offer something new and appealing? If not, it’s just going to get lost in the crowd and you’ll have a struggle on your hands trying to stand out to customers.
In a previous post, we discussed good online business ideas – check them out for some inspiration. But always make sure your idea offers something new. For example, there might be several businesses selling nail polishes online, but the one that specialises in gel varnishes and offers cheap delivery stands out. More often than not, customers are inundated with choice – a successful online business will make the choice easy for people.
2. Build an easy-to-use website (and regularly update)
Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a tech expert to set up a user-friendly website. Using well-known site builders – such as Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, and Jimdo – you can create a professional-looking website to lend credibility to your online business. You can only go so far with creativity on Facebook or eBay. With your own site, you’ll be able to build a brand image, offer products and add other web services – a blog, for example. You’ll have complete control over design and content.
With minimal technical knowledge and for a small cost, online site builders are the best way to quickly set up an online presence. They’ll help you register a unique domain for your website and choose templates for the design. It’s made easy to use with simple drag-and-drop interfaces.
You’ll even be able to add things like social-share buttons, photo galleries, blogs, and media players with a few clicks – rather than having to learn code. Unsurprisingly, it’s how a lot of websites are built nowadays. What’s more, most of them will automatically reformat your site for viewing on mobile devices.
Is it better to set up my own website, rather than use eBay, Etsy or Facebook to sell products?
Selling stuff on eBay, Etsy or Facebook is best described as a practical go-between for you and your customers. It’s possible to make money by selling goods on eBay, but it’s not for everyone. Some people prefer to directly connect with their own website – it’s completely up to you.
The benefits of setting up your own website include greater control over the layout and design allowing you to build a brand. But sites like eBay and Etsy are straightforward and easy-to-use. They also already have their own audiences.
Ultimately, it’s down to what you think will offer the best user experience for your customers. Different online businesses will lend themselves to either their own website, or eBay or Facebook – you’re not likely to buy tutoring services on eBay, for example.
3. Drive traffic and use social media
Next up, you need to grow your customer base. 
How successful would a brick-and-mortar store be without any visitors? Not very. That’s why you need to generate more traffic to your website – in other words, encourage more people to visit and check out what’s on offer.
Online search engines – like Google and Bing – rank websites on certain factors, including relevance and usefulness. The friendlier you make your website to their processes, the more likely you’ll appear higher up for key search terms. It’s known as search engine optimisation (SEO) and helps improve the organic (non-paid) traffic to your site.
If you’re new to SEO, you should read Moz’s beginners guide to learn about the fundamental strategies you can implement without needing to consult a professional. After all, Moz say, search engine traffic can make (or break) a business’s success. If you remember one thing, though, it should be to make pages primarily for users – not search engines.
You can also make your brand more personable by updating social media regularly. Bridge the gap between companies and consumers by posting things like offers and new products, as well as sharing important company news.
4. Ask for reviews and feedback
Customers are the lifeblood of any successful business. Getting their feedback is invaluable for the success of your online business. Set up profiles on multiple review sites, including:
- TrustLink and Trustpilot
- Google Local
- TripAdvisor
- Yelp
When a customer compliments you via email, on the phone, or even in person, ask them if they’d leave the same feedback in an online review. Most people appreciate how important reviews are, so will be happy to help.
To keep track of all reviews, you can set up daily notifications via email on Google Alerts and Social Mention for any applicable terms – brand mentions, your business name, and specific product names. If you’ve spotted a great one, ask if you can feature their comments on your own testimonials page. Even if you come across negative reviews, it’s essential to respond. It’s better potential customers see you care about fixing a problem, rather than it being ignored.
5. Sort your postal needs
How quickly and efficiently you deliver goods to your customers will form part of your online business’s reputation.Poorly wrapped parcels that have obviously been knocked about before being delivered a day late aren’t going to please any paying customer.
There’s a lot to think about – having the correct postage, booking and waiting for couriers, chasing lost parcels, obtaining any necessary proof of deliveries and so on. Doing it right can be time-consuming and expensive, when it would be more valuable and productive for you to spend time on building the brand and growing traffic.
You can make things easier for yourself by giving the task to Post and Packing. At competitive prices, we offer a wide range of postal and courier services including:
- All Royal Mail services
- E-shop drop
- PO box rentals
- Mail and order fulfilment
- Discounted parcel rates
- Storage and archiving
We take away the hassle, offer efficiency, enhance your company image and, thanks to economies of scale, can offer you savings on postal, packaging and courier services. Contact us today to give your online business peace of mind with a reliable postal service.
With these steps, online success is within your grasp.