If you’re thinking of starting a business, the internet is a vast sea of customers waiting for you to take a dive. Unfortunately, launching an online store from scratch is never easy. Of course, you could get someone to build the site for you, but then comes the issue of marketing and getting some customers.
Nevertheless, the tips below can help you establish a viable online platform for your business.
- Find a good website designer
Your web developer will determine how quickly you launch your site, and how professional it’ll look. To ensure you pick out the best in the business, seek recommendations from other site owners and conduct substantial vetting. Do not go with a designer, simply because they’re the cheapest you can find. Instead, focus the expertise and experience they have.
A good developer will not only know the best way to implement your vision onto the site but can also help with new ideas and useful advice.
- Start your SEO campaign early
Building a site takes a lot of work, but nothing is as frustrating as having a well-functional site and no visitors. It is, therefore, advisable to kick off your SEO strategy at least a few months before actually launching the site. While your web developer is designing your website, make yourself busy by doing some research on generating site traffic and creating SEO friendly content.
- A payment gateway is a must-have
Your e-commerce website should be able to directly accept payments made by clients through credit and debit cards, and for that, you will need a card processor and a payment gateway.
Getting a payment processor for your business is not going to be easy, especially because many companies choose to avoid the risks associated with online trading. To save time, therefore, start with a renowned specialist like eMerchantBroker. This will increase your chances of approval.
- Active marketing
Even when your account is live, you’ll need a dynamic and progressive marketing strategy. A good plan is to employ PR tools such as Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and PitchBox, as well as social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
You can also reach out to similar but more established sites to advertise through guest posts. Unlike direct ads, guest posts are typically free marketing tools, where the host site benefits from more content while helping to get your name out there.