Why Do So Many Internet Startups Fail Today?

Everyday out there in the real brick and mortar world, millions and millions of people drag themselves from the warm, warm beds, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee, and head off to their jobs as they are thinking that there has got to be an easier way to make a living.

Every one of those millions and millions of people knows somebody who has quit the ‘get-up-and-go-to-work’ grind and is making a very good living by working on their personal computers from the comfort of their own homes. Working from home sounds like an ideal solution to them. Many of these dissatisfied souls will quit their jobs and plunge head-first into internet marketing with no preparation, no knowledge of what they are doing, no education, and no hope of success. failure is their only option and they don’t even suspect. The fact is that according to many sources, more than 90% (Ninety percent) of all Internet business start-ups end in failure within the first 120 (one hundred twenty) days. Yes, you read that right. NINETY PERCENT!

This failure rate should be a warning to those who are considering trying their hand at making a go of working on the Internet rather than at a job in the brick and mortar world. Of course, success is possible. There IS that other 10% (ten percent) that do succeed. The thing is success doesn’t happen by accident. And success isn’t just a crap shoot. Success happens because of some very important factors.

Success happens because people have the right ideas about internet marketing and how it works. They do not expect to get rich quick or be able to make a killing over night and retire to a tropical isle. It is strange but some how the same people who wouldn’t dream of starting a real

world business, think they can make a go of an internet business even though they have no business background. People will go into an internet business with the idea that they no longer have to get up and go to work. They think they can simply work when the feel like it and

still make a good living. They simply do not expect to have to work hard or work long hours.

Wrong Perceptions about the Internet The 90% failure rate of new Internet businesses really isn’t all that surprising when you stop to think about the people who are starting internet businesses.

For some unknown reason most people think that running a successful internet business is as easy as getting a website built and hanging out an ‘open for business’ sign. They couldn’t be more wrong. Running a successful internet business of any kind requires self-discipline. People will start an internet business and think that they can party all night, sleep until noon and then make a living in 3 or 4 hours sitting in front of a computer. They some how think that the world is just going to line up on their website and hand over money. It isn’t going to happen. Internet businesses do not run on auto-pilot. It is true that well established internet marketing gurus do not have to put in long, tedious hours on their businesses but it is a privilege that that has been earned by putting in a lot of long and tedious hours. It didn’t happen overnight for them and it won’t happen over night for anybody. Most people are totally unprepared for the time investment that must be made in order for an internet business to become successful.

No Business Background

All businesses have two things in common. They are BUSINESSES and they must be run like businesses! The people who are in charge of a business need to understand the accepted practices of business. They need to understand simple and basic ideas like acceptable over-head

expenses in relation to projected income. Internet entrepreneurs need to understand profit and loss and what constitutes each. A college degree in business in not essential for an internet business entrepreneur go be successful but it sure wouldn’t hurt. Just some basic business knowledge is absolutely vital. if you have a hard time balancing your personal check book, you probably should keep your day job and forget about starting an internet business. It is true that you can hire accounting firms that will tell you WHEN you must make tax deposits, for example, but these firms will not be able to tell you IF you need to make them. Accounting firms can tell you whether or not you made a profit but not how to make it. If you have no business background you need to, at the very minimum,get some good business advice before you even consider opening an online business.

The fact is that all successful businesses operate on sound business principles. Successful businesses aren’t accidents. The proof is in the numbers....only 10% of new internet businesses are successful or are even still in existence after the first 120 days of operation. It is not even reasonable to expect to make a profit from a new business enterprise for many, many months.

You must have sufficient resources available to not only launch your business but provide for your own personal needs for an extended period of time. It’s called ‘capital’ and there is no way around the need for enough of it.

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HELPFUL TIPS & TRICKS

PERMISSION-BASED MARKETING
You have to make sure that your marketing messages are wanted. It’s not just good business practice; it’s also the law. Make it clear when customers sign up with you that you’ll be e-mailing them, and give them an opportunity to opt out of hearing from you. Confirm by e-mail that they want to be on your list. It can also be helpful to let them know approximately how often you’ll be sending them messages. Will it be monthly, weekly or whenever you update your product line? Offering a special discount or coupon for signing up can be a good incentive. A straightforward privacy policy and easy opt-out option will help you stay on the good side of both your customers and the law.
E-MAIL MARKETING
Plain-text e-mails don’t cut it anymore—you need to spice up your e-mail marketing messages in both appearance and content. You don’t need to go overboard with a lengthy missive, but consider adding short articles with interesting content related to what your business does. A “tip of the month” or “discount of the week” can be a great reason to send regular e-mails that your readers won’t just toss into the trash. Give your e-mails a professional appearance by building them with HTML. There are many customizable templates that provide a simple way to build HTML e-mails. E-mail marketing services can help you design attractive e-mails, or you can turn to your handy web designer for help in creating a template. Make sure your subject line is to the point and still compelling enough to entice customers to open it up. For example, “Summer Sale Starts Today!” is more likely to get opened than “Deals, Deals, Deals!” Finally, double-check your e-mails for spelling and grammar mistakes. Misspelled words can be a big turnoff for customers who expect professionalism.
DESIGN FOR ALL
There’s a wide world of web browsers out there for the World Wide Web. Your site should look good no matter what browser your visitors use to access it. You don’t have to try every single web browser available, but do be sure that your site works correctly and looks consistent in Internet Explorer and Firefox at the very least. If you find a problem, tweak your site to make it readable across most popular browsers.
GET LINKED UP
Start by making your site so great that it attracts linkers. Getting other relevant sites to link toyours is important to organic search marketing. It can take a while to build your links up, so be prepared to take it on as an ongoing project. Link trading with relevant (but not competing) businesses is a great first step. If your products compliment someone else’s offerings and vice versa, they could be a good candidate for a link trade.
Approach your potential link partners with an e-mail written specifically for them. Tell them why you should become link buddies, and always offer to link back to them in exchange. Follow up a few weeks later if you need to. Once you’ve agreed to exchange links, list them promptly. Give them some time, but do check up to see if they’ve listed you as well. If you maintain a links page, organize it into sections or subjects so you don’t end up with a long,hard-to-browse page full of links. Keep an eye out as you’re searching the web for strong link exchange candidates. Many other sites will be happy to help you out with this mutually beneficial linking relationship.
KEY KEYWORDS
Choosing the right keywords and phrases can make or break your search engine marketingcampaign. Sometimes a little creative thinking can be a big boost. Don’t be afraid to try very specific search terms. Think “organic cotton blue jeans” rather than just “jeans.” You’ll bemore likely to show up in the search results for ready-to-purchase customers that are looking for specific items. Bring in employees, friends or family members to help brainstorm keywords and keyword combinations. They may be able to generate unusual and useful ideas. Fortunately, search engine advertising is cost-effective enough that you can have the luxury of trying a lot of different keywords to discover which ones really work. Experiment and refine. Reevaluate yourchosen keywords every few weeks. Follow that pattern and you’ll be able to put your money behind the keywords that are most effective.
BLOGGING 101
Blogging can be a powerful tool for keeping customers up-to-date and for bringing web visitors back to your site again and again. Blogging can help you establish a dialogue with your customers and let you share your expertise and insight. There are many blog services online that can help you get started and walk you through the process. It’s a lot easier than you might think. Three popular choices are Windows Live Spaces ,Blogger
and Vox. Blogging is all about timeliness. Regular updates are a must to keep things fresh. They don’t have to be long entries, but interesting and relevant bits of information or news about what’s happening with your business and website are always welcome and recommended. Blogs can be both entertaining and informative. For example, if you recently attended a trade show for your industry, your blog readers might like to hear about what you found to be the hottest new products or what items you’re planning to carry in your online store. It’s free to get started with a blog, so give it a try. Selengkapnya...

DON’T YOU DARE!

NOW THAT YOU KNOW the crucial things you can (and should) do to improve and transform your website, you may think you’re all set to go. But hold on a inute—our guess is there are some things that you’re doing now or that your riends and colleagues are advising you to do that are, well, wrong. So before ou go any further, check out these nine things that you should absolutely ever do.
DON’T:
#1 Put too much personalization on the homepage.
Though you certainly want to create a personal experience and establish a relationship with your site visitors, having a picture of yourself on the homepage may be distracting and create the impression that your site is more amateur than professional. The point of your site is to offer solutions and benefits to users—it’s about them, not about you. As we said earlier, there is an appropriate place for more personalized information—the “About Us” page.
#2 Be too flashy.
It’s simple, actually: Simplicity pays. You don’t want to overwhelm visitors (especially on your homepage) with fancy or poorly produced Flash presentations, tons of irrelevant pictures, or needless audio or video. Net users are impatient; they hate sitting around waiting for a site to load. So while you think your bells and whistles will win you accolades for creativity, if they’re overdone, they are in fact stopping many potential visitors from ever getting to your homepage. And yes, we know more people are using broadband services, but that’s still no excuse for you to overload your site.
#3 Create option overload.
Again, remember to keep it simple. Your site structure shouldn’t offer an overwhelming choice of places to go. That just confuses people and distracts them from your primary message. Think about what you want them to do once they get to your site. If they can’t decide where to click, they’ll just leave. Give visitors up to five navigational choices for going deeper into your site. This is not to say you can’t have supporting pages augmenting your basic information. But allow your visitors to dig deeper without cluttering up your pages, making them confusing and slow to load. Using a “Learn More” link to lead them to the supporting pages can be effective and help reduce page clutter.
DON’T:
#4 Neglect to fill security gaps.
You need to be as vigilant about checking your site for security and privacy violations as hackers and spammers are when they’re searching for sites to break into. Start with a reputable web hosting company, and double-check that they have security measures in place to protect your and your customers’ data (assuming, of course, that you maintain this data on your site or within your intranet). If you keep sensitive information about your business practices, strategic partners, customers or clients, and vendors and suppliers anywhere online, then hire an expert to check out your site to make sure everything is properly secured.
#5 Include obtrusive advertising.
Online advertising has been going through a bit of a revival. You may want to join in by adding advertising to your site. That’s OK, as long as you keep it relatively low-profile. That means no annoying pop-ups. Also, don’t clutter your pages with ads all over the place. Flashing, blinking, bouncing ads will send your web visitors running. Pick one compact area on each page to run your ads. Also make sure the ads you run are relevant to your customers and your business. Inappropriate ads (selling Viagra if you’re an accountant, for example) are distracting and can damage your credibility.
#6 Use jargon.
Unless you’re running a site for a specific industry or catering to a very narrow target audience, don’t use industry lingo. Some people think talking in techno-speak or using lots of industry jargon makes them seem like they have the inside scoop. Instead, it just turns off potential customers. They might be afraid to do business with you for fear they’ll never understand you. Remember, the point of your website is to tell people what you do and convince them to do business with you. Always speak appropriately to your audience. In some cases, this means taking a conversational tone; in others, you will need to sound more formal.
DON’T:
#7 Forget to keep it real.
Your website is not an ad. Yes, it’s your site, but as we said in Tip #1, it’s not all about you. You should use testimonials and promote your press coverage, but there’s a fine line between informing and boasting. Don’t cross it.
#8 Chatter too much.
Online chats that aren’t moderated are a recipe for disaster. There’s too much that can possibly go wrong, and the potential payoff isn’t worth it. If you want to have a more interactive relationship with your site’s visitors, try starting a company blog instead. Blogs are easier to control than chats. If you want to offer visitors a way to instantly get in touch, you might consider sharing your IM screen name. Another way to help cultivate relationships and build credibility with prospective customers or cement those with existing clients is to offer webinars.
#9 Leave bad links and outdated material posted.
Just because you’ve launched your website doesn’t mean the hard work is over. You don’t want to create a negative impression of your site or your business by having broken links, outdated information or irrelevant content. Check your site regularly and make the appropriate You obviously want your site to be unique, and not every rule applies without exception to every business. With certain businesses, your website might be enhanced if your picture was on the homepage. You might need to use lots of audio or other advanced applications to appeal to your users. Always consider the type of business you’re running, who your target audience is, what your competitors are doing and what your industry standards are. Remember, you’re trying to build lasting customer relationships.


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CALL IN THE PROS

LET’S BE HONEST:
not everyone is cut out to spend hours programming or shuffling templates to build their own website. So how do you know when you should hire a pro? It’s all about the value of your time and the desired quality of your website. If you can put yourself to better use by playing to your strengths and attending to other aspects of your business, hiring a professional web designer is a good investment. You might have the time to build a website but lack the skill. It’s often worthwhile to have an expert create a unique and professional look. Web designers know what fonts, font sizes, icons and graphics to use. Good designers know the right amount of content to use to get results. Web designers can help you take your site to the next level. Don’t be tempted to go with an inexpensive amateur or a friend of a friend who dabblesin web building. You need
someone who specializes in making clean,secure, well-designed business websites. This is the face you’re showing the world, and it needs to be professional. It’s easier to do it the right way from the start than to fix a messy site later on. After all, you may only get one chance to impress a prospect.
FIND A DESIGNER
With thousands upon thousands of potential web designers vying for your business, finding the right one may seem a little daunting. You might want to look locally if you absolutely need to visit with your designer in person. Otherwise, the nature of the web gives you access to a lot of great designers around the world. If you’re comfortable working with a designer over the phone and by e-mail, you’ll open up your options considerably. Whether you search locally or look beyond your town, referrals are a great place to start your web designer search. Talk to other business owners about their experiences with their web designers. What did they like about them? Were they easy to work with? Was thesite completed in a timely manner? As you narrow down potential candidates, take a look at the websites they’ve built. Check to see if they all look alike or if they’re tailored to eachbusiness. Delve beyond the homepage to see how the sites are structured, if the navigation is simple and if the look is consistent. Then interview them, and ask about their experience designing business sites. See “Meet Your Match” at right for a checklist to help you choose the right designer.
MEET YOUR MATCH
■What’s the rush? Finding the right web designer is like finding the perfect architect to
build an office building. Do your homework; check out sites you like and find out who designed them. Then narrow your decision down to a few, and thoroughly check out their work. Don’t limit your search to where you live.
■Show ‘em. Before you talk to a designer, surf the web and print out what you like and what you don’t. Be clear about what you want. Saying “I want a cool site” isn’t good enough.
■Get it in writing. Before you sign a contract with the designer you choose, make sure you have already registered the domain name in your own or your company’s name. The contract should state that you have the perpetual and irrevocable rights to the material: to use it on your site and to reproduce, disseminate and change it. After you sign the contract, take notes during meetings with your designer so you can keep track of what’s going on.
■Spell it out. Determine who is responsible for what. What do you expect from the designer, and when will it be delivered? What will you be responsible for? Don’t pay upfront. Instead, pay when predetermined goals are met.
■Try it out. Before your site goes live, your designer should create a “shadow site” so you can test it. And don’t give the OK until you’re sure that it’s ready to roll out. Remember, first impressions count with prospective customers.
■Get access. Make sure you’ll be able to make your own changes to your site after it launches without having to go back to the designer or your hosting company
KEEPING CURRENT
Once you’ve created your site, it’s crucial to keep it updated, whether it’s with a calendar,
coupons, contact information or company news. Many web designers and hosting companies will let you handle your own minor updates using a web interface. Or if you use Microsoft Office Live, your designer can use their tools to create your site, which then allows you to make minor changes while preserving the unique design your web pro created for you. This can save you lots of money and help you keep your site updated without having to wait for the web designer to do it. Be sure to ask how updates will be handled before you hire your designer. It’s smart to hire a web designer who will stick with you as your business grows. Your website should mature and change along with your company. A good web designer will be able to expand your site as needed and suggest helpful new tools or technologies. Do your homework before you hire, and you’ll be getting not just a designer, but a web-savvy business partner as well. Also be sure to for many helpful links on designing your website. Selengkapnya...

A SITE TO BE SEEN

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE DOTCOM FRENZY, web entrepreneurs copped a phrase from the popular movie Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.” And it worked. Today, however, you need to do more. Customers will come to your site—if they can find it. That’s why you need to be highly visible on the various search engines people use to find things on the web. In fact, in its report titled “The State of Search Engine Safety,” McAfee (a producer of anti-virus software) reveals that about 80 percent of all website visits originate from a search query. Search engines are the principle way to drive people to your site, and there are three main aspects of search engines that any business needs to be aware of: site submissions, search engine optimization and search engine marketing.
SITE SUBMISSIONS
While there are hundreds of search engines to choose from, there’s little value in being on an engine no one uses. Focus on the top high-traffic search engines: AOL, Ask.com, Google, Live Search and Yahoo!—which represent about 93 percent of all search engine use.
Almost every search engine provides tools for easy submission of new sites. Just go to the search engine homepage, look for an “Add URL” or “Submit Your Site” button, and then follow the directions. User submissions aren’t the only—or even the main—way search engines compile their indexes. A popular tool used by the engines in scoping out the lay of the web are spiders— also called crawlers—which meander from site to site, following links and reporting findings to the search engine. Many web pages are discovered and crawled because other websites contain links to them. You want to make it as easy as possible for these crawlers to find your site.
But don’t expect immediate results. It can take a month or so for the major crawlers to index your pages. Getting listed is the easy part. Gaining a high position in the search engines is another story, but that’s where the money gets made. It doesn’t pay to be the 207th pet accessories retailer listed. No one is going to wade through 21 screens to find you. Most searchers look at only one or two pages of search results before clicking on one or abandoning the search.
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
Can you improve your search engine ranking? There are definitely things you can do to increase your chances of showing up higher. One of the best ways to score high in search engines is to have good, solid content on your site that is related to the terms you think people will be searching for. It’s also important to continually add new content or modify your site’s existing content. Keyword-rich domain names, title tags, and having a site map can also help. Be sure that every tactic you use is relevant to your business. Search engines will penalize sites that appear to be gaming the system by displaying tons of keywords and overstuffed meta tags. Hidden keywords (like white text hidden by a white background) are an absolute no-no. Don’t overlook the importance of links. Having a number of links on other sites that point to your site can be crucial in determining your search engine ranking. But don’t exchange links with just any old site. Search engines can take into account the popularity and relevance of the sites that link to yours. Look to exchange links with quality sites in related fields. For more on links.
Here’s where a little terminology comes in handy. When you’re making your site search enginefriendly, you’re aiming to improve your ranking in the engine’s “natural results.” Natural results, sometimes called “organic results,” are the sites that a search engine returns as the result of a query (see illustration below). Natural results are not the same as the “paid results” that pop up alongside as advertising. These ads should be part of your search engine marketing strategy, which is discussed on the following page. Some surfers prefer natural results to paid results, so it’s important to make sure your site ranks as high as possible for relevant search terms. Maximizing the number of times your website comes up in a search result is an ongoing process. It takes patience to monitor the search engines by visiting them frequently and checking your ranking under various relevant search terms. If you operate a business that relies on local customers, be sure to check how high your site appears when including your home city in the search terms. Many web hosting providers offer easy-to-read traffic reports that can give you a lot of information about where your visitors are coming from. Study these reports to see which search engines and key phrases send you the most traffic. If you discover that you need to make changes to your site to leverage your keywords within your pages (particularly your homepage) in order to move up in the search engine rankings, do so as soon as possible.
SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
You don’t have to rely on the spiders to find your site. You can be more proactive. Search engine marketing is a good way to step up and take action to make your site more visible and help ensure you are discovered on the first few pages of the search results. Some advantages of this type of marketing are that it is easy to control the costs and you can target very specific searches. You can target the entire U.S. or specific geographies. You’ll be able to judge the effectiveness of the advertising by viewing reports and keeping track of how many visitors are sent to you from the search ads. The next step is to experiment with keywords and phrases. The copy you use in your keyword ads should be succinct and engaging. You should include your targeted keyword in your ad CREATING AN EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGN
Most search engine advertising programs let you establish a monthly budget and set a maximum cost per click so that you can stay in tight control of your marketing costs.
#1: Set up your personal account on each search engine.
#2: Select your desired keywords or key phrases.
#3: Create your text-based search ads.
#4: Determine the bid amount for each of your ads.
#5: Review your reports regularly after your search listings go live to see which keywords and campaigns are the most and least effective, and make the necessary changes..
LOCAL MOTION
Local search is on the rise, and entrepreneurs can take advantage of the trend. Local businesses should try out phrases that include their town. For example, if you have a treetrimming business in Chicago, you might want to try out the phrases “Chicago arborist” or “tree trimming Chicago.” Then, when surfers search for those terms, your advertisement
Chapter 10 A SITE TO BE SEEN
SEARCHING FOR SEARCH ITEMS
There’s a bit of an art and a bit of a science in choosing which terms to back with your advertising money when you’re investing in search word marketing. Take advantage of some of the tools that are out there to help you find good candidates. Ideally, you’re looking for keywordsand phrases that are popular and relevant without being too general. There are some handy online tools available to help you out.
If you’re using a search engine advertising service like Microsoft adCenter, take advantage of the keyword research tools they offer their users. Wordtracker.com offers an advanced keyword research tool that can tell you how often people search for certain terms and how many competing sites are already using those terms. It also suggests keywords and keyword combinationsthat could be effective for your particular website. A free trial is available, and one-week subscriptions start at less than $30. Also visit inventory.overture.com, where you can run keywords for free to find out what the most popular phrases are and what related terms people are searching for. As you put together your list of keywords to use, don’t forget to include plurals. You might even try out some common misspellings. Remember that search is always evolving. You can’t just set it and forget it—you have to continually tweak your keywords and stay up-to-date with keyword research tools.
WHY PAY THE PRICE?
A well-run search engine marketing campaign can be one of the most cost-effective tools in your advertising arsenal. A report from US Bancorp Piper Jaffray runs the numbers down to show how search engine advertising stacks up against traditional advertising. The cost per lead from search engines came in at 29 cents. On the other hand, Yellow Pages advertising runs $1.18 per lead, and direct-mail inserts cost $9.94 per lead. Search advertising even beat out e-mail (which Piper Jaffray estimates at 50 cents per lead). All in all, search marketing can offer a substantial savings when it comes to finding qualified customer leads. will pop up alongside the natural search results. Local search is a booming area and can be a great way to bring customers to your website and, in turn, to your physical location. As with other aspects of working with search engines, it’s important to keep your keyword campaigns relevant to your business. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different keywords. Take advantage of the flexibility of search engine marketing programs to try out new keywords. A good search engine marketing program will provide you with easyto- read reports that will help you judge the popularity and cost-effectiveness of each phrase or keyword. Expect to have a period of adjustment before your marketing is firing on all cylinders. Continue to refine your keywords as you go along. Success takes a one-two punch. First, your search engine savviness will hopefully bring in the right prospects. Second, your website should motivate prospects to contact you to learn more and, if you have an e-commerce site, to actually buy your products. A website designed with search engines in mind, combined with an effective search engine marketing program, is a recipe for Internet success. will pop up alongside the natural search results. Local search is a booming area and can be a great way to bring customers to your website and, in turn, to your physical location. As with other aspects of working with search engines, it’s important to keep your keyword campaigns relevant to your business. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different keywords. Take advantage of the flexibility of search engine marketing programs to try out new keywords. A good search engine marketing program will provide you with easyto- read reports that will help you judge the popularity and cost-effectiveness of each phrase or keyword.
Expect to have a period of adjustment before your marketing is firing on all cylinders. Continue to refine your keywords as you go along. Success takes a one-two punch. First, your search engine savviness will hopefully bring in the right prospects. Second, your website should motivate prospects to contact you to learn more and, if you have an e-commerce site, to actually buy your products. A website designed with search engines in mind, combined with an effective search engine marketing program, is a recipe for Internet success. Selengkapnya...

SAFETY FIRST

Make your site a secure place to visit.
OK, YOU’RE ALMOST DONE. Your final step in improving your website is making sure your customers feel good about doing business with you. And the best way to do that is to establish a solid security and privacy policy. Start by checking your site for anything that could lead to security or privacy problems. Your goal is to eliminate these potential threats and make your site a safe place to do business.
WEBSITE SECURITY
There are many layers to website security. The physical security of the server your site is hosted on, firewalls and how you control who can make changes to your site are just a few of the things you have to consider. For five steps on securing your website, see the box on the following page.
5 STEPS TO BETTER SECURITY
Fortunately, just a little bit of legwork can help you determine if your site is properly
protected.
#1: Choose a respected and established web hosting provider. Your host will be your first
line of defense. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what it does for security.
#2: Be sure that your web host maintains tight physical security where it keeps its servers. It should also perform regular backups so that your site will stay up and running even if a server goes down. For instance, if you maintain your data on Microsoft Office Live, it is stored on systems with limited access in controlled locations. To find out more about Microsoft Office Live,
#3: Watch out for unusual activity on your website. A sudden spike in bandwidth usage may be a tip-off that a hacker has infiltrated your site and is using it to send out spam. For more information on keeping your server safe from hackers
#4: Consider hiring an IT or security professional or consultant to test your site’s defenses. This is especially important if you work with highly sensitive data like customers’ health information or financial data.
#5: Restrict employee access to your website. Only those who absolutely must be able to update it should have the password. Change the password on a regular basis. If an employee with access leaves your business, change the password immediately.
PRIVACY
Web users are very sensitive about their privacy. How can you reassure them that your site is safe? By creating and openly explaining your privacy policy. Many sites have a button at the bottom of their homepage that says “Privacy Policy.” Once clicked, the link should deliver users to a clear, concise statement of what information is collected from them, what’s done with it, and if it’s made available to other companies. for a sample privacy policy from the Better Business Bureau. Internet users are concerned about receiving unwanted spam or, more seriously, making themselves vulnerable to identity theft. Users don’t want their data shared with other sites or businesses. Be careful how much you ask your customers. If you ask too many questions, many will refuse to answer. To get more, there needs to be an appropriate value exchange. Essentially, the amount of information you expect to get should be tied in to what the customer is receiving in return for giving you their data. If you want a lot of information, consider offering multiple reports or free samples to entice visitors into taking the time to answer your questions.
When an explicit privacy policy is combined with a third-party seal of approval (from, say, the Better Business Bureau or TRUSTe), buyers generally feel more secure about doing business with you. If you have e-commerce capabilities on your site, then be sure to use SSL technology, which provides secure communications online for tasks like web browsing, e-mailing, instant messaging, e-faxing and other data transfers, to secure your customers’ data.
SPAM
E-mail marketing can be a very effective way to communicate with your customers and encourage repeat business. If you decide to try e-mail marketing, then you must follow the law when it comes to spam, or it will damage your credibility and brand. Nothing will drive customers away faster than spamming them. Let your customers opt in (double opt-ins are often preferable) to allow you to contact them in the first place. The CAN-SPAM Act, which was signed into law in 2003, requires commercial e-mail messages to be labeled and include opt-out instructions as well as the sender’s physical address. It also prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers. For a link to the full guidelines, Here’s a sample of good opt-in language we use at Entrepreneur.com when you sign up for one of our e-newsletters:
Website security doesn’t have to be a great mystery. Take a good dose of common sense, check into your web hosting provider’s security policies, take time to craft a solid privacy policy of your own and be careful with your e-mail marketing efforts. Your diligence will increase your prospective customers’ faith and trust in you.
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READY, SET, SELL!

BUSINESSES ARE NO LONGER STUCK within their physical walls. You can take your products to where your customers are: the Internet. E-commerce is for companies of all sizes, whether selling products is your main focus or you’re just looking to offer branded T-shirts and caps to surfers. Getting started with an online store used to mean hiring a web specialist to build it from the ground up, but now there are a host of savvy services that will get you up and running in a jiffy.
3 WAYS TO START SELLING ONLINE
#1: You can start by simply adding a PayPal button to your existing site so customers can pay you directly. PayPal can also help you build a basic order form to integrate into your site.
#2: You can list and sell your products on one (or more) of the big marketplace sites like eBay and Amazon.com. Using eBay in particular can be a good way to gauge demand, pricing and competition for your products.
#3: You can start from scratch and build an e-commerce site at your own domain name using either a web designer or a template-based web store building tool. Finally, you may find that some combination of the above is what works best for you. For example, many online stores supplement their regular sales with eBay auctions. It can be a great way to sell unique items or returns that can’t be sold as new.
WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY?
Before you fire up your online store, it’s a good idea to know what you’re getting into. Some product categories are already crowded with dominant players. Books and shoes, for example, are saturated with large sellers that can undercut just about any price. That’s not to say you couldn’t build a successful business in one of those areas. As a small startup or new online seller, your greatest strength could be in finding and mining a specific e-commerce niche. For example, if you found an untapped consumer base for rain boots or vintage mystery novels, that could be your ticket to specialty-market success.
ART OF THE START
The fastest and cheapest way to get started with an online web store is to look to your web service provider. Many large web hosting companies have an e-commerce option or an e-commerce solutions partner that can make building your first store a matter of pointing, clicking and adapting pre-made templates. Most of these basic web stores charge a monthly fee and a small transaction fee for each order. You can expect a starter plan to cost as little as $30 to $40 a month.
If your e-commerce effort is highly complex or requires a lot of customization, it can be a
good idea to bring in a specialist for help. Ask a web designer if this is a service they can pro vide in addition to building your site. (For more on hiring a web designer. Your e-commerce effort can be as simple or as advanced as you need it to be. Consider a system that ties your inventory and online store together to help simplify your record keeping. This can also help you avoid offering out-of-stock items to customers.
WEB STORE ESSENTIALS
#1: Photos tell the story. Good, clean pictures will help sell your products. Multiple views and pictures of different colors and options can also help reduce questions from shoppers looking for more information.
#2: Give the details. The quality of your item descriptions can make or break a sale. Be detailed, but don’t ramble. Think about what your customers would need to know and want to know about each item, and answer those questions in the description.
#3: Keep it private. Make sure your privacy and security policy is easily accessible. Never share your customers’ information, and always use proper encryption to handle sensitive data. This is often supplied by your e-commerce provider, but make sure to check with them first.
PAYMENTS AND FULFILLMENT
It’s smart to offer your customers a variety of payment methods. A merchant account that lets you accept credit card payments is an important first step. Also consider integrating with PayPal as another popular payment option. Customers appreciate having a variety of shipping options, too. You can set up with your preferred shipping providers to automatically calculate costs for your buyers. While we’re on the subject of payments, don’t forget about complying with tax laws. If you need to, seek outside help from an e-commerce expert or consultant. If you’re using a do-it-yourself online store solution, use the wizard to customize for your tax collection requirements.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Keeping in close contact with your customers is a must. If they send you an e-mail with a product or payment question, you need to be able to respond quickly. Aim to field every-mail within 24 hours, and consider offering an online chat function as another avenue for communication. When it comes to keeping customers happy and coming back to your online store, special coupons and discounts are a big incentive. Even a 10 percent off coupon or a free shipping bonus for customers can be a big boost to repeat business. A monthly e-mail letting customers know about new products and special deals with articles on relevant subjects can be a welcome form of advertising. The tips and advice that apply to building a regular website also apply to your web store. Simple navigation, an attractive design and a smart approach to online marketing will give you a leg up over a lot of your competition. Throw in some top-notch customer service, and you’ll be on your way to developing your e-commerce reputation. Selengkapnya...