Logging on For a Living

More and more people are becoming aware of the fact that to be on the internet can mean serious business opportunities for those who are switched on and prepared to do the necessary work. In times gone past getting set up in business was a lengthy process that would almost invariably require some hefty investment up front simply to get started. Now, all you need is a computer, an internet connection and an idea. The rest is simply a matter of following some uncomplicated steps and putting your plans into action. You can have an idea one day and be up and running within twenty four hours if you have the drive to make it happen.

Before the internet opened things up so much, a business would generally require premises from which to operate. Even if you ran the business from your home, this would make it more complicated as it would involve having your business life intrude heavily on your home life with little separation between the two. Now, all business can be routed through your computer – using e-mail, PayPal and some simple, user friendly websites (such as a blogging platform) – and the rest of your home can stay just as it is. The only concern that you need to have is how you are going to make it pay – but that is no different from any business, and there is no such thing as free money. What there is, thanks to the internet, is a world of business that is simpler and more transparent than it ever was before.

Getting Up and Running

Making an Internet-based business work and pay for you is more simple than business has ever been before – you just need to know how. The first thing to do is to decide on a price list for things that you will do. In order to make explanation more understandable, let us use an example. If you are a website builder for example, you can set prices based on how complicated or otherwise the site is. A site with an intricate design, multiple pages and interactive content will be a lot more time consuming and demanding than one that simply has a front page with basic information. You would therefore price it more highly.

Having a host site is preferable if you want to do business by way of the Internet. This can again be simple or more complicated. The site is like the front door of a “bricks and mortar” office – it will be what brings customers into contact with you. It acts as a shop front, so making it attractive and intriguing will bring in all the more business. For simplicity, you can set up a blog, something which is highly popular and easy. An original, more customisable site will require some HTML knowledge and other associated competencies – but if you build websites then you will know that.

On the site, you can display some short descriptions of what you do, how you do it and how much you charge. Really, there should be a limit to how much information you give to customers. To overload them will get in the way of things – you can give the specifics when they contact you.

The Benefits of Working Online

Online business has become huge in the relatively short time that the Internet has been around. People in their thirties and late twenties can easily remember a time when the Internet existed only in the minds and laboratories of technological wizards, and computers were firmly rooted in the one place – both figuratively and literally. Now with the advent of laptop computers and WiFi technology, you can surf the Internet just about anywhere – even on a cell phone so small you could fit it in your mouth if you really wanted to. The importance of the Internet to business has risen exponentially in recent years as a result of this.

If your business is online, it opens up a whole new world to you – almost literally. At one point unless your business was a specific import-export business you could trade only in your home country or near neighbors – even in some cases only in your home town. But with the advent of the Internet and the ready availability of mail order, a small shop in a small town can without batting an eyelid sell to a customer thousands of miles away. That’s progress for you. And you can use it to your advantage. Having such a broad reach the businessman can set up a customer base that is colossally larger than it previously would have been.

Spending money to get online – not always necessary, as most home computers are now linked up – is a canny move indeed, as it puts you right in the path of millions of potential customers.

Website Dos and Don’ts

When setting up a website for Internet business there are a few things that need to be kept in mind at all times. Certain dos and don’ts like these can be the difference between success and failure, and are the reason that many companies outsource their Internet work to real experts. The Internet is a serious business tool, and incorrect use of it can drive potential customers away. Keep this in mind when it comes to setting up a business website, and get unbiased feedback on it before you “go live”. It may take a bit of time, and may even require some spending, but the benefits of a good website are unarguable.

Having the content of the site written and designed professionally can be worthwhile. If you are good with words, it is less so – it is important to do as much of the work as you comfortably can. Badly worded text, however, can hole you beneath the water line. A memorable URL for your site is also just about obligatory. Trying to get people to remember a long website address is likely to result in them upping sticks and going elsewhere. The site should also be easy to navigate and carry prominent contact details. Your potential customer may be very impressed by the flashing text and the snappy images, but if they cannot phone you or send you an e-mail, it won’t be much good to you. Try also to present a welcoming image on your site – sometimes just being made to smile can persuade a customer to spend their money.

Website No-Nos

Setting up a website in order to bring business into your company is an essential step in the present day. Even from watching advertisements on television or picking up a magazine you can see that, alongside the bullet-point information in the ads, there is almost invariably a URL for the company website. The Internet is a serious business tool for the biggest companies, and the smaller companies use it too as it is often cheaper and more effective than going ahead with simple old fashioned business practices. Advertising, for one thing, costs a lot more in print and in public than it does online.

A good company website, then, can be the difference between your business sinking and swimming. There are certain things that can turn a potential customer off a company just from a short view of a website. These are simple things, but they can cost you big money if you allow them to. Good spelling is an essential – the potential customer may have doubts about your ability to deliver a good service if you cannot proof-read your documents. Readability is also important – no long, rambling sentences can be allowed, nor can a poor choice of color combination (navy blue text on a bright red background will not do).

Poor use of images is also dangerous. The wrong image, the wrong size, the wrong placement – these are just three things that can make a potential customer’s mind wander. And if you let their mind wander, it may just wander all the way over to one of your rivals.

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