Consider these 8 things before you begin your online store:
Market Research:
The most important step in e-commerce is picking the right market. You can’t just go set up a store, throw in a bunch of unrelated products, and expect people to flock there. A “build it and they will come” mentality is not the way to go. Let’s not dwell on what not to do and get to what you need to do. You need to focus on markets that have potential customers, therefore the market is not too competitive, but still has decent search volume. During your research you should also begin looking for products to sell.
Finding Products and Suppliers:
The ultimate goal in e-commerce is to make money, and in order to make money you need products to sell. If you picked a good market, you should have many products and perhaps multiple product lines. Make sure though that you select products related to your niche. It’s okay to stray a little, (ex. selling posters on a DVD store) but make sure there’s a connection.
Another important thing to keep in mind is distribution – how are you going to store and ship your products? The easiest way is to find a drop-shipping company that takes care of the warehouse and shipping for you. Make sure the company is reputable – there are scammers out there. Another good option, if you make your own products, is to ‘make to order’ and include shipping/handling in the price. This limits the storage and will save you from having boxes all over the house, and shipping fees are taken care of.
Picking a Buzz-worthy Domain:
Picking a suitable domain is key to dominating search engine rankings. It’s best to find a domain that has some age to it, and more importantly good page rank. If you can find a domain with your keyword you’re golden.
Store Software:
There are many places to find good store software. Some include hosting, some don’t. Make sure that you get full customer support and full ownership of your site.
Traffic:
Besides picking the perfect market, traffic is the most important thing to consider. In order to make sales you need site visitors – the more targeted the better. Using web 2.0 sites to build backlinks is a good idea and is one of the easier ways to do so. You can also make videos and post them on popular video sites.
Daily Operations:
Daily operations usually consist of customer support and filling orders. Start off your day by checking emails and replying to phone calls. Next, focus on getting more backlinks to your site. You may also choose to use extra time for working on new projects or customizing your store.
Outsourcing:
Keeping a couple of stores running by yourself isn’t hard to do, but when you want to scale your business to the next level you need to make outsourcing a priority. Outsourcing just one task can save you an immense amount of time. Think about hiring an expert overseas for cheaper wages. Have them build backlinks, take care of customer service, renew product catalogs, etc. Almost every aspect of your e-commerce store can be outsourced.
Selling Your Site:
After you’re making sales you may want to consider selling your site. Most sites can fetch a price for 10 -12 months of its monthly earnings (ex. A site making $1000 per month can sell for $10000 to $12000, maybe more.
When selling a site make sure to use an escrow service. This will keep you from getting ripped off. Also make sure you receive the money before transferring the site over to another individual.
To get the full picture I urge you to check out Niche Blueprint 2. Check out my Niche Blueprint 2 review and check out our Niche Blueprint 2 bonus.
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Market Research:
The most important step in e-commerce is picking the right market. You can’t just go set up a store, throw in a bunch of unrelated products, and expect people to flock there. A “build it and they will come” mentality is not the way to go. Let’s not dwell on what not to do and get to what you need to do. You need to focus on markets that have potential customers, therefore the market is not too competitive, but still has decent search volume. During your research you should also begin looking for products to sell.
Finding Products and Suppliers:
The ultimate goal in e-commerce is to make money, and in order to make money you need products to sell. If you picked a good market, you should have many products and perhaps multiple product lines. Make sure though that you select products related to your niche. It’s okay to stray a little, (ex. selling posters on a DVD store) but make sure there’s a connection.
Another important thing to keep in mind is distribution – how are you going to store and ship your products? The easiest way is to find a drop-shipping company that takes care of the warehouse and shipping for you. Make sure the company is reputable – there are scammers out there. Another good option, if you make your own products, is to ‘make to order’ and include shipping/handling in the price. This limits the storage and will save you from having boxes all over the house, and shipping fees are taken care of.
Picking a Buzz-worthy Domain:
Picking a suitable domain is key to dominating search engine rankings. It’s best to find a domain that has some age to it, and more importantly good page rank. If you can find a domain with your keyword you’re golden.
Store Software:
There are many places to find good store software. Some include hosting, some don’t. Make sure that you get full customer support and full ownership of your site.
Traffic:
Besides picking the perfect market, traffic is the most important thing to consider. In order to make sales you need site visitors – the more targeted the better. Using web 2.0 sites to build backlinks is a good idea and is one of the easier ways to do so. You can also make videos and post them on popular video sites.
Daily Operations:
Daily operations usually consist of customer support and filling orders. Start off your day by checking emails and replying to phone calls. Next, focus on getting more backlinks to your site. You may also choose to use extra time for working on new projects or customizing your store.
Outsourcing:
Keeping a couple of stores running by yourself isn’t hard to do, but when you want to scale your business to the next level you need to make outsourcing a priority. Outsourcing just one task can save you an immense amount of time. Think about hiring an expert overseas for cheaper wages. Have them build backlinks, take care of customer service, renew product catalogs, etc. Almost every aspect of your e-commerce store can be outsourced.
Selling Your Site:
After you’re making sales you may want to consider selling your site. Most sites can fetch a price for 10 -12 months of its monthly earnings (ex. A site making $1000 per month can sell for $10000 to $12000, maybe more.
When selling a site make sure to use an escrow service. This will keep you from getting ripped off. Also make sure you receive the money before transferring the site over to another individual.
One Comment
As an e commerce owner, I’ve learned that the most difficult thing is to attract visitors. It is so true that no matter how niche your products are, attracting visitors is so important but also the most difficult part.
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