Jason Cochran asked:


In Phase One of Building Your Online Business, I described developing a solid plan. A plan takes all of the guesswork out of the equation. Your plan is invaluable because it will describe in detail what you want your website to do. The plan will help the web developer understand what you want the website to do and what goals it must accomplish.? The plan does not have to be a lengthy thesis. Just a simple one page description will suffice. Try to be as descriptive a possible.

The plan you choose must include the following phases:

Planning Your Online Business Getting a Website Designed and Developed (you are here) Setting up an E-Commerce Shopping Cart CRM (Customer Relations Management) Getting Your Website Indexed in the Search Engines Online Advertising Email Marketing Start a Blog and/or Forum Social Networking Go to Step 1

The order of the above phases is only a suggestion. The is order is up to you, but each of them should be implemented.

Phase 2 : Getting a Website Designed and Developed

Once you have your plan written, Phase 2 of Building Your Online Business is to have your website designed and developed. A great design is extremely important to your online business. In the online world, it is even more true that first impressions are everything. A websites design is not just about pretty pictures and colors. Your website is the perfect marketing resource that will keep your current and future customers informed. It should contain all of your company’s information, brochures and other materials. Are you going sale your products through your website? All of these things must be considered in your design.

If you choose you can of course do the design and development yourself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you have the skill to do this, by all means, do it. That is up to you.

However, there is also something to be said about having a professional web developer build the website for you. To avoid confusion, in this article I talk about website designers and developers inclusively as ?web developers?. Since we are designing a website, the professional must be able to do design first and foremost. Development, or programming, is usually a secondary skill. Your website might not require any ?functionality?, or interactive parts of your website such a contact form or booking application, for example.

Question: What are the advantages of hiring a web developer to do the website design and development for me?

There are numerous advantages to hiring a web developer. Some of those advantages might be:

Freeing up your time so that you can run your business. Putting their professional experience to work for you. Receiving professional opinions and creative ideas. Getting your website completed faster. Your website will require less maintenance. Greater compatibility with all of the major web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.). Achieve Search Engine friendliness.

Remember that web developers are professionals. Rely on them for their experience and knowledge. For example, while you could fix your clogged sink yourself, wouldn’t it be better to hire a professional plumber? The same goes for any other service you might need.



Question: How do you pick a professional web developer?

Finding and hiring a professional web developer is perhaps the greatest hurdle to overcome when creating your website. There are literally thousands and thousands of designers and developers available to choose from on the internet. Here are some suggestions to make the search easier.



Start Local



Start the search for your web developer of choice by looking in the your local area. The yellow pages might not be the best place to look. Because the primary domain of a web developer is the internet use a search engine such as Google (www.google.com). Type in a search query such as ?website design in ?. If nothing turns up in the search results, look at websites for other companies in your local area. Ask those companies who they recommend.



Use Online Services



There are many websites on the internet that will help you find a professional web developer. The ones that I recommend are Elance, Guru and Design Quote. You might also try job search websites such as Dice, Monster and Career Builder.

Ask for a Portfolio and Client Testimonials

Once you have located one or more web developers ask them for their professional portfolios and some of their client testimonials. Visual representation of their skills is a must. Client feedback and references will further prove that the web developer can do the work you need. If you are still not convinced, ask the web developer for a free mockup, or design draft, of your website idea.

Question: What is the typical website development process?

After you have hired your web developer, typically the website development process goes something like this:

Website design mockup(s) is done via a graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop Review of design mockup(s) Feedback of the design and further design work if needed Convert design into website template Use website template to make content pages Content is filled in using the information that you provide Search engine keywords are chosen and content modified for search engine friendliness Meta tags are written and inserted into your pages Domain name is setup on your website hosting account Email accounts are setup Website is uploaded to your website hosting account Domain name is manually submitted to the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) Continue to add content and improve the website as needed

The above process is by no means set in stone. Every website is different and the process can vary greatly. The saying goes that ?A website is never done.? Your website will be a living extension of your business and it should be changed and improved upon. Remember to inform your website visitors of new and exciting things that are going on at your company.

Phase 3 of the crusade to Building Your Online Business is Setting up an E-Commerce Shopping Cart. If your business sells any kind of product having an easy-to-use e-commerce shopping cart where you can accept online payments is a must. We will step you through all of the ins and outs of getting it setup and going. Please subscribe to this blog so you can get all of the details.

Jason Cochran

WebFusion5

“We don’t just create websites. We build businesses.”

Daniel Moro asked:


If you want to succeed with an online business working from home then you need to know that it is not all about sleeping in late and lazing around at the beach. In fact the first two years of setting up an online business are usually the hardest. They are also the most important.

Here are four tips for your online business success.

1. “Online” Does Not Mean “Easy”

Contrary to urban myths and what you may have heard, setting up and managing an online business is not a piece of cake. Why do you think such a high percentage of people who try working online quickly become frustrated and quit.

Starting any business, including an online business, requires careful planning and hard work. If you are looking for fast money, buy a lottery business. If you want to build an online business, be ready to roll up your sleeves and do some work.

Sure, you can still go to the beach, but it should be a reward you give yourself after a concentrated period of constructive work.

2. Study Hard

Yes, you did hear me right, that is, unless you recently graduated with a degree in e-business. Most people I know who are working online are self-taught. So study up. Allocate some hours every week to research what other online business people are doing.

Examine what they are selling. Discover which products they are referring. Check out if there are any new techniques being used successfully. Participate in webmaster forums. Read the the latest affiliate news and rumors. Check out a few ebooks on topics related to your own.

3. Perseverance Pays Off

Perseverance is almost always rewarded online. Sometimes you will try something new and it will fail. But do not give up. Retreat. Regroup. And then come back and try again with a different approach.

Sometimes you only need to tweak your strategy a little bit or make a minor alteration to get it to work. Remember it can take less effort to adjust a plan which is already close to working than to come up with an entirely different strategy.

Whether or not you go with a new idea or a slight variation, the important thing is that you keep persevering. I assure you if you do that, the rewards will follow.

4. Invest Wisely

Don?t be afraid to invest in your online business. But be sure that you always invest carefully. You should purchase only those books, software or other resources that will genuinely help you to understand your business better or to complete your online work more efficiently.

Don?t believe everything you read. Before you buy any product online check out some online business forums to check out some unbiased feedback. Most good webmaster forums do not allow affiliate links in the forum posts so the feedback tends to be more honest than some other sources.

If you follow these four tips you will have a much higher chance of succeeding with your online business.

Soumen Das asked:


Network Marketing the Real Deal?

The Home Business School

Most of the people who say no to Network Marketing Ideas, have preconceived Ideas on how Network Marketing works. If you think Network Marketing has anything to do with Pyramid or Snowball Schemes you really need to update your Hard disk (see also. But I know how you feel. When I was introduced to Network Marketing back in 1990 my parents said the same thing. They told me that I shouldn’t get involved in something like that. After have done a Master Degree in Clinical Psychology and a second Degree in Audio Engineering I realized, that it doesn’t matter how much knowledge I accumulate at University they won’t give me what I want - Financial Independence and Time Freedom. After all this study I started to realize that Shopping Malls, Fitness Centers, Fast Food Restaurants, Travel Agencies etc. all are based on Network Marketing Principles. And I missed out on a big trend, where people made a lot of money in. But the good thing for everybody is, that this Trend just started. With Books like "Why we want you to be rich" People are starting to be more open to opportunities like Network Marketing because there is not much else out there that can give you the rewards like a Network Marketing or Private Franchising Business. But when we understood, that it is a legal, powerful Business Model, and that it can set us financially free in a couple of years, we couldn’t sleep. Next to the excitement there were also concerns:

1. Talking to friends, family and business associates, afraid of driving them away.

2. Don’t know whether the product we offer is beneficial to us and the people we introduce

3. Can’t and didn’t want to sell

4. Didn’t know whether we could succeed, and if not?

So we started to research a lot of different Network Marketing Businesses. And after a lot of frustration in different Marketplaces we came across a couple of young guys from the states, who understood this concerns and eliminated from the Marketing Concept. So this sounded like a much better Deal:

1. Not to have to talk to friends and Associates

2. A Product that is beneficial to everybody and helps him to save money, even get out of dept.

3. Don’t have to sell anything because trained Professionals are doing it for you.

4. Backed up by a Company that pays you first (instant cash!).

5. Money back Guarantee

6. FIRST MONTH 15′000 $ Income Potential (making money from the Beginning)

Sounds to good to be truth? That is what I thought too, but I got BLOWN AWAY!

www.TheHomeBusinessSchool.com

Don’t give me wrong. People made a lot of Money in Traditional Network Marketing Concepts. And I am really looking up to these people, because they needed a lot of Courage, Persistence, Emotional Intelligence and People Skills. And even today, there are young people with strong Will and Desire who build huge businesses in the old style of Network Marketing. For all the others who aren’t that confident yet and are looking for a System that takes all the scary parts out of the equation and also gives them quick cash into their pocket, it’s definitely worth checking out thehomebusinessschool website, and get an idea where Network Marketing is today.