New Internet Business Resources
If you are reading this, you are probably just in the early planning stages of starting your web business or you’re considering revamping or expanding an existing business. I have suggestions that are equally applicable to you regardless of which of those applies to you.
While it doesn’t really matter what order you obtain these, here are the three that I consider absolutely necessary to all beginning e-entrepreneurs:
A short course on starting an e-business. Sometimes you can even find a free course on how to start an online business. Whatever course you choose should not promise to reveal some hidden secrets. It should just be a straightforward, honest overview of the major points to focus upon as you begin your Internet enterprise.
Google Account. Just go the Google home page. Below the search box, you will see a short list of links. Click the link titled “Business Solutions.” There you will find a list of more than a dozen resources that Google offers to business owners. I suggest that you simply take a few hours exploring in detail what they have to offer. Eventually you may find some that will never be useful for your business. However, many will be. In my various businesses, I use the following most frequently:
- Checkout (a payment processing system)
- Website Optimizer (conducts tests all of content on your website)–free
- Google Site Search (allows your users to locate content on your websites)–free
- AdWords (the advertising program for Google’s for their pay-per-click alternative)
— Analytics, which data for all of your major website traffic metrics–free
I also use additional services from Google that are available to any Internet user, such as Google Docs and the Google (RSS) Reader (both free). Signing up for any of the services will provide you with a Google account that is valid for all their services.
If you are able to find one, get a hyperlinked list of necessary resources. One website has such a list of resources useful for online businesses available in a pdf format for easy access and use. It includes a number of highly useful free resources as well as many that have costs associated with them.
Make sure you use these three suggestions, and your business is sure to begin in a way that allows for future growth.
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