What are the steps to starting an online business?

[Tori]

Anyone can create a website with many of the programs and templates that are available from the hosting companies. The difficult part is getting traffic to your website from people who will actually buy the products you offer.

You need products that people are looking for - either because they are popular, unique or fulfill some unmet need.

It would probably be easiest to get started as an independent distributor or rep for a company that provides you with a company website. Then you will already have the products and the payment gateway for online sales and you earn a commission from the sales. Look for products that you like, are consumable and purchased by most families several times a year. Most companies will also offer free training to teach you some marketing techniques.

Then drive traffic to your company website by purchasing a domain name and creating your own personal website with links to your company website. You may eventually want to sign up as a distributor for more than one company or add some affiliate program links for other products related to your website topic or theme to earn multiple streams of income.

Then to market and send traffic to your personal website you will need to learn and use several techniques: email, blogging, social networking other ways to create back links. It takes time, but through consistent effort it can be done.

There are so many websites out there that simply building a website with a bunch of products is not likely to be profitable. It is easier if you have the products, support and training from a company who uses independent distributors to market their products.