How to run an online business

Pinterest the next big thing for business ?

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Feb 14

Pinterest has one of the top marketing buzzwords of 2012, as its explosive growth (even though it’s still in invite-only status) has left business owners the world over scrambling to get a good idea of how to utilise it to promote their own business and products. Read More >>>

Prevent your ecommerce business failing.

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Monday, November 28, 2011

Nov 28

Starting a business online is certainly an exciting, risky and potentially lucrative thing to do. If you do it right, and work hard at it you can make a great living for yourself and potentially free yourself from the monotony of the 9-5 lifestyle. Unfortunately, a large majority of people who decide to start selling stuff online never reach this goal. An e-commerce business can fail for a multitude of reasons, but here are 5 common mistakes to avoid. Read More >>>

Getting your bricks and mortar business online

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Friday, November 25, 2011

Nov 25

The Internet is here to stay, no doubt about it. Yet there are still many small businesses haven’t taken the plunge and moved online. Some may not feel they need yet, or cannot perceive the benefits it would bring their business. Others may be scared because the territory is unfamiliar to them. Whatever the case may be, below are some simple steps you can take to move your brick-and-mortar business online—something you must do if you want to be able to compete in the long run. Your customers are online. Your competitors are online. Don’t get left behind. Read More >>>

Are you ready for Cyber Monday ?

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Thursday, November 24, 2011

Nov 24

Over the last few years 'Cyber Monday' has become a welcome date in the calendars of American online retailers, it has been synonymous with increased sales ahead of Christmas and post-Thanksgiving. As it quickly approaches (Monday 28th November), it is essential that retailers ensure they are sufficiently promoting deals and products before the event hits or they could risk missing a large chunk of pre-Christmas sales Read More >>>

Does you business really need a website ?

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Monday, November 29, 2010

Nov 29

While having a website may seem like an unnecessary cost if you're not a prolific internet user yourself, a recent survey showed around 70% of the UK's population now has access to an internet connection - that's a big business opportunity you'll be missing out on if you don't have a web presence. Even if your business' website lists little more than your address and opening hours, maintaining a web presence could give you the edge over more technophobic competitors.

Why you need a website

If you get it right, your website will be the best tool you have for promoting your business. Your website will essentially become an online shop-window, accessible to customers all over the world, which means the better it looks and more and up-to-date it is, the better impression it will make on consumers.

Whether it's three o'clock in the morning or Christmas day, the internet never closes - which means your business is open all the time, without any extra effort from you. If you choose to have an online store, your customers will be able to dictate when they want to buy, rather than limiting themselves to your opening times.

If you are locally based, having a web presence will open your business up to new markets outside your local area, giving people from across the world the chance to browse your products or services.

A well-designed website will make your business appear more professional. In fact, a well-considered website can fool customers into thinking your business is larger than it is and could even level the playing-field between your business and its more established competitors.

If you're starting a business on a shoestring, the costs of putting together a website will be cheaper than buying or renting premises, and could attract business from further afield than a high-street based business would.

Feedback is often a difficult thing to attain and more often than not, feedback on your business will be limited to the negative. The internet allows you to enter into a dialogue with your customers, though: use surveys, questionnaires and feedback forms on your website to do market research and find out exactly what your customers' expectations are.

What your website needs to do

Your website needs to give an idea of exactly what your business does. The look and feel of the website, the images you choose and the text will all contribute to this - but avoid baffling language or words such as 'solution' which don't really mean anything : if customers can't work out what you do, it's unlikely they'll stick around to find out.

It might sound obvious, but many business owners forget to include information about the business, such as contact details or opening hours, on their websites. For many customers, your website will be their first port of call to find out where your business is located - so make sure you include detailed information, including a map.

If you find you're being asked the same questions over and over again, include a 'frequently asked questions' (FAQ) section on your website. Giving your customers quick access to the answers will improve your customer service, as well as saving you time answering the same question again and again.

Including an online shop on your website is a cheap and easy way to target new markets without the hassle - or cost - of opening a store in a new location. As long as you're happy to send the items, customers from across the world can purchase items without being limited to your opening times or physical location.

It's important to keep your website's content fresh. One easy way of keeping your site up-to-date is by including a blog. Write short articles every few days on news and announcements from your industry to show your customers the site is current and to help you get to the top of Google rankings.

Checklist

Use your website to promote your business
A website does away with geographical and time constraints
A professional website can level the playing-field between your business and its competitors
It's cheaper to set up a website than buying or renting premises
The internet allows you to enter into a dialogue with your customers
Include an FAQ to improve your customer service
Include a blog to show your website is up-to-date.

FAQ

How important is the design of my website?

Very. For many of your customers, your website will be their first impression of your business. Your website gives your customers an idea of what the business is about, who it is for and who runs it. You wouldn't go to a business meeting without looking your best - and your website should be exactly the same.

How much should I be looking to spend on a website?

There's no simple answer to this - the functionality of websites can vary enormously. You can get packages such as Mr Site which allow you to design and produce your own website for around £100, while a well-designed, basic site could cost you up to £5,000. See our Ignite pricing page for a cost effective all in one online business tool.

Jargon buster

Hosting: When you create a website, it needs to be 'hosted' on a web server so people can access it. Hosting packages usually come as part of the bundle when you buy your web space.

Domain name: A website's domain name is its address - anything which comes after the 'www'. This can be any combination or letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores, and usually ends with something like '.com' or '.co.uk'.

Blog: A blog, or 'weblog', is a sort of online journal with entries chronicling the user's experiences or opinions on news or current affairs. Blogs are easy to create and maintain - because of this, many businesses opt to make the blog the main component of their website.

What can you do to boost your search engine ranking ?

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Thursday, November 18, 2010

Nov 18

Search engine optimisation (SEO) isn't all metatags and linkbacks - using your keywords and phrases frequently but sensibly and in the right places on your website help to optimise your website and allow Google, Yahoo and other search engines to recognise which search results you want it included in. Read More >>>

10 ways to improve your online store

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Friday, May 28, 2010

May 28

The e-commerce marketplace is a very competitive one and a rival site is never more than a click away. If you want to attract and retain customers, you need to make sure that your site is as usable as possible. Read More >>>