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Starting an Online Business
A L L - I N - O N E
Starting an Online Business
A L L - I N - O N E
5th Edition
by Shannon Belew and Joel Elad
Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 5th EditionPublished by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016959686
ISBN 978-1-119-31552-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-31553-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-31554-4 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents at a GlanceIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Book 1: Start-Up Essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5CHAPTER 1: Starting from Scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7CHAPTER 2: Turning Ideas into a Viable Internet Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17CHAPTER 3: Getting Real: Creating a Usable Business Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31CHAPTER 4: Funding Your Online Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41CHAPTER 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Website and Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59CHAPTER 6: SettingUpShop:WhatYouNeedforOnlineEfficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Book 2: Legal and Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83CHAPTER 1: Minding the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85CHAPTER 2: Choosing the Right Foundation: From Partnerships to Corporations . . . . . . . . . 95CHAPTER 3: TheTrademark-and-CopyrightTwo-Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103CHAPTER 4: Accounting for Taxes (and Then Some) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Book 3: Website Functionality and Aesthetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135CHAPTER 1: What’s in a (Domain) Name? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137CHAPTER 2: Designing for User Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151CHAPTER 3: Building a Site Without Spending a Fortune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169CHAPTER 4: Finding the Host with the Most . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193CHAPTER 5: DevelopingContentThatSatisfiesVisitorsandSearchEngines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201CHAPTER 6: GoingBeyondBetaandLaunchingYourSite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Book 4: Online and Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223CHAPTER 1: Determining Your Revenue Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225CHAPTER 2: MakingMoneywithAffiliatePrograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249CHAPTER 3: TurningInformationintoProfit:FromE-BookstoWebinars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261CHAPTER 4: PayingwiththeRightPaymentOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275CHAPTER 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285CHAPTER 6: TakingInventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301CHAPTER 7: FulfillingExpectationsandOrders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Book 5: Managing Security Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331CHAPTER 1: UnderstandingSecurityandYourRisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333CHAPTER 2: DevelopingaPlan:SecurityandBusinessContinuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343CHAPTER 3: Spotting and Thwarting Hackers and Net-Thieves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357CHAPTER 4: Locking Down Your Site and Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Book 6: Online Marketing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387CHAPTER 1: Jump-StartingTrafficandDrivingSales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389CHAPTER 2: Your Own Public Relations for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403CHAPTER 3: Web Marketing at Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417CHAPTER 4: ConvertingBrowsersto Buyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443CHAPTER 5: AnalyzingandMonitoringYourCustomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463CHAPTER 6: MasteringSearchEngines,Optimization,and Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
Book 7: Retail to E-Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509CHAPTER 1: Expanding Online to Keep and Grow Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511CHAPTER 2: ManagingtheDifferencesbetweenIn-StoreandOnlineCommerce . . . . . . . . . 529CHAPTER 3: WindowDressingfortheOnlineDisplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541CHAPTER 4: MakingIn-StoreCustomersLoyalOnlineShoppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549CHAPTER 5: Revving Up with Mobile Marketing, Social Media, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559CHAPTER 6: Troubleshooting the Transition to Online Retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
Book 8: E-Commerce Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589CHAPTER 1: StartingUpwithE-CommerceFunctionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591CHAPTER 2: MasteringtheAmazon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601CHAPTER 3: Web-ifyYourStorewith Shopify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613CHAPTER 4: MakingeBayTHEWay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Book 9: E-Business for the Nonprofit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647CHAPTER 1: Raining Donations: Fundamentals for Online Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649CHAPTER 2: AddingOnlineMoneymakerstoanExistingSite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659CHAPTER 3: GrowinganActiveDonorBase:YourVirtualCommunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677CHAPTER 4: IdentifyingOnlineMarketingStrategiesThatFittheCause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689CHAPTER 5: LegalConsiderationsforNonprofitOrganizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699
Book 10: E-Commerce Trends and Market Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707CHAPTER 1: Discovering Niche Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709CHAPTER 2: Building Business via Social Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717CHAPTER 3: Evaluating the SaaS Model: Selling Software and Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737CHAPTER 4: Generating Opportunities through the Generations: Millennials,
Boomers,andBeyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747
Book 11: E-Commerce Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763CHAPTER 1: MappingtheDigitalBuyer’sJourney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765CHAPTER 2: Getting Personal with Content Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775CHAPTER 3: ListeningtotheVoiceof theCustomer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793CHAPTER 4: Overhauling an Aging Online Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809CHAPTER 5: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823CHAPTER 6: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Foolish Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Icons Used in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3BeyondtheBook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Where to Go from Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
BOOK 1: START-UP ESSENTIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CHAPTER 1: Starting from Scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7What Are You Waiting For? Start Your Business Now! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Choosing Just the Right Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Creatingonlinebusinessesfortodayandtomorrow . . . . . . . . . . .10Findingabusinessthat’syourtype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
CHAPTER 2: Turning Ideas into a Viable Internet Business . . . . . . 17Thinking Like an Online Entrepreneur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17PuttingYourBusinessIdeaUnder the Microscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Usinginformalresearchtoverifyyouridea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20ApplyingaSWOTanalysistoyouridea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Creatingafeasibilitystudytovalidateanidea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
IdentifyingYourMarketand Target Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Classifyingyourcustomer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Going to the source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
CompetingtoWin:AnalyzingYour Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
CHAPTER 3: Getting Real: Creating a Usable Business Plan . . . . . 31Understanding the Value of a Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31RecognizingThatthePartsofthePlanMakeaWhole . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Getting Help to Write the Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Determining when to hire a professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Knowing what to expect from a business plan consultant . . . . . . .36
UsingaBusinessPlanToday,Tomorrow,andAlways . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
CHAPTER 4: Funding Your Online Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Bootstrapping the Low-Cost, No-Cost Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Makingtheleaptothebootstrappinglifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Savingmoneytomakemoney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Table of Contents vii
viii Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Getting resourceful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Looking at the pros and cons of bootstrapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Finding the Perfect Investor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Turningtoyourfriendsandfamily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Finding angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Venturing into the world of venture capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Checking Out Alternative Financing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Taking a Shortcut: Purchasing an Existing Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
CHAPTER 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Website and Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Taking Care of Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Ipledgetoyou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Put it in writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Putting Policies in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Privacypolicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61User agreement or terms and conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Shippingpolicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Returnpolicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Safetyforyoungusers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Other online policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Delivering On Your Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
CHAPTER 6: Setting Up Shop: What You Need for Online Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67A Floor Plan for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Must-Have Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Make form follow function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70Revving up with a powerful computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Tools for Your Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76Searching for a web browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77Sending and receiving messages with e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77Using document-viewing software and other useful applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Your Essential Software Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Connectivity:Today’sInternetOptionsandMore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
BOOK 2: LEGAL AND ACCOUNTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
CHAPTER 1: Minding the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Keeping Your Business Legal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Federaltaxidentificationnumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Resalecertificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Business bank account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Employeeforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Table of Contents ix
Zoning for Business (at Home) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Obtaining Business Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
CHAPTER 2: Choosing the Right Foundation: From Partnerships to Corporations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95StrategizingfortheBestOrganization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Operating Alone as a Sole Proprietor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Fictitious name registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Husband and wife sole proprietorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Sharing the Load with a Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98LimitedLiabilityCompany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99MakingItOfficialwithIncorporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Differentflavorsofcorporations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100The choice to incorporate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
ChangingYourOrganizationasItGrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
CHAPTER 3: The Trademark-and-Copyright Two-Step . . . . . . . . . . . 103UnderstandingWhyTrademarksandCopyrightsMatter . . . . . . . . . .103Making Your (Trade)Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104ProtectingYourInvestmentwith Copyrights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Establishing Registration Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Gettingyourtrademark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107Filingforcopyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Retaining Professional Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
CHAPTER 4: Accounting for Taxes (and Then Some) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111TheTaxManCometh —AgainandAgain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Income tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112Employmenttax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Sales tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
BytheNumbers:AccountingBasics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Determining periods and methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Andnow,yourbalancesheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118A quick glimpse: The P&L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
ChoosingSoftwaretoMakeYourTasksEasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122Going online? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122Whatsizeareyou? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Howmuchdoyouwanttopay? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Doyouneedsupport? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Hiring a Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Recognizingthatittakesalltypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Knowingwhattoexpectfromyourtaxprofessional . . . . . . . . . . .126Findinglikelycandidates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127Choosingthebestpersonforyou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
x Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Following the Rules of Recordkeeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130Dealing with all the paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130Storing records: How long is long enough? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
BOOK 3: WEBSITE FUNCTIONALITY AND AESTHETICS . . . 135
CHAPTER 1: What’s in a (Domain) Name? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137ChoosingYourOnlineIdentity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Approachingyourdomainnamecarefully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138Determiningthebestdomainnameforyou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Registering the Perfect Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141Whoyougonnacall? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141Let’smakeitofficial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
FindingOutWhattoDoWhenSomebodyGetsThereFirst . . . . . . . .144Exploringyourdomainnameoptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144Gettingwhatyouwant —ataprice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
All the Good Ones Are (Not) Taken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145Varyingtheextension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146Getting creative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
CHAPTER 2: Designing for User Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Understanding the Customer Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Basicfunctionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152Interactivefunctionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153Enhancedfunctionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
MaximizingPerformanceforProfitability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156GuidingWebsiteTrafficFlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158Looking Your Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Following basic design principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160Making design choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
ChoosingSubstanceOverStyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
CHAPTER 3: Building a Site Without Spending a Fortune . . . . . . . 169Mapping Your Route to a Successful Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
Setting reasonable expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172Avoiding common holdups in developing a site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
You Can Do It! Making a Build-It-Yourself Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175UsingHTML:Theold-fashionedwaytobuildapage . . . . . . . . . . .176Going modern with WordPress, Adobe Dreamweaver, and more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182The pros and cons of using automated site builders . . . . . . . . . . .183
Creating Your Site with the Pros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184Seeking experience: Choosing the right website designer . . . . . .185Comparing apples to apples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
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Speeding up the process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188Keepinganeyeonyourbusinessinterests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
CHAPTER 4: Finding the Host with the Most . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193DifferentiatingbetweenanISPandaHost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193DeterminingWhatMakestheDifferencefor High-Performance Hosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194Sorting Out Your Website Host Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197Putting the Long-Term Contract in the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198Serving Yourself: Don’t Overlook Other Server Options . . . . . . . . . . .199
CHAPTER 5: Developing Content That Satisfies Visitors and Search Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201WordsAreWords —Right?Wrong! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Wordsthatare“key”tosearch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202Beyondkeywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
GettingReadytoWritefortheWeb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Understandingwhoandwhy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Understandingthatpackagingiseverything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Gettingorganized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207Making a list and checking it twice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Moved to Purchase: Turning Words into Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
CHAPTER 6: Going Beyond Beta and Launching Your Site . . . . . . 215Some Things to Know Before You Start Uploading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215TakingtheCompatibilityTest:TestingScreen Resolutions, Browsers, and Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Checking it out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219Testing on Mac, Windows, or whatever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219Keeping people in mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Taking a Trial Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220Three,Two,One —TakeOff! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
BOOK 4: ONLINE AND OPERATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
CHAPTER 1: Determining Your Revenue Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Selling Tangible Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Projectinghowyou’llmakeaprofit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226Manufacturingandsellingyourowngoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227Buyingtangiblegoodsandsellingthemonline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Selling Your Professional Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231Understanding the pros and cons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232Buildingcredibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
xii Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Selling Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235PlacingAdsforProfit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Looking at sites that sell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238Analyzingtrafficpatterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239Choosing ad formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241Estimatingyourrevenuepotential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Managingadspaceinventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244Selling the space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244
EstablishinganAffiliateAdvertisingProgram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245Putting It All Together: Multiple Revenue Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
CHAPTER 2: Making Money with Affiliate Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 249LookingatHowAffiliateProgramsWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
Understandingsomeaffiliateterms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251Typesofaffiliatepayments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252Findinganaffiliateprogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
SigningUpforanAffiliateNetwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254Avoiding Scams and Questionable Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Illegalaffiliations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257Questionableaffiliations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
CHAPTER 3: Turning Information into Profit: From E-Books to Webinars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Creating Your Own Information Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Finding hot topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262Researching the information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263Organizingyourthoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
Providing E-Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266Creating the document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267Distributingyoure-bookone-shelves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
CreatingInformationalVideosforProfit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270Putting Together a Webinar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
Your recording session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272Findingyouraudience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
CHAPTER 4: Paying with the Right Payment Options . . . . . . . . . . . 275AcceptingCreditCardPayments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Securing a merchant account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278Choosingapaymentgateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279Readingthefineprint:Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
OfferingAlternativePaymentOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282ManagingthePaymentProcesstoProtectYourIncome . . . . . . . . . .284
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CHAPTER 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse . . . . . 285Not All Carts Are Created Equal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286
Back-end management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287Customer-centric elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288Integration and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289Promotion and marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290
Shopping Around for the Best Hosted Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2921ShoppingCart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293FoxyCart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293Shopify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295
Finding Stand-Alone Shopping Cart Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297Designing a Custom Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298
CHAPTER 6: Taking Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301Finding Out What’s Popular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302Putting Together All Your Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304Pricing Your Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305BuildingYourInventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306
Stocking up as a low-price leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307Becoming all things to all people with trial-and-error inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307Specializingwithlimitedinventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308
CHAPTER 7: Fulfilling Expectations and Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309Figuring Out the Logistics of Shipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310DevelopinganIn-HouseFulfillmentModel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311DecidingtoOutsourceFulfillment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312
Finding an outsourcing partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313Establishingyouroutsourcingrelationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315Operatingwithanoutsourcedfulfillmenthouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316Assessingthequalityofthefulfillmentwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318
Shaping Up and Shipping Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319Givingyourcustomersshippingoptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320Setting up accounts with carriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321Creating online postage and labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322Havingitemspickedupfordelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323Shipping international orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324
Maintaining the Back End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Deciding on a database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Using handheld scanners and bar codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328Developingashelvinginventorysystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Feeding orders into the shipping department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329
xiv Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
BOOK 5: MANAGING SECURITY RISKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
CHAPTER 1: Understanding Security and Your Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . 333LegalResponsibility:TheMerchantandtheCustomer . . . . . . . . . . . .334
Avoiding charge backs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334Keepingyourcustomerinformationsecure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
DefiningYourPrivacyPolicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338Keeping Your Website Secure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339DisplayingSealsofApproval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340
CHAPTER 2: Developing a Plan: Security and Business Continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343Making a Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344
Policies and procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344Inventoryandskillsassessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347Riskanalysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349Existingsecuritymeasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351Action plan and backup alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352People, resources, and follow-up communications . . . . . . . . . . . .353
Creating a Budget for Your Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354FindingSecurityResources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .355
CHAPTER 3: Spotting and Thwarting Hackers and Net-Thieves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357FendingOffDenial-of-ServiceAttacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358Deterring Hackers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360Avoiding Viruses and Other Malware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362Keeping Your Domain Name Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364StayingAwayfromE-MailScams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367
Phishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368Pharming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369
MobileSecurityRisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370Understanding How a Wireless LAN Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371Establishing Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .373
Followingyourcommonsense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .373Setting up a virtual private network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375Keepinganeyeonyourconnection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
CHAPTER 4: Locking Down Your Site and Your Business . . . . . . . 377Protecting against Personal Data Loss and Credit Card Fraud . . . . . .377
Minimizingyourfinanciallosses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378Protectingcustomers’privacyandfinancialdata . . . . . . . . . . . . . .380
Backing Up Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .382Adding Firewalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384
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BOOK 6: ONLINE MARKETING BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
CHAPTER 1: Jump-Starting Traffic and Driving Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . 389DefiningKeyElementsforDigitalMarketingSuccess . . . . . . . . . . . . .390GettingtoKnowYourBuyers —ReallyWell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .392
Buyerpersonas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .392Buyingstages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393
Calculating Your Site’s Conversion Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .394FiguringOutWhenYouGettheMostTraffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397Getting Customers to Notice Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .399GettingCustomerstoBuy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400
CHAPTER 2: Your Own Public Relations for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . 403Writing Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .404
Finding the best places to post reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .405Writingthereview,sectionbysection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407
BecomingaCommunityLeader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409Speaking out with video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409Billingyourselfasanexpert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410
Writing Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .412Tailoringyourarticletopics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413Puttingtogetheryourarticle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413Handingoutyourarticles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
CHAPTER 3: Web Marketing at Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417DevelopingaMarketingStrategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418
Devisingyourbrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418Working the brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419
Gaining a Following with Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421Usingsocialmediaproperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .421Determinewhowilladministeryoursocialmediaaccounts . . . .423
Reeling in Customers with Newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426Decidewhowillwriteyournewsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428Decidewhatyournewsletterwillcover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428Decidewhentoissueyournewsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428Decideonaformatforyournewsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429Decidehowtodistributeyournewsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .430
Automating Routine Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .431SearchingforTrafficwithSearchEngineAdvertising . . . . . . . . . . . . .432
Signing up for Google AdWords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .433Decidingwhentousepay-per-click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .438
MarketingYourCompanyOffline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .440
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CHAPTER 4: Converting Browsers to Buyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443GivingCustomersaReasontoStayonYourSite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .444
Providingyourowncontentonyoursite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445Gettingotherpeopletoprovideyourcontent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446
Anticipating Customer Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .447Watching customer logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .448Predicting future purchases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
OrganizingaBuyer-FriendlySite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .450Streamlining the shopping process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451Toning down the bells and whistles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453
Keeping Your Shopping Cart Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .454AvoidingAssumptionsaboutYour Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .456
Asking customers for feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .456Rememberingyourcustomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .458
EncouragingViewerstoBuy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459Offeringdealsandpromotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459Sending one last reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .460
CHAPTER 5: Analyzing and Monitoring Your Customers . . . . . . . . 463Tracking Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .464MeasuringWebsiteTraffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Definingthetermsoftrafficanalysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467Referringtoyouruseracquisitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468Examining viewer behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469Checking abandoned shopping cart logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471Measuringtrafficagainstactivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .472
AnalyzingYourTrafficAnalysisSoftware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473Basicanalysissoftware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473Detailedanalysissoftware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .475Enterprise or big business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476
Collecting the Correct Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476Storing data using cookies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476Addinginformationtoyourlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .477Studyingthepathanalysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
Getting to Know Your Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .479UsingYourDatatoUnderstandYour Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .482
Watchingtrendstofindoutaveragebehavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .482Identifyingareasofimprovement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .483Deciding on a change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484Following up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485
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CHAPTER 6: Mastering Search Engines, Optimization, and Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487Navigating the Ins and Outs of Major Search Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . .488GettingYourWebsiteNoticedbySearchEngines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .490PlacingKeywordsinKeySpotsonYourWebsite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .492
Keywordsthatareinvisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .493Keywordsthatarevisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .496
ArrangingYourPagesStrategically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .498Submitting Your Site to Search Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
Signing up with Google . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499Signing up with Yahoo! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .500Submitting to other search engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .501
Watching Your Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502Moving Up in the Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .504
Knowingwhereyoustand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .505Seeingwhatyourcompetitionisdoing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506Creatingyourownreferrals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .507
BOOK 7: RETAIL TO E-TAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
CHAPTER 1: Expanding Online to Keep and Grow Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511Making the Decision to Move Your Store Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .512Finding the Right Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .515
Taking into account seasonal latitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .515Timingyourlauncharoundanevent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .516Dedicating manpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517
BridgingYourOfflineStorewithYourOnlineStore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .518Findingyouridentity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .518Creating an image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .519Integratingyourshoppingcart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520
Making a Flawless Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520Stage 1: Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521Stage 2: Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .522Stage 3: Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .523
BuildinganInventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524
CHAPTER 2: Managing the Differences between In-Store and Online Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529ComparingOnlineandOfflineCustomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530What Your Online Customers Expect from You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .532
Round-the-clock hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .533Avarietyofpaymentmethods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .533
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Everythingacustomercouldwant,plusthekitchensink . . . . . . .534Haveityourway:Theseamlessshoppingexperience . . . . . . . . .534Details, details, details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .535Methodsforcopingwiththeholidayrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537Superior customer service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .538
Establishing Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .539
CHAPTER 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display . . . . . . . . . . . 541Creating the Right Look for Your Online Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .542Creating the Perfect Shopping Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .543
Organizingyourproductsincategories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .545Offeringasearchfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .545
BeyondWindowShopping:DesignsThatLureTraffic . . . . . . . . . . . . .546
CHAPTER 4: Making In-Store Customers Loyal Online Shoppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549BenefitingCustomers(andYourBusiness)withIn-Store andOnlineSynergy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .550EnticingCustomerstoYourOnlineOffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .551
Publicizingyourwebpresence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .551Displayingyouronlinegoodsin-store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .553Showingshoppersthemoney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .554
Providing a Positive Shopping Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555Keepingfriendly,flexiblepolicies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555Offeringimpeccablecustomersupport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555Enlighteningyourshoppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .556
Making Your Customer the Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .557
CHAPTER 5: Revving Up with Mobile Marketing, Social Media, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559DistinguishingbetweenDifferentTypesofMobileCommerce . . . . .561
Sending text alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .563Distributing mobile coupons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .564Omnichannel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .565
LocalizingwithAds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .566Google AdWords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .567
Social Media Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .569Facebook promotes local retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .569Twitter provides targeted ad options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .572
AlternativeWaystoBoostLocalizedSpending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .574Subscription services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .574In-store pickup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .575
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CHAPTER 6: Troubleshooting the Transition to Online Retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577Handling Returns in the Store from Online Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .577MergingExistingBack-EndSystemswithOnlineRequirements . . . .579
Managinginventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .581Fulfillingandshippingyourorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .581Trackingyourorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .582Maintaining site performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .583
Deciding How to Handle Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .584ExtendingPaymentOptionstoVirtualCustomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .585
Buynow,paylater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .586Check and cash alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .587
BOOK 8: E-COMMERCE FUNDAMENTALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
CHAPTER 1: Starting Up with E-Commerce Functionality . . . . . . 591Knowing What You Want: Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .592
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .592Productmerchandizingandmarketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .594Administration features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .596
RealizingWhatYouCanHave:Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .597Shopping for E-Commerce Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .599
CHAPTER 2: Mastering the Amazon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601Joining the Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .601Achieving Professional Seller Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .609Taking Advantage of Other Selling Opportunities withAmazonaStore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .610
CHAPTER 3: Web-ify Your Store with Shopify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613WhyOpenaShopifyStore? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .614Setting Up Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .615ManagingYourShopifyStore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .618
Constructingyourcatalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .619Opening the doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .623
Selecting a Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .624BasicShopifypackage:Startingout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .624Shopifypackage:Movingup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625AdvancedShopifypackage:Buildingonsolidground . . . . . . . . . .625
Breaking Down the Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625Growing with Your New Business Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .626
Marketing programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .627Customer-relationship management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .627Sales reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .628
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CHAPTER 4: Making eBay THE Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629UnderstandingHoweBayWorks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .630GettingStartedoneBay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .630Setting Up an Item for Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .634
Maintainingyouritemlistings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .638Leavingfeedbackforyourbuyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639
OpeninganeBayStore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .641Setting up shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .643Managingyourstore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .644Becoming a PowerSeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .646
BOOK 9: E-BUSINESS FOR THE NONPROFIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
CHAPTER 1: Raining Donations: Fundamentals for Online Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649DeterminingHowYourOrganizationCanBenefit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .650Convincing Your Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .652
TyingtheInternetstrategyintoyourmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .653Developinganonlinestrategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .653Providingabudget-friendlyproposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .654Offeringcasestudies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .655Recruiting an expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .655Garnering positive peer pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .656Gettingspecific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .656
CHAPTER 2: Adding Online Moneymakers to an Existing Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659Determining Which Features Your Site Can Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . .660
Testingyourbackbone(connections) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .660Decidingonyourcomputerneeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .660Locatingyourserver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .661Processingpayments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .662Tracking back-end modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .663Mappingyoursitestructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .664Determiningstaffingcapabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .665Payingthepiper:Yourbudget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .665
Adding an Auction to Your Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .666Third-partyauctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .666Directauctionswithoutthemiddleman —almost . . . . . . . . . . . . .668
Soliciting Donations on Your Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .669Connecting with online giving sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .669Adding a Donate Now button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672Revving up with mobile giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673
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CHAPTER 3: Growing an Active Donor Base: Your Virtual Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677Building an Online Donor Base from Scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .678
Getyoursitenoticed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .678Engagepassersby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .679Establish a relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681
Putting Together a Plan to Reach Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682Converting the Faithful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .683ReachingOuttoPeopleSurfingforCharities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686
CHAPTER 4: Identifying Online Marketing Strategies That Fit the Cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689Asking for Donations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689
Multiplyingdonationbuttonsonyoursite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .690Passing the hat (pass-alongs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692Buildingpersonalizedpagesforevents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .694Circulatingdonationlinksoffline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .695Cross-promoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .696
MakingDonatingEasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .697
CHAPTER 5: Legal Considerations for Nonprofit Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699DesignatingResponsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .700Creating Online Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .701RegisteringYourCharity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .703Gaining Seals of Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704
Better Business Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704CharityNavigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .705
BOOK 10: E-COMMERCE TRENDS AND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
CHAPTER 1: Discovering Niche Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709Deciding to Sell a Niche Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .709Finding Your Niche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .713
CHAPTER 2: Building Business via Social Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . 717Setting the Virtual Stage for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .717UsingOnlineSocializingtoBuildSocialCommerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720
Facebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .720Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .722LinkedIn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .723Pinterest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .724Visual platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .724
xxii Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Creating Your Own Video Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .726Vloggers and video gamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .726Instructional and premium content videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .728Buildingsocialinfluencefordollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .729
Gathering, Networking, and Promoting: Online Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .732
Review sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .732Social cataloging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .733Presentation platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .735
CHAPTER 3: Evaluating the SaaS Model: Selling Software and Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737Deciding to Deliver Online Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .738Putting the Software in the SaaS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .739UnderstandingtheSaaSModelforMakingMoney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .740Creating Apps for the Mobile Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .743
Getting help developing apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .745Uploading apps for sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .745
CHAPTER 4: Generating Opportunities through the Generations: Millennials, Boomers, and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747UnderstandingtheBabyBoomerMarket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .748
Designingyoursitetoattractagingcustomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .750Keepingbabyboomersbuyingfromyou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .752Findinganicheinthebabyboomermarket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .752
Figuring Out What Millennials Want and Delivering It . . . . . . . . . . . . .754Getting Online with the Digital Kids: Generation Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .756
Attractingaficklecustomer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .758Keeping ’em coming back for more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .759Reeling in the parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .760Reading the small print: Important policies to consider . . . . . . . .761
BOOK 11: E-COMMERCE ADVANCED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763
CHAPTER 1: Mapping the Digital Buyer’s Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765DeconstructingthePathofanOnlineBuyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .766Monitoring the Flipped and Fluid Digital Sales Funnel . . . . . . . . . . . .768PuttingItAllTogether:TheBuyer,the Conversion,theChannel . . . .770
Describingyourbuyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .770Mapping critical conversion points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .771Trackingthesocialbutterflywhoisyourcustomer . . . . . . . . . . . .772
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CHAPTER 2: Getting Personal with Content Marketing . . . . . . . . . 775Delivering the Goods with the Right Content Approach . . . . . . . . . . .776DevelopingBuyerPersonas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .777CreatingContentforStorytellingand Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . .780
Content framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .781Content segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .782Contenttypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .783Aligning content to intent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .784
LaunchingthePersonalizationEffort Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .786Integratingsystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .786Categorization:Onethingisnotliketheothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .788Choosingpersonalizationtools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .790
CHAPTER 3: Listening to the Voice of the Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793UsingVOCtoDeterminetheCustomer Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .794
Typesofcustomerfeedbackthatmatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .796ToolsforcollectingandanalyzingVOCdata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .796
Listening and Taking Action: Time to Redesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798Deciding what to update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .799
Increasing Appeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800Givingyoursiteafreshdesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .801Adding content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .802Creatingausercommunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .803Running a poll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .804
Making Your Website Functional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .805Updatingyourwebsiteinatimelymanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .806Building smart navigation tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .807Buildingyourcustomerhistory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .808
CHAPTER 4: Overhauling an Aging Online Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . 809PayingAttentiontotheSigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .810QualifyingforaMakeoverfromLaggingSales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .813
Increasingthenumberofvisitorstoyoursite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .814Convertingmorevisitorsto(repeat)buyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .816
Reengaging Customers to Spend with You, Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .819Atailor-madeoffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820Atargetedoffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .821
Knowing Where to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .821
CHAPTER 5: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823Figuring Out When to Expand Your Product Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .824
Limited appeal products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .826Limited-use products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .826
xxiv Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Technology-basedproducts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .826Product marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .827Product positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .827Price points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .828Conversion rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .828
ReplacementorExpansion:TheArtofCullingYourInventory . . . . . .829Replacing one product with another . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .829Expandingyourproductline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .830
Finding New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .831
CHAPTER 6: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business . . . . . . . 833Seeking Out the Next Level of Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .833
Expanding the business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .834Acquiring other sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .834Becominganaffiliateorapartner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .835Going international . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .836Bringinginfinancialpartners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .836Going public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .837Passingonyourcompanyandretiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .838Sellingyoursite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .839Sellingyourdomain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .841
Dealing with Accidental Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .843PurposefullyMakingtheNextMove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .845
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
Introduction 1
Introduction
Online businesses have finally found a permanent foothold in today’s marketplace, leaving little doubt that the Internet is not only the conduit for a viable online business model, but is often a necessary tool for build-
ing, managing, and growing any type of business. Even traditional retailers are increasingly seeing their e-commerce sales eclipse in-store sales throughout the year, and especially during major shopping holidays, such as Black Friday.
We are excited about the potential that an online business holds and the fact that e-commerce and digital marketing are now thought of as necessary components of almost any business. Since beginning our own online endeavors, we have had the privilege of meeting and working with a variety of entrepreneurs — people who, much like you, share a dream of finding economic independence by running their own businesses. As you might have guessed, many of them found success on the Internet.
The Internet provides not only a legitimate resource for starting a business that will offer a steady source of income for your family, but also a nearly endless source of ideas and opportunities to market and grow your company. It can even give you the flexibility to work from home, the freedom to work part-time, or the ability to earn an additional source of income to help make your life more enjoyable. And maybe your online business could be the next Amazon, eBay, or Facebook! Almost anything is possible with the Internet, but the pursuit of suc-cess starts with a good idea, a solid business foundation, and an endless amount of determination and hard work.
In this book, we help get you started by sharing with you the knowledge and tools we’ve picked up along the way and by providing you with a few shortcuts to help further your own online endeavors.
About This BookMuch has changed since we wrote the first edition of this book in 2006, but much has stayed the same. Our number-one goal for the book — to cover the many ways you can start or expand a business by using the Internet — is still the same.
2 Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Likewise, many of the basic principles for starting your online business are still tried-and-true methods. For this fifth edition, we took great care to update all the key information that has remained valid in the past few years. Our second goal for the book is to expose you, the reader, to new trends and tools that can be utilized by all types of businesses from nonprofit organizations to traditional retailers. We searched out many of the new opportunities that have recently evolved. For example, the rapidly growing use of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, has forever changed the way businesses must operate online.
It’s hard to believe that the first iPhone debuted in 2007, and mobile traffic was less than 1 percent of all Internet traffic. By contrast, in 2017, mobile traffic accounts for nearly 75 percent of all traffic! Mobility has affected almost every area of online businesses, from site design principles and shopping cart features to downloading mobile applications and making mobile payments. Mobile has also provided new ways to make money online, including mobile apps, which we delve into in this edition of the book.
Similarly, another change that continues to gain momentum and provide online business opportunities is social commerce. Social media networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Instagram, are now staples for both promoting your business and making money. Industry giants such as Amazon pioneered the way in which online shoppers can make purchases directly through Twitter by using special hashtags, and even nonprofit organizations are realizing significant boosts in fundraising dollars thanks to the power of dona-tions through social media. Powering all these platforms and online businesses is the use of content to help drive website traffic (customers). Google continues to emphasize the importance of quality content and rewards those online businesses that follow suit and produce with better search engine rankings. Knowing what type of content visitors want to see and understanding how to deliver it for the best results are now critical parts of managing and growing an online business. It may seem like a lot of information, but don’t worry! All these changes (and more!) are captured in this newest edition of our book.
The book also provides you with details regarding specific online business strate-gies and moneymaking opportunities but also covers basic offline information. It’s the stuff that every small-business owner needs to understand, such as how to apply standard accounting principles and keep up with the legal side of running a business.
Of course, using this book doesn’t guarantee that you will make a lot of money — or any money, for that matter. We provide you with just enough knowledge and inspiration to keep your online business dreams on track. Running a business is hard work and requires persistence, dedication, and perhaps an equal mix of patience and luck.
Introduction 3
Foolish AssumptionsWhile we wrote this book, we assumed a few things about you:
» You’re a smart, inquisitive person who is seeking information about running a business on the Internet.
» You have an entrepreneurial spirit and are a bit of a risk taker — at least in the area of starting a business.
» You may be looking for ways to use the Internet to build an existing bricks-and- mortar business or to increase online donations for a nonprofit organization.
» You’re comfortable using computers and browsing the Internet.
» You use e-mail regularly.
» You’re willing to find out about new technologies.
» You want to use websites and online technologies to build a brand.
» You’re open to the idea of reaching out to others on the Internet using social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Snapchat.
» You want to use the Internet to make money.
» You’ve bought items online and maybe even sold a few things.
Icons Used in This BookThroughout the book, icons call attention to important details.
This friendly reminder serves up important information. Whenever you see this icon, know that this information is something worthwhile to keep in mind as you move forward.
You can usually understand an idea without having to know its behind-the scenes details. Even when we point them out with this icon, feel free to skip them and move on.
Check out this helpful hint. We picked up this information somewhere along the way.
4 Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies
Pay special attention when this icon appears. It could save you from making a fatal error — at least in your online business!
Beyond the BookIn addition to what you’re reading now, this book also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that gives you even more pointers on how to build a loyal online customer base and promote your business through social media. Also check out our list of web resources for online businesses as well as our handy checklist when launching your online business. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Where to Go from HereYou can start reading any section of the book that most interests you or that you think is helpful to you and your business. For example, if you’re starting a busi-ness for the first time, you might want to begin with Book 1. For those needing a boost in marketing or expanding an existing business, you probably want to go directly to the books that discuss those specific topics. However, you should at least browse through every section of this book.
Even if your e-commerce skills are more advanced, it never hurts to have a refresher course on some business basics. Considering that the Internet touches many different aspects of people’s lives, you never know what unexpected tidbits of information you might discover.
If you have questions or comments, you are welcome to share them with us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/ShannonBelew and www.twitter.com/ JoelElad) or connect with us on LinkedIn.
