If you’re looking for a low-cost way to start a business, an online business can be a good potential option. You could earn a little extra cash with it or even turn it into a career. While making it successful can be challenging, it’s possible.

You have to be mindful of creating a business plan, setting up a website, completing the necessary paperwork, and other essential things. Here are a few secrets to starting an online business.

1. Decide on your product or service.

When considering the kind of product or service your business will provide, you should consider your training, your experience, and your unique abilities. Think about how you can use those combinations of skills to create a service or product that brings value to your customers.

If you have experience as a graphic designer, you can start your own web design business. You should also decide if you want the business to create physical products or be exclusively online.

2. Determine the time you’ll spend on it.

It’s essential to know how much time you have in the day to dedicate to your business. You’ll also need to know how much time it will take to make sure the commodities and services you offer are of good quality. Since most businesses don’t become successful overnight, it’s probably best to start doing it part-time.

Different businesses are more flexible than others. As an example, if you sell crafts, that might allow you to work whenever you want. Other home Internet businesses, like consulting, require you to work on a client’s schedule.

3. Do your research.

Look up the current trends in your field and determine who your competitors are. You should also survey your potential customers in person or by phone to determine if they’d be engaged in the product or service you’re offering. Doing this will give you an idea of whether your business can fill a need that isn’t currently being met.

The primary method to showcase your product and find out if there would be interest in it is at a local market. You can also show it to friends you think would be interested and see the type of response it receives. If you were offering social media management services, you could call businesses to see if they’d be interested in hiring a freelancer.

4. Set a budget.

Depending on the specific type of business you’re offering, the cost of starting it will vary. Let’s say you wanted to start a home-based online magazine store. That would require purchasing inventory. If you were starting a service-based business, that would potentially require less start-up capital.

You’ll have to estimate the amount of money you’ll need for the necessary materials for your business. Regardless of whether you sell services or products, a few general costs are required for most online businesses. Most home Internet businesses need a website.

Web hosting is a service that keeps your website running. The cost of hosting varies based on the size of your site and the technical support that’s offered. Along with web hosting, if you’re not very tech-savvy, you’ll likely need to hire a designer to create your site.

Additionally, most online businesses have to pay for online shopping carts so customers can complete transactions, email marketing services to build an email mailing list, and website maintenance and security.

5. Write a business plan.

Business plans help you stay on track with reaching your goals. A business plan includes the business concept, the market research, the marketing plan, the operations plan, and the financial plan. The business concept describes what your business is and provides a brief description of the market.

The market research describes the target market, the needs of your target market, and who your competitors are. Your marketing plan should outline how you’ll enter the market, how you’ll communicate with your customers, and the way you’ll distribute your service or product.

When writing your operations plan, describe the day-to-day operations, including the steps involving the production of your product or service. Lastly, the financial plan is where you write how you’ll finance the business, what the costs will be, and the estimated revenue that you expect to make.

6. Determine the legal structure

The way your business is structured will have implications for how you’ll need to file your taxes and how much you’ll have to pay. Most small businesses begin as sole proprietorships. They’re easier to set up and require less paperwork. Other legal structures include a partnership, a limited liability company, a corporation, and an S Corporation.

If you’re considering these structures, it may be best to consult an attorney who specializes in Internet law and can guide you to the best design for your business. Additionally, if necessary, you’ll need to register your business name with the state government.

If you are doing business under a name other than your own, you’ll need a DBA, which stands for Doing Business As. Otherwise, if you’re working as an independent contractor under your name, you won’t need one.

DBAs are usually registered through a county clerk’s office or your state government. The process can vary between different states, but the registration process will typically take a few minutes to complete. Be sure also to determine if you’ll need a tax identification number.

If you’re a sole proprietorship, you’ll generally use your social security number, but there are a few cases in which you’ll be required to get a tax ID number, such as if you plan to hire employees.

7. Get the necessary permits or licenses.

It’s possible you won’t need any licenses or permits, but it’s essential to check. If a particular business you run requires you to have access or support and you operate without one, you’ll potentially get fined or penalized.

Some cities require “Home Occupation Permits” that enable an individual to operate a business from home. Be sure to verify with your state and your city if there are any license or permit requirements for operating the online business you’re running.

8. Use SEO to get your website seen in searches

Getting your online website visible to large audiences will be an essential part of its success. Search engine optimization (SEO) improves your site to show up at the top of searches on Google. The unique way to perform this is by hiring a company that specializes in SEO. If you plan to do some of it on your own, there are a few tips you should keep in mind.

Be sure to put keywords in the copy on your website. Think about words or phrases that you know your customers will use to search for your product or service. You can also utilize the Google Keyword Tool to find phrases that are similar to include on your main page and during your site.

Additionally, add links to sites that you think your customers might be interested in. Links into and out of your site are another factor in how high you’ll rank in searches. Make sure to update your site regularly, as this can potentially help your website rise higher in search rankings.

A different approach to doing this is by writing a blog twice a week and using keywords whenever possible. If you do not have time to write much, consider adding pictures regularly. You can use website analytics, such as Google Analytics, to monitor the effectiveness of your website’s search engine optimization.

9. Look into pay-per-click advertising.

If you’re looking to bring people to your business website quickly, one way to potentially do that is through pay-per-click advertising. You can target specific geographical areas with keyword searches.

It’s essential to be sure that you’re targeting the right audience. Clicks will cost money, and if most of the visitors leave without purchasing your product or service, you’ll lose money. Google Ads and Facebook are two significant advertisers you can consider.

By using Google Ads, your ads will appear on the search engine results page when someone enters a particular search term. With Facebook, your ads will appear in the newsfeed to a specific audience you select based on age, location, sex, and interests. Knowing your target market will be vital in creating an ad campaign with a good chance of success.

10. Have a social media presence

It’s estimated that Americans spend about one out of every seven minutes on social media. That represents a huge marketing opportunity. Focus on the social media platform that your customers are most likely to be on.

You can create a Facebook page to grow your audience and connect with them. With Twitter, you can focus on consistently sharing information about your services and products.

When using Instagram, post photos of your products or pictures related to the service you’re providing. YouTube can be useful for creating content that markets your business while also educating your customers.

Starting an online business takes work, but when done successfully, it has the potential to be a very lucrative opportunity. All of these secrets can be useful ways to help make your online business successful. One other thing you should be sure to learn about is calculating sales tax, as this will be something you’ll have to start paying.