Starting a eCommerce Business

Author: Exact Abacus Ltd

So you want to start trading online and create booming eCommerce business. Maybe you have a existing bricks and mortar business and want to take it online or you simple have an idea for great web business, but how do you start a eCommerce business?

Understand Your Market

As with any new business venture you need to understand market you operate in and this adage is also true of eCommerce. Your first port of call should be to determine if people are search for your product or service, so how should you do this.
Start my compiling a list of 20 keywords to describe your most popular products of services and then enter these phreases in Google's Keyword Traffic Tool. From hear you'll get a feel to see if there are enough people only searching for you services or products to make a viable business, low traffic numbers are fine as long as your product or service value is high enough.

eCommerce Software

Any good business is built on strong foundations which is for many businesses eCommerce software. As prices can from anything from a few thousands to 10's even hundreds of thousands of pounds it's important to set out early your requirements this well help your ecommerce provider provide you with a accurate quote.
Whatever your budget though there are a few key points to bear in mind when choosing ecommerce software:

• Select a eCommerce system that will easily integrated with other top of the range products for merchandising, search, basket conversion and not tie you into a ‘closed system'.
• A built in or integrated back office software. Having a system which integrates CRM, warehouse management systems and stock control software means you only have to manage your business in one location.
• SEO and CMS: Make sure the content management system (CMS) it setup to allow you to edit elements such as meta descriptions and page titles is essential for search engine optmisation SEO, additionally you should be able to edit text content easily from a website content management system.
• PCI Compliant – the software should have secure integration with a proven payment gateway that supports ‘token' authorisations and settlement

Marketing Your Website?

Simply having a eCommerce website is enough as with any business you have to market it. Depending on your budget there are multiple marketing channels available the most common being Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click Marketing (PPC) and Social Media. What should you be doing yourself and what be employing an agency to handle?

SEO:

The basics of Search Engine Optimisation can be applied easily with a little knowledge but depending on how competitive your market it may be worth employing an SEO agency who versed in more advanced techniques to make you're your website is visible for the keyword phrase which drive will drive paying customer to your website. If finances are tight, many agencies also provide SEO consultancy services to support your own SEO effort allowing you to tap into the expert knowledge they provide.
It also important to understand that with any SEO campaign it takes time, anything between 6-12 months so make sure you build factor into your business plan as although cost effective it will take time to see a return on investment from SEO.

PPC

Platforms such as Google AdWords and Bing/Yahoo Advertising can allow you send instant traffic to your website which can generate revenue, which can provide vitial while your SEO campaign gains traction. If incorrectly setup a PPC campaign can result in you spending your entire months budget in a matter of hours with little return.
Often the best course of action for many business owners looking at Pay Per Click Marketing (PPC) is to employee PPC Agency to manage their account. A good agency will insure you budget is only spent on keywords which make month driving a real ROI.
You also need to be realistic budget in some markets minimal budget of less £1,000 won't provide much scope and can be spend in days or even hours. Be prepared to commit even if its over a month or two some budget, a good PPC marketing company should at least break even in the first month and start showing returns in the 2nd month.

Social Media

Social Media is simply that... Social. It allows you to interact with those in your network and to connect across various platforms ranging from Twitter and Facebook to Youtube. Social media marketing has many benefits and when carried out correctly can help build a brand both online and offline. At its core social media allows you to interact with your existing and prospective customers to build stronger relationships, whether that is through improving customer service or simply distributing great content
Social Media is best carried out by those who understand your business and with the support of Social Media Marketing agency to guide your activities.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ecommerce-articles/starting-a-ecommerce-business-5375742.html
About the Author
Exact Abacus provide eCommerce software solutions with built in Stock Control, CRM, Supply Chain Management and Warehouse Management Systems. WIth basic ecommerce only systems starting from only £99pcm.