Recently, I have been getting a lot of comments on past posts from people who want to start their online business and websites and need a little more insight, so I decided to go over some tips for everyone who is at the point where they need to build their website for their business, but need a place to start before jumping into the deep end. Here are 8 points to keep in mind before you indulge in this new business venture.

8 Things You Want To Realize Before You Start Your Dropship Or Wholesale Website

1. Do you know what you want?

Some people might look at this question and quickly answer, “Well, of course I know what I want. I want a successful business that will make me lots of money so I can retire at 45 with my beach house in Cabo San Lucas, and my winter house in Aspen, Colorado.” Okay, so people might not say that exactly, but if you ask that question to most people that are starting a business, their first response usually is geared toward making a lot of money. Who doesn’t want to have a lot of money? However, if you only think that, you’re missing the point. You need something before you can even think about making money. What is that one thing? Happy customers. Without happy customers, your business simply won’t survive, with happy customers, income should ultimately follow.

2. This is going to cost more and take more time than you first anticipated.

Building a business from the ground up is not something that is going to happen overnight. It takes time, patience, money, and usually much more than what people first anticipate. Not getting a huge increase right off the bat is something that people get scared about, and they instantly back out of what they’re doing because their initial dream profit didn’t happen. If you’re willing to put the time and investment into your company, then the rewards will follow. They might not follow immediately, but if you continue to work hard and do the right things to build your business, they should eventually follow.

When it comes to designing your site, if you have a developer making something for you, you can save time and money by having things such as content, pictures, etc. ready for them, so when they’re ready to piece your site together, you’re not wasting time or money putting everything together.

3. Websites aren’t one big piece

If you go to any website, you will notice it’s not just one page and that’s it. Websites are built in pieces, so it’s important when working with a developer or making your own website that you don’t cut any corners when it comes to your site. If it takes a couple extra pages to make something better, but it means that it will be a couple more hours of extra work, it’s worth it.

4. Don’t overload on the glitter

Some people who are just starting out want the most fancy, flashy website they can imagine. They want music, pictures, animation, etc. Just remember that having a flashy website isn’t always going to be the best thing. Yes, people like animation and things like that, but all with moderation. Just remember that when it comes to design or content, content always wins out. So, build a nice website, but don’t forget that what goes in it is the important part.

5. Just because it’s online, doesn’t mean people will come

There are millions of websites active on the internet. Just because you make a website does not mean it will actually have customers or even visitors. Sure, you might have the occasional person who writes exactly the same paragraph that you did on your main page, but how likely is that? This is where things like marketing, social networking, and other methods of attracting customers come into play. If people don’t know that your site even exists, then how are they supposed to come? If you’re not familiar with social networking, you might want to check out these blogs.

6. Don’t build then leave.

Imagine building a house – it took you time, energy, and a lot of planning, but you finally have a nice outcome. What happens if you don’t ever clean the inside of the house or get things replaced that break? Eventually, your beautiful house that you worked so hard on isn’t going to be so beautiful anymore, and the smell coming from each room is going to scare any visitors from saying more than two seconds in your house. Your website is the same – you will spend all this time working on it, making it amazing, but once it’s established you can’t just leave it alone. You want to make sure to update your website on a daily, weekly, or bi-weekly basis. Think about it this way, “How is my target audience changing, and how can I adapt to what they want?”

7. You get what you pay for

If you hire someone to develop your website for you, you’re going to get in return what you invested in. If the person you hired is your neighbor’s daughter’s friend’s brother who learned two lines of HTML but is really good about lifting codes (taking the HTML and CSS work / the design of other websites), and all he does for you is lift codes all day for your $20 paycheck, then what you’re going to get is a poor website that isn’t original, and could cause you a lot of problems when people find out your whole thing was illegally lifted.

8. Don’t start with a CMS right away

For most small businesses that start right off the bat, a Customer Managing System might not be something you need immediately. Wait to invest in a CMS when your customer base builds and you need to have something to handle all your customers. Talk to your web designer about getting something more low key to start off – they might have something they can make in the meantime.

home based business, make money online, online business, selling products online, website design / help