Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies

THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAM OF STARTING AND RUNNING AN ONLINE BUSINESS!

With the right knowledge and resources, you can take action to start the online business you’ve been dreaming of. This comprehensive guide provides tips and tricks for turning your dream into a reality.

The sixth edition of Starting an Online Business: All-in-One For Dummieswill teach you the basics and beyond. It will prepare you to set up your business website, offer your products in an online store, and keep accurate books. The authors help you navigate the primary legal, accounting, and security challenges related to running an online business.

* Fund your business for success and future growth
* Use SEO strategically to drive traffic to a well-designed site
* Market your business effectively as an entrepreneur
* Stand out, build customer relationships, and sell on social media
* Keep up with ecommerce trends to stay a step ahead

With some guidance, you can find your market niche, create a business plan, and decide on a revenue model. Then, it’s time to set up shop! Starting an Online Business can help bring your dream of an online business to life and guide you on the road to success.

SHANNON BELEW is a nationally recognized digital marketing strategist, speaker and consultant for B2B brands, and leads an engagement marketing team for a global infrastructure software company.

JOEL ELAD is the head of Real Method Consulting, where he provides consulting and advice for e-commerce companies and entrepreneurs. Introduction 1

BOOK 1: START-UP ESSENTIALS 5

Chapter 1: Starting from Scratch 7

Chapter 2: Turning Ideas into a Viable Internet Business 17

Chapter 3: Getting Real: Creating a Usable Business Plan 31

Chapter 4: Funding Your Online Business 39

Chapter 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Website and Customers 57

Chapter 6: Setting Up Shop: What You Need for Online Efficiency 67

BOOK 2: LEGAL AND ACCOUNTING 83

Chapter 1: Minding the Law 85

Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Foundation: From Partnerships to Corporations 95

Chapter 3: The Trademark-and-Copyright Two-Step 105

Chapter 4: Accounting for Taxes (and Then Some) 113

BOOK 3: WEBSITE FUNCTIONALITY AND AESTHETICS 135

Chapter 1: What’s in a (Domain) Name? 137

Chapter 2: Designing for User Experience 151

Chapter 3: Building a Site Without Spending a Fortune 169

Chapter 4: Serving Up Your Site 189

Chapter 5: Developing Content That Satisfies Visitors and Search Engines 199

Chapter 6: Going Beyond Beta and Launching Your Site 213

BOOK 4: ONLINE AND OPERATING 223

Chapter 1: Determining Your Revenue Model 225

Chapter 2: Making Money with Affiliate Programs 245

Chapter 3: Turning Information into Profit: From E-Books to Webinars 257

Chapter 4: Paying with the Right Payment Options 269

Chapter 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse 281

Chapter 6: Taking Inventory 295

Chapter 7: Fulfilling Expectations and Orders 305

BOOK 5: MANAGING SECURITY RISKS 325

Chapter 1: Understanding Security and Your Risks 327

Chapter 2: Developing a Plan: Security and Business Continuity 337

Chapter 3: Spotting and Thwarting Hackers and Net-Thieves 351

Chapter 4: Locking Down Your Site and Your Business 369

BOOK 6: ONLINE MARKETING BASICS 377

Chapter 1: Jump-Starting Traffic and Driving Sales 379

Chapter 2: Your Own Public Relations for the Web 397

Chapter 3: Web Marketing at Work 411

Chapter 4: Converting Browsers to Buyers 435

Chapter 5: Analyzing and Monitoring Your Customers 451

Chapter 6: Mastering Search Engines, Optimization, and Rankings 473

BOOK 7: RETAIL TO E-TAIL 493

Chapter 1: Expanding Online to Keep and Grow Customers 495

Chapter 2: Managing the Differences between In-Store and Online Commerce 513

Chapter 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display 525

Chapter 4: Revving Up with Mobile Marketing, Social Media, and More 535

Chapter 5: Troubleshooting the Transition to Online Retail 553

BOOK 8: E-COMMERCE FUNDAMENTALS 565

Chapter 1: Starting Up with E-Commerce Functionality 567

Chapter 2: Mastering the Amazon 577

Chapter 3: Web-ify Your Store with Shopify 589

Chapter 4: Making eBay THE Way 607

Chapter 5: Posting Pictures for Profit 625

BOOK 9: E-BUSINESS FOR NONPROFITS 645

Chapter 1: Raining Donations: Fundamentals for Online Giving 647

Chapter 2: Adding Online Moneymakers to an Existing Site 657

Chapter 3: Growing an Active Donor Base: Your Virtual Community 673

Chapter 4: Identifying Online Marketing Strategies That Fit the Cause 683

Chapter 5: Legal Considerations for Nonprofit Organizations 693

BOOK 10: E-COMMERCE TRENDS AND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES 701

Chapter 1: Discovering Niche Markets 703

Chapter 2: Building Business via Social Commerce 709

Chapter 3: Evaluating the SaaS Model: Selling Software and Apps 729

Chapter 4: Generating Opportunities through the Generations: Millennials, Boomers, and Beyond 741

BOOK 11: E-COMMERCE ADVANCED 759

Chapter 1: Mapping the Digital Buyer’s Journey 761

Chapter 2: Getting Personal with Content Marketing 771

Chapter 3: Listening to the Voice of the Customer 789

Chapter 4: Overhauling an Aging Online Business 805

Chapter 5: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales 819

Chapter 6: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business 829

Index 845