The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources For Starting An Online Business
February 9, 2008
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Lets look at the recipe - the practical tools and resources you’ll need for starting an online business. If you haven’t done so already, you might want to check out part’s 1 and 2 of the series first: Part 1 - The 7 Must Do’s Of Starting An Online Business and Part 2 - The Secret Ingredient of Online Business Success.
And if you’re serious about starting a successful online business, click here to subscribe in a reader, so that you have all these excellent resources at hand. It’s free.
These are the basic resources you’ll need to get started.
Business Planning Resources
You’d be mad to start an online business without a basic plan. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to consist of two things - what your business will look like when it’s complete, and a map of how you’re going to get there. Check out the following business planning resources:
1. The Zen Of Business Plans: Not sure what to put in your online business plan and what you should be leaving out? Then check out The Zen of Business Plans by Guy Kawasaki.
2. Create A Simple Business Plan: You can create a simple business plan free online at Miniplan.com.
A Domain Name
Your website or blog needs a domain name. The domain name is the web address you type in your browser - eg. mine is http://www.cathlawson.com. Use the following resources to help you choose and register a domain name:
3. How To Choose A Domain Name: This article by the Site Wizard shows you what to consider when choosing a domain name. And it discusses the pros and cons of hyphenated domain names and choosing between a .com or a .net etc.
4. Domain Name Generator: Can’t decide on a domain name for your online business? Key in a few words, and Nameboy will fire back some suggestions.
5. Registering a domain name: Once you’ve chosen a domain name, check on www.GoDaddy.com to see if it is available and register it. If your chosen name is not available you may be able to back order.
www.GoDaddy.com also provides alternative suggestions.
Tools To Build A Website:
Starting an online business takes a lot of work, so you’ll need tools that are simple to use to get the job done fast.
5. XSitePro: This software is the fastest and easiest to use site building software I’ve seen. You can read my full review of XSite Pro here to decide if it’s right for you.
6. Site Build It: This isn’t just a website building tool, it’s more like a full online business package. And many of it’s users love it. You can read my full review of Site Build It Here.
Making Your Site Look Pretty:
Check out the following tools and resources to make your site look good.
7. Website Design Tips: Check out these great tips by Entheos for designing a website and making it load faster.
8. Banners/Headers etc: Adobe Photoshop is what I use to make banners, headers etc. The newest version is expensive, but if you have a child or student in your family, you might want to check out the student version of Adobe Photoshop.
9. CSS Design: For some excellent examples of CSS Design, check out CSS ZenGarden.
10. Web Sites That Suck: To Discover what not to do in website design, check out the Top Ten Worst websites online in 2007 at Web Pages That Suck.
11. Learn The Basics Of Website Design: There are some great free tutorials on the basics of website design at Tutorialized.
12. Hosting: Once you’ve built your website, you’ll need a place for your online business to live on the Internet. So you need a hosting account. I prefer Bluehost as you can add extras such as blogs and forums with the touch of a button.
Getting a Wordpress Blog For Your Online Business
If you want a blog to like this one to attach to your website, I recommend wordpress. Check out the following resources to learn how to install and use wordpress:
13. Wordpress Tutorials: Check out these Wordpress tutorials on YouTube, to learn everything from installing Wordpress to inserting images and creating links. Thank you Barbara at Blogging Without A Blog for making me aware of this resource.
14. Instant Installation: If you want to keep your Wordpress installation simple, do what I did and use a host like Bluehost, which has fantastico plugins. This will enable you to install Wordpress with the touch of a button.
15. 5 Ways To Sex Up Your Blog: Improve your online business blog with these great tips from Performancing.
16. Getting Subscribers For Your Blog: Great article by Skellie on how to get 1050 blog subscribers in three months.
Networking Tips For Your Online Business
17. Build Traffic To Your Site With Social Networking: You’ll want to drive plenty of targeted traffic to your online business. And to do this, you’ll need to learn about social networking. And you can learn all you need to know from Maki at Dosh Dosh - The King of Social Networking. His great resources include: Social Media Marketing In A Nutshell; 48 Social News Websites;
and How To Win The Hearts of Digg Users.
18. Is Networking Online Really That Different: The Duct Tape Marketing Blog discusses business networking online and gives some great tips and advice.
Directories
19. Which Directories To Choose? Once you’ve built your website, you’ll want to list it in a few directories. The trouble is, there’s hundreds out there and some are just not as good as others. Astrit at SEO Optimisation narrows it down for you, by focusing on the handful of directories you should consider submitting to.
20. Getting Listed In DMOZ: The most important directory to get your site listed in is DMOZ. But, speak to a few webmaster about DMOZ and you’ll soon discover that getting listed is about as easy as hopping ten miles with a small hippo strapped to your back. Check out 5 Basic Tips For DMOZ Listings at Search Engine Journal and hopefully it will be easier for you.
Starting a Discussion Forum For Your Online Business
21. WikiHow To Start A Forum: Check out this WikiHow Guide for straightforward tips on starting a discussion forum.
22. Admin Zone: If you’re serious about starting a forum for your online business, Admin Zone is a great place to get valuable tips and info.
Writing Content
Content is likely to make up a huge part of your website. Check out the helpful resources below to brush up on your writing skills:
23. Cut The Clutter: Writing coach Joanna Young shares 20 tips to cut your words and help to save the planet.
24. Your Reader Needs To Know These 5 Things: Michael Fortin explains the 5 things your reader needs to know before they’ll buy from your online business.
25. Make Your Headlines Sizzle Cosmo Style: Writing a great headline is essential, if you want people to read your words. Copyblogger explains how to use Cosmopolitan Magazine to find inspiration for your own headlines.
26. 10 Tips For Writing Bookmarkable Content: You’ll want people to come back to your site. So check out these 10 tips to make sure they do, at Daily Blog Tips.
I hope these resources give you a shortcut to starting an online business.
Click here to subscribe to this blog in a reader, so that you don’t miss out on great tips for building your online business. It’s free.
Related Reading
The Secret Ingredient Of Online Business Success
7 Must Do’s Before Starting An Online Business
What Are People Saying About Your Business Online
Online Marketing: The Snowdrop Effect
Comments
21 Responses to “The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources For Starting An Online Business”
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Great list and links.
I’d loved to have chosen a better domain name to make pay-per-click perform better.
smithandjones.com may well be the name of your business, but BetterChocolateCookies.com will work better if that’s what you do.
But pay-per-click is a whole other topic!
Ian Denny’s last blog post..Champion The Wonder Horse Defeats Business Despair In 32 Seconds
Your domain doesn’t always matter for pay per click though. Your headline and what you actually put in the ad are just as important. But making sure each ad is relevant to the search terms is far more important.
It takes time, but it’s worth doing different ads for different keywords than just one ad for all.
[...] Original post by Catherine Lawson’s Business Advice Blog [...]
For weeks now, I’ve been reading you through my feed reader. At least, I’ve been reading the title and two sentences you’ve been posting. Then I move on. (I cannot stand partial feeds).
Today, I nearly fell off my chair to see a full un-cut feed in my reader - thank you, thank you, thank you.
You see, I think you have good stuff to read. Short, snappy, fast, great headlines… but you make me jump through hoops to come read it, and I don’t like that. Nor do many readers.
So what happens is that you get less people reading your content or less click-throughs to your site. I’d be more compelled to come comment and join discussion if I could read and say something right away. Two sentences isn’t enough to make me interested.
Anyways… see? You get a site visitor, one comment, and a relieved reader. Well done, and I *hope* that the full feed wasn’t a mistake that you’ll be cutting again. Keep it the way it is.
(My two cents!)
Hi James - thank you. I’m glad the full feeds inspired you to drop by.
The truth is, I didn’t even realise I had the blog set to partial feeds, until I checked in the reader to see how it was showing up. And I switched it when I saw what was happening!
I’m glad it’s making more people read and thank you for letting me know.
cathlawson’s last blog post..The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources For Starting An Online Business
[...] Original post by Catherine Lawson’s Business Advice Blog [...]
The information you provide… makes me feel like you’re my own personal business coach, mentor-with a touch of guardian angel… all rolled into one!
Thank-you
dawn’s last blog post..Hesitate Now That’s A Subtraction…
Hi Dawn - you are welcome. So long as you’re finding it useful. And don’t forget to email me if you want help with anything else.
And thanks for inspiring the series.
cathlawson’s last blog post..The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources For Starting An Online Business
[...] Thinking about starting an online business? If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve had that thought cross your mind a time or two. Don’t miss Catherine Lawson’s The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources for Starting an Online Business. [...]
Great Practical advice, as usual!
Great post Cath!
RacerX’s last blog post..Be Treated like a Credit Card Superstar
Thank you very much Racer. Glad you liked it.
cathlawson’s last blog post..The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources For Starting An Online Business
Hi Catherine. I loved your comment about “being too old to change professions” on Nick’s article at ProBlogger. It made me grin.
I never knew about that miniplan site is step 2. Looks like a great starting place for entrepreneurs who put off writing a plan.
I also use Photoshop as recommended in step 8. But for those looking to save some cash, Nick’s latest article at http://www.putthingsoff.com has a list of free software alternatives to Adobe.
Your blog tagline is great. Although I must admit I am afraid of making the mistake of not subscribing to your feed…so I’ll go take care of that now.
Hey CathL
Hows it going?
This by far is one of the better posts on building an online business, a buddy of mine has an idea for an online business, but isnt really going to do any work ie any of the above let alone KW research or any of the very basic essentials, maybe i’ll point him in this direction and have him have a read. I’ll be linking to this post in a future post for sure , great read !!!
Great stuff, Catherine!
I’ve done a number of these things and found them very useful. I also bookmarked this so I can try others. Thanks!
Hi Catherine,
You’ve done it again. Another great post, filled with tons of valuable information.
As a loyal reader and commenter on your blog, I can’t thank you enough for sharing such fabulous information and links. You do great research.
I feel honored to have a ink to my blog in this list. For that, I say another thank you!
Barbara’s last blog post..Are Spammers Saying “Gotcha”
Hi Sterling - thanks for finding me - and for your kind words. That link you gave would be useful for those who can’t afford photoshop. It is so expensive when you’re just starting out.
Also, if you have a student in your house, you can get the student version, which is a whole heap cheaper.
Hi Shane - I haven’t spoken to you for ages. Things are going good thank you. Thanks for your compliments on the article and for showing it to your friend. He really does need to do his research first.
Thanks Mrs M - I’m glad you’ve found it useful. I was hoping it would save people a bit of time having the basic resources in one place.
Thank you Barbara - you are too kind. I believe the input and support from loyal commenters like you are even more important to the success of this blog than the actual posts.
cathlawson’s last blog post..The Recipe: 26 Practical Resources For Starting An Online Business
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