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Doing business online? That's how you start!

If you're new to the world of online business, it's easy to waste huge amounts of time, energy, and money trying to figure out how to start your business, and perhaps more importantly, how to make it successful. You can start a profitable business even as a beginner and it is not as difficult as you may think. There are only seven easy steps to start making money online.

Start with an idea
Everything starts with an idea. To do business online, you need to find the type of business you are going to start. Maybe you already have an idea, but maybe not yet. A good question here is:How can you figure out what the best type of business is for you? Start by making a list of all the things you are good at and enjoy. Also check whether doing business online is an option for this. And more importantly, is this something many people are interested in?

Choose a good company name
Choosing a name for your business isn't always easy. In general, good company names are somewhat descriptive of what the company does or sells. It is also common to use your own name. While this is a good formula to start with, if you think about it a little more, you can come up with something much better. But don't think too long. Give yourself 1-2 weeks to pick the name if you're really stuck. Otherwise you will quickly spend months on it and the start will be postponed all the time. Once you have the name, register your domain name for your future website right away.

Build your own website
Having a website built by a web design company can be quite expensive, especially if you also have to maintain the website. Fortunately, building a website yourself has become a bit easier today. Most small business owners are jack-of-all-trades, and can do this themselves. You really don't need any education or technical skills for this.

Set up social media accounts Whatever industry you are in, you need to learn how to use social media as part of your marketing strategy. Be it Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram, you need to master at least two of these platforms. And make sure that the content you post is of high quality and that you publish it consistently.

Use a newsletter to keep visitors coming back
In addition to social media, a newsletter is one of the most important assets you have when growing an online business. Your newsletter will be your most direct form of contact with your target audience. After all, they have given you permission to send them an email. Everyone who visits your website and signs up for the newsletter is interested in your product or service. And there is no better tool than email to keep visitors coming back to your website.

Promote your business
It doesn't matter how beautiful your website looks, or how good your products or services are, or how great your prices are...if no one knows your business, no one will visit your website. If no one visits your website, you will not make any money. A business that doesn't make money is really just a hobby. That's why you need a marketing strategy to make sure your target audience is aware of your business. Look for ways to actively promote your business through online advertising, social media, and old-fashioned word of mouth. Another way to get more traffic to your website is through blogging. You write useful content and search engines pick it up and send people to your website.

Take the first step
Starting and growing a successful online business doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to plan, launch and build your business. The most important step you can take is to actually take action. Don't spend too much time thinking just get started. Take baby steps every day, learn from your results and improve over time. Good luck!