Starting an Online Business All-In-One for Dummies (For Dummies)

The 21st century marketplace is online. Now that you've decided to start a business there, you need a business partner to help you make the most of the medium. Try this book! From developing a business plan to designing your Web site to handling accounting to marketing through social media, this friendly guide is packed with the up-to-date info you need to make your online business boom.

• Get started — think like a netrepreneur, evaluate your idea, build a business plan, and stay legal

• Claim a name — choose the perfect domain name and learn to create a killer Web site

• Go to work — determine a revenue model, establish payment options, manage your inventory, and fill orders efficiently

• Plan for security — know the risks, develop a security plan, and learn how to handle an attack

• Drum up business — market your company via search engine optimization, advertising, blogs, and social media

• Storefront advantages — explore storefront options from Amazon, Yahoo!, and eBay

• Find your niche — consider products and services tailored to a particular customer base

• For nonprofits too — see how your organization can boost awareness and raise funds online

Open the book and find:

• Ideas for funding your online start-up

• Tips on trademarks and copyrights

• Ways to help your customers find you

• How to move your brick-and-mortar customers online

• What mobile commerce can do for you

• Instant e-commerce solutions to try

• Hints for maximizing social media

• Ways to breathe new life into a tired business

11 Books in 1

• Online Business Basics

• Legal and Accounting

• Web Site Design

• Online and Operating

• Internet Security

• Boosting Sales

• Retail to E-Tail

• Storefront Selling

• Fundraising Sites

• Niche E-Commerce

• E-Commerce Advanced

Whether you've thought of starting an online business or you're already selling online, this update to a bestseller presents invaluable advice for getting--and keeping--online customers. Covering everything from creating a business plan and building a customer-friendly site to marketing with Facebook and Twitter, this fun and friendly guide features eleven minibooks that cover online business basics, legal and accounting matters, website design, online and operating issues, Internet security, techniques for boosting sales, storefront selling, fundraising sites, niche e-commerce, and more.

• Updated to include coverage of the latest online marketing tools, techniques, and trends
• Includes coverage?of how to use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Yelp to reach your customers as well as expanded coverage of mobile marketing
• Explains how your location can actually bring new customers to you
• Details ways to build a business plan that translates your ideas into a profitable enterprise
• Shares advice for choosing software to help you manage taxes, balance sheets, and other accounting chores; using PR and advertising tools that best promote your business online, including Google AdWords; and create a website that helps your business make money

Discover why "online entrepreneurship" means more than just building a website. Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies breaks down everything the budding entrepreneur needs to know to be successful online and keep your customers coming back for more.?

Joel Elad operates NewComix.com, an online business he began in 1998, and contributes to Entrepreneur magazine and SmartBiz.com.

Book I: Online Business Basics 7

Chapter 1: Starting from Scratch 9

Chapter 2: Turning Internet Dreams into Reality 17

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

Chapter 4: Finding Money to Fund Your Online Start-Up 39

Chapter 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Web Site and Your Customers 57

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

Book II: 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 103

Chapter 4: Accounting for Taxes (and Then Some) 111

Book III: Web Site Design 133

Chapter 1: What's in a (Domain) Name? 135

Chapter 2: Designing Customer-Friendly Sites 149

Chapter 3: Building a Site without Spending a Fortune 165

Chapter 4: Finding the Host with the Most 187

Chapter 5: Writing Content that Search Engines Want to See 195

Chapter 6: Lights, Camera, Action! Taking Your Site Live 205

Book IV: Online and Operating 213

Chapter 1: Determining Your Revenue Model 215

Chapter 2: Making Money with Affi liate Programs 239

Chapter 3: Turning Information into Profit, from e-Books to Webinars 249

Chapter 4: Paying with the Right Payment Options 263

Chapter 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse 273

Chapter 6: Taking Inventory 285

Chapter 7: Fulfilling Expectations and Orders 293

Book V: Internet Security 315

Chapter 1: Understanding Security and Your Risks 317

Chapter 2: Developing a Security Plan 329

Chapter 3: Attacked! What to Expect from the Net-Thief 341

Chapter 4: Securing Your Site and Your Business 355

Chapter 5 : Overcoming Security Concerns in the Wireless World 365

Book VI: Boosting Sales 373

Chapter 1: Driving Traffic, Driving Sales 375

Chapter 2: Special-Edition Public Relations for the Web 383

Chapter 3: Web Marketing at Work 397

Chapter 4: Converting Browsers to Buyers 423

Chapter 5: Analyzing and Monitoring Your Customers 445

Chapter 6: Mastering Search Engines, Optimization, and Rankings 469

Book VII: Retail to E-Tail 491

Chapter 1: Knowing When to Put Your Store Online 493

Chapter 2: Understanding the Differences between In-Store and Online Customers 507

Chapter 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display 515

Chapter 4: Making In-Store Customers Loyal Online Shoppers 523

Chapter 5: Expanding Close to Home with Localization and Mobile Marketing 531

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting the Transition to E-Tail 543

Book VIII: Storefront Selling 553

Chapter 1: Instant E-Commerce with Storefronts 555

Chapter 2: Mastering the Amazon 563

Chapter 3: Let's Hear It for Yahoo! 577

Chapter 4: Making eBay THE Way 593

Chapter 5: New Storefronts, New Opportunities 613

Book IX: Fundraising Sites 633

Chapter 1: Raining Donations: Why Not-for-Profit Is Big Business Online 635

Chapter 2: Adding Online Moneymakers to an Existing Site 643

Chapter 3: Getting the Donor Base to Come to You 659

Chapter 4: More Online Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits 669

Chapter 5: Legal Considerations for Nonprofit Organizations 679

Book X: Niche E-Commerce 687

Chapter 1: Discovering Niche Markets 689

Chapter 2: Identifying Niche Markets That Keep Paying: Kids, Boomers, Pets, and More 695

Chapter 3: Blogging for Profit 711

Chapter 4: Learning to Spot and Capitalize on E-commerce Trends 727

Book XI: E-Commerce Advanced 737

Chapter 1: Overhauling Your Business 739

Chapter 2: Redesigning to Win New Customers 749

Chapter 3: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales 765

Chapter 4: Nurturing (and Bringing Back) Customers 775

Chapter 5: Revisiting Marketing Strategies 785

Chapter 6: Hiring Experts to Get Business Rolling Again 803

Chapter 7: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business 815

Index 829