How To Start Your Own Successful Business On The Internet: Five must-do's to make money online.

by Kevin Nunley

There has never been a better time to start your own business on the Internet. Over half of North Americans now feel comfortable shopping on the Net. An overwhelming number of businesses use Internet commerce as a regular part of their customer service, production, and supply systems.

A well-planned Internet business can expect plenty of customers. Best of all, you don't need big bucks to get into the game. You can start your online empire with a few dollars from the grocery money.

Here are five must-do's for building a profitable online biz in very little time:

1. Get a website that simply and clearly tells visitors about you, your company, and what you can do for them. Customers now expect you to have a website where they can get to know you and study the details of your products and services.

You don't have to be a pro to design your site. There are a number of template-based web design systems that give you very professional looking sites, often for free. They are easy to use and require no experience or knowledge. See the free system (including shopping cart) at JustWebIt.com. Tripod.com, Xoom.com, and Homestead.com are also leaders.

It is especially important to learn how to use a good email program. Good customer service demands it. You can download two top programs free. See Eudora.com for Eudora Lite and Pegasus.usa.com for the Pegasus email program. Paul Myers offers a wonderful free course on how to make the most of email from TalkBiz.com.

2. Develop your own special product. You always earn far more selling your own product than you will selling others' products. It can be a book, software designed especially for you, or some other product that blends with your site's general theme.

Let customers order online with credit cards. It's hard to make an Internet business go without a merchant account. There are many to choose from. Watch for hidden fees that can turn into a heavy monthly burden. One of the best merchant accounts for quality and price is available at Echo-inc.com.

3. Offer a service. This is one of the least understood facts about the Internet. Millions of people come to the Web to find services rather than products. This is especially true of business-to-business customers. A well-priced service can pull in thousands of dollars each month. Your popular service will quickly surpass product sales.

Put your picture, or pictures of your staff, on your website. Customers like to see who is performing the service. List benefits the service gives people. Include testimonials from satisfied customers.

4. Include five good affiliate programs offering products and services that match your site's theme. You get a share of sales when you refer customers to the main site. Browse through the lists of available programs at AssociatePrograms.com. Almost all are free to join.

Use the affiliate products yourself. Use your own testimonial on your website. Tell customers why YOU liked the product and how it improved your life and business. Nothing sells affiliate programs as well.

You can earn anywhere from $20 to $2,000 per month with affiliate programs. The average is a few hundred dollars monthly. Still, affiliate programs can make your site look more complete while adding a nice spiff to your income.

5. Promote your online business every day. One of the great things about the Internet is you can promote to thousands at low cost or for free. The downside is a great many people are doing the same. Your message gets lost in the roar of the crowd UNLESS you are persistent.

Place free ads on Yahoo and AOL. Participate in discussion groups that match your subject. Place e-zine ads each month. Try your hand at writing your own ezine article and submit it to EzineArticles.com. Email your press release to the media from time to time. Run classified ads in your local paper. Place signs and fliers around town. (Get complete details on how to do these things at DrNunley.com).

The Net isn't a free lunch. Many Internet businesses find they get very few customers the first year, more business the second, all they can handle the third, and too much business the fourth.

Like any worthwhile achievement, building your own Internet business takes lots of work, determination, and belief in your ability to succeed. Still, today's Internet opportunity offers the best chance ever to build your own business.

Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copywriting. Read all his tips for promoting your business at http://DrNunley.com/. Get his new book "How Web Sites Sell" including free shopping cart and web space. Reach Kevin at.. kevin@drnunley.com.