Online business startups are becoming more common these days. With over 1.95 billion websites on the internet, it is important to ensure that your business is able to be found and survive online!
In this article we explore some mistakes you should avoid when you are starting your online businesses. Also be sure to read this article on important things to do before you start any business!
Contents
- Starting a business you aren’t passionate about
- Not being unique
- Ignoring legal processes
- Not defining your target audience
- Not optimizing the website
- Using too many keywords
- Ignoring customer feedback
- Improper product/ service valuation
- Lack of budgeting
- Doing it alone
1.Starting A Business You Are Not Passionate About
Online business has become a trend and with the move of more businesses online and many more coming up sometimes people get caught up in a FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and open a business online because everyone is doing it and not because they have an interest or passion for that specific business.
In 2018 when drop shipping became a trendy business we had a lot of people who got into the same industry because they thought it was a quick way to make money and majority of them were disappointed. Whenever one starts a business it is important to consider if they are passionate about what they are doing.
If you are not then you will most likely give up when things get tough. People who are passionate will always stick through to the end and see the challenges through and find solutions. Online business is highly competitive and there are times all that will push you to keep going is not the clients but the drive coming from within you. Therefore when starting an online be sure you are passionate about the niche you are in.
2. Not Being Unique
Being original and unique is not as easy as it sounds. You have to convince people that what you are giving them cannot be found anywhere else and it is worth the price you are charging. Many businesses that start online tend to be copies of others and while there is nothing wrong with that, the problem comes when there is a lack of selling points.
When there is no added value to your product or service when compared to the rest of the competition. Therefore when you are starting your online business be sure to answer the question of what makes you so unique and why should anyone buy from you?
3.Ignoring Legal Process
Legal requirements are a norm when starting any business. However sometimes people forget that online businesses are still businesses and need to be compliant with the laws of whatever country you are operating from. For instance you may still need to get registered with the registrar of companies in your country and you will definitely need to file your tax returns.
These are legal things that need to be taken care of before you start your business. Do research into the requirements of starting an online business in your country. Because this industry is still new, you may discover that the only requirement in your country is to pay taxes and that’s alright but make sure you do not overlook the legal aspect of your business.
4. Not Defining Your Target Audience
Who are your customers? Do you know their interests? How old are they? Where do they live? What do they do? Do you know where you can find them online? These are some of the questions you need to be able to answer before you start your business.
Get to know and understand your client and their needs. This will become useful information when you are doing your digital marketing. If you cannot answer these questions then you may be in danger of closing your business sooner than you think.
5. Not Optimizing The Website
Website optimization sounds like a complex term but all it means is that your website has been designed in such a way it can appear among the top results when someone googles for products or services you are offering. There is a lot of work that goes into this and there are tools and websites such as moz.com that can help you with checking if your website is properly optimized and give you full feedback on things you need to work on.
6. Using too many keywords
Keyword stuffing can be an issue when you are trying to optimize your websites and your blogs. When you use too many keywords then the crawlers that google uses to sort through data might consider your content as irrelevant or not useful at all.
The reason is in the past when online businesses started using keywords they would stuff a lot of them into a single post or use one keyword too much and it would result in low quality work and irrelevant content. So now doing this won’t make your post rank any higher on google in flat it may do the opposite and you end up flopping.
7.Ignoring Customer Feedback
Customers shopping online these days enjoy looking at reviews of a product and if the reviews are good then they will likely make the purchase. Therefore when an online business ignores this feedback and does not respond or make any necessary adjustments to their product or service they may risk losing potential income. Feedback from clients is a free tool to improving your business and making it grow.
8.Improper product/ service Valuation
When businesses start out online they sometimes want to start with free samples to promote themselves. There’s nothing wrong with this, but free services and products can’t be on offer every single day because it is costing the business money that it’s likely not yet making.
Instead of that you can demonstrate your work or the way your product works or is using some materials like videos, free useful ebooks. These can be helpful to promote your products and services. Similarly do not undervalue your products and services as this will lead to business losses. Know and charge the worth of your product and services.
9.Lack of Budgeting For Online Business
It is not expensive to start, in fact you can have an online startup with little to no money at all. However, you need a budget if you intend to grow that business. You need to know how much it will cost to get a good website and account for other things you may need such as a digital marketer if you don’t know how to it on your own. Do not overlook the importance of a budget even as you start your online business.
10. Doing it Alone
You can create a website without knowing how to code and have it up in less than an hour, start your own amazon shopping mall and drop ship products from China, and they get delivered for you without ever leaving your bedroom! It’s become easier to do these things and because of this, it can sometimes cause people to think they do not need help.
This could not be further from the truth especially if you are just starting out for the first time online. Get someone who has done it before to help you and give you some tips and advise. YouTube videos may be helpful but they do not replace having someone guide you through the process and help you figure out what’s wrong when you are not getting traffic to your site or having some other kind of trouble.
We hope this article helps you to thrive even as you create your online business. We wish you all the best and we look forward to hearing back from you on any comments, questions or feedback you have for us in the comment section below. Remember to like and share with your friends and family as well!
