Starting an Online Business All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies (ISBN - 0470431962)

843 Pages·2021·21.86 MB·English

11 IN 1

BOOKS
BOOKS

• 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

Inside — your Google AdWords
™
gift card worth $25

Starting an
Online Business

A L L - I N - O N E

2nd Edition

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• Successful mobile marketing
techniques

• How to sell through niche
communities

• Tips for designing your Web store

• How to get the most benefit from
product reviews

• Ten valuable functions of Yahoo!
Merchant Solutions

• Special marketing tools for
nonprofit organizations

• How to turn Linden dollars into
U.S. currency

• Your free $25 Google AdWords™
gift card

Shannon Belew is co-owner of several online businesses including
Bizoffice.com, a nationally recognized, award-winning global provider
of resources for small and home businesses. Joel Elad is the author of
Web Stores Do-It-Yourself For Dummies. He started his first online business
in 1993.

$29.99 US / $35.99 CN / £19.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-43196-2

Business & Economics/Small Business

Go to dummies.com®

for more!

Boost your bottom line
with your $25 Google AdWords™
credit — see inside

Get your share of the online business with the information
in this complete, fully updated reference. Learn to create a
business plan, build a customer-friendly site, set up shop on
Second Life®, keep your books, and promote your business —
the free $25 Google AdWords gift card inside will help
with that!

• Plan for success — build a business plan that translates your
ideas into a profitable enterprise

• Account for taxes — choose software to help you manage taxes,
balance sheets, and all that accounting stuff

• Site efficiency — create a Web site that helps your business make
money

• All in order — find out how to fill orders, pack and ship
merchandise, and manage stock

• Safety first — create, budget for, and implement a plan to
protect vital computer equipment

• Spread the word — explore the PR and advertising tools that
best promote your business online

• Virtually real — discover what sells best in Second Life and how
to earn real money from your virtual store

• Maximize exposure — use m-commerce, Yahoo! Small Business,
and other options

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

Starting an Online Business

A L L - I N - O N E

Belew
Elad

2nd Edition

spine=1.68”

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by Shannon Belew and Joel Elad

Starting an
Online Business
AL L -I N - O N E

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

2ND EDITION

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Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit-
ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written
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Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone].
Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://
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Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the
Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything
Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/
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All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated
with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

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REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE
CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE
CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES
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FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE
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MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN
IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009922581

ISBN: 978-0-470-43196-2

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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About the Authors

Shannon Belew is the co-owner of several online businesses: allbizopps.com,
allsmallbiz.com, avespamedia.com, bizoffi ce.com, todayshomeoffi ce.com,
top10workathome.com, and workathome1.com. Bizoffi ce.com is a nationally
recognized, award-winning global provider of resources for small and home
businesses. Shannon writes the Huntsville Times column “Today’s Home
Offi ce”; has written magazine and newspaper articles; and founded the public
relations fi rm aVespa Media, Inc. Her clients have appeared in such venues as
Inc. magazine. She has also consulted for an Internet provider, advising com-
panies on developing and reengineering their online presence.

Joel Elad was a fan of the Internet before most people had ever heard of the
World Wide Web. He sells online as a PowerSeller on eBay with an impec-
cable customer satisfaction rating. He also runs his own e-commerce busi-
nesses: JoelElad.com focuses on selling educational products such as books
and DVDs about selling online, and NewComix.Com, which he co-founded in
1998, focuses on selling new comic books, Japanese manga, DVDs, and action
fi gures. He was the lead instructor for the Learning Annex in New York and
California for classes about eBay and advanced Internet sales, and he’s an
educational specialist trained by eBay. He also contributes to Entrepreneur
magazine, TrendGrinder.com, and SmartBiz.com.

After earning his MBA from the University of California–Irvine with an
emphasis on entrepreneurship and information technology, Joel co-authored
fi ve bestselling books focusing on online activities, including Web Stores
Do-It-Yourself For Dummies and LinkedIn For Dummies (both from Wiley
Publishing). He’s now a consultant to e-commerce companies, a trainer to
thousands of eager students at seminars and workshops, and a guide for
helping people attain the freedom of growing their sales and establishing
their own online presence.

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Dedications

Shannon: This book is dedicated to my family: my son, Holden; my daughter,
Wiley; and my husband, Tom. Thanks for your relentless encouragement,
love, and patience — and for always reminding me what is most important
in life.

Joel: This book is dedicated to the hardest-working man I will ever have the
privilege of knowing — my dad. Thanks for showing me the value of planning
and discipline, as well as love. You will always be my inspiration.

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Authors’ Acknowledgments

Shannon: Since becoming a published author, I have realized that two groups
of people deserve the most thanks once a book like this one is published:
the team of people that helped produce it and the great people who are kind
enough to buy the fi nished product!

That said, my sincere thanks to the entire team at Wiley Publishing that made
this book a reality, not once, but twice. This includes Rebecca Whitney, Jim
Kelly, Rebecca Senninger, Kyle Looper, and my co-author, Joel Elad. I am con-
vinced that this is one of, if not the, most talented and caring group of people
I could ever have the privilege of working with, or knowing. A special thanks
to Rebecca Senninger and Kyle Looper for their continued guidance.

Thanks also to all of those who choose to read this book and who are
inspired to become entrepreneurs. It is your ingenuity, creativity, and pas-
sion to follow a dream that not only makes this world go ’round but also
inspires the rest of us to follow in your footsteps.

Of course, I can’t leave out another important group of people. Thanks to my
in-laws, Jim and Freida Belew, for their support and love. Most importantly,
thanks to my parents, Ron and Janice Sanders, for inspiring me. You have
always encouraged me to stay on track with my dreams, even through the
many ups and downs of this crazy life. Every entrepreneur should be so lucky
to have parents like you in her corner.

Joel: I’d like to give a big thank you to Anthony and Yvonne Choi, James
Marchetti, Anita Cohen-Williams, and Hans Park for the contacts, information,
and support I needed along the way to fi ll in the gaps.

A special acknowledgement goes to my usual co-conspirator, Michael
Bellomo, who put me on the path of being an author and keeps me going with
a bizarre sense of humor mixed with a powerful dose of inspiration.

Most of all, I have to thank the Wiley team, which has been truly inspira-
tional: Kyle Looper and especially Rebecca Senninger, whose patience and
guidance helped make this book possible.

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form
located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer
Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Project Editor: Rebecca Senninger

Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper

Copy Editor: Rebecca Whitney

Technical Editor: Jim Kelly

Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Samantha K. Allen,
Reuben W. Davis, Andrea Hornberger,
Melissa K. Jester, Sarah Phillipart,
Christin Swinford, Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Caitie Copple,
Christopher M. Jones

Indexer: Sharon Shock

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction ......................................................................1
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..........................................29
Chapter 4: Finding Money to Fund Your Online Start-Up ...........................................37
Chapter 5: Creating Policies to Protect Your Web Site ...............................................55
Chapter 6: Setting Up Shop: Everything You Need for Online Effi ciency .................63

Book II: Legal and Accounting ..........................................77
Chapter 1: Minding the Law............................................................................................79
Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Foundation: From Partnerships to Corporations ...87
Chapter 3: The Trademark-and-Copyright Two-Step ..................................................95
Chapter 4: Accounting for Taxes (And Then Some) ..................................................103
Book III: Web Site Design ...............................................127
Chapter 1: What’s in a (Domain) Name? .....................................................................129
Chapter 2: Designing Customer-Friendly Sites ...........................................................141
Chapter 3: Building a Site without Spending a Fortune ............................................155
Chapter 4: Finding the Host with the Most .................................................................177
Chapter 5: Writing Content that Search Engines Want to See .................................185
Chapter 6: Lights, Camera, Action! Taking Your Site Live ........................................195

Book IV: Online and Operating ........................................203
Chapter 1: Determining Your Revenue Model ...........................................................205
Chapter 2: Making Money with Affi liate Programs ....................................................231
Chapter 3: Turning Information into Profi t, from e-Books to Webinars .................243
Chapter 4: Paying Up with the Right Payment Options ............................................255
Chapter 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse ........................................265
Chapter 6: Taking Inventory .........................................................................................275
Chapter 7: Fulfi lling Expectations and Orders ...........................................................283

Book V: Internet Security ................................................303
Chapter 1: Understanding Security and Your Risks ..................................................305
Chapter 2: Developing a Security Plan ........................................................................315
Chapter 3: Attacked! What to Expect from the Net-Thief .........................................327
Chapter 4: Securing Your Site and Your Business .....................................................339
Chapter 5 : Overcoming Security Concerns in the Wireless World ........................347

Book VI: Boosting Sales ..................................................353
Chapter 1: Driving Traffi c, Driving Sales .....................................................................355
Chapter 2: Special-Edition Public Relations for the Web ..........................................361

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Chapter 3: Web Marketing at Work .............................................................................373
Chapter 4: Converting Browsers to Buyers ................................................................393
Chapter 5: Analyzing and Monitoring Your Customers ............................................413
Chapter 6: Mastering Search Engines, Optimization, and Rankings .......................435

Book VII: Retail to E-Tail ................................................457
Chapter 1: Knowing When to Put Your Store Online ................................................459
Chapter 2: Understanding the Differences between Real and
Virtual Customers ......................................................................................................471
Chapter 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display .................................................481
Chapter 4: Making In-Store Customers Loyal Online Shoppers ...............................489
Chapter 5: Staying Local, Getting Mobile with M-Commerce ...................................497
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting the Transition to E-Tail ................................................509

Book VIII: Storefront Selling ...........................................519
Chapter 1: Instant E-Commerce with Storefronts ......................................................521
Chapter 2: Mastering the Amazon ...............................................................................529
Chapter 3: Let’s Hear It for Yahoo! ..............................................................................541
Chapter 4: Making eBay THE Way ...............................................................................557
Chapter 5: New Storefronts, New Opportunities .......................................................575

Book IX: Fundraising Sites ..............................................591
Chapter 1: Raining Donations: Why Not-for-Profi t Is Big Business Online .............593
Chapter 2: Adding Online Moneymakers to an Existing Site ....................................599
Chapter 3: Getting the Donor Base to Come to You ..................................................615
Chapter 4: More Online Marketing Strategies for Nonprofi ts .................................625
Chapter 5: Legal Considerations for Nonprofi t Organizations.................................635

Book X: Niche E-Commerce .............................................643
Chapter 1: Discovering Niche Markets........................................................................645
Chapter 2: Discovering Niche Trends That Pay: Children and Boomers ...............651
Chapter 3: Blogging for Profi t .......................................................................................665
Chapter 4: Socializing (And Profi ting) in Second Life ...............................................677

Book XI: E-Commerce Advanced ......................................693
Chapter 1: Overhauling the Business ..........................................................................695
Chapter 2: Redesigning to Win New Customers ........................................................703
Chapter 3: Expanding Products to Increase Stagnant Sales .....................................719
Chapter 4: Bringing Former Customers (Back) Home ..............................................729
Chapter 5: Revisiting Marketing Strategies ................................................................739
Chapter 6: Hiring Experts to Get Business Rolling Again .........................................755
Chapter 7: Transitioning a Small Site into Big Business ...........................................767
Index .............................................................................781

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