Copyright © Jeff Houdyschell
http://www.eSmartJob.com
So you want to know where to start with an online business? To get the full potential out of any online business you will definitely need a website. When I say website I don’t mean a page that some programs give you with your affiliate ID attached to the end of it, but your own domain name and a good provider to host it on. But before we get into domain names and hosting accounts let’s start at the beginning with the online business idea itself.
You first need to decide what your new website will be focused on, or your niche market. While there are thousands of work at home websites on the Internet, and the competition is well established, you can still find your own little niche within this bigger category that has been overlooked and is less competitive.
Keyword research is crucial to determining your sites theme and the success of your online business. Keywords or keyword phrases are something that you will hear a lot about as you progress and start to develop your website.
Even if your website is a pre-designed Plug-In Profits site It should eventually be optimized toward a more narrow, less competitive niche.
Search engine optimization, or SEO is the process of finding these keyword phrases and designing or changing your website around your keywords. This should be done on every page that you add to, or have on your site. Every page on your site should have a specific topic and be optimized according to the content on that page.
Before you choose your domain name you should determine your sites theme or niche and keywords and then choose a domain name that closely matches. That is why you should do this research before you register a domain name. The two most popular tools for keyword research are subscription based Wordtracker, and the free Overture tool. Another site I recommend for SEO related research with a whole suite of tools is SEOBook.com. I recommend trying out the free ones first then get a one-day or one-week subscription to Wordtracker as it is considered the most accurate.
Choosing A Domain Name
After you have decided on your main sites themes or niche its time to determine your domain name. You could chose anydomain name and try to build a brand around it like Google has done, or you may want to choose a keyword domain name that relates to your sites niche.
Whether you choose a brandable domain or a keyword domain is a choice you must make, and a choice you should make in accordance with your business plan. If you have a large offline advertising budget and the budget necessary to brand your organization, I’d recommend a brandable domain. If, on the other hand, you’re working on a tight budget, choose a keyword domain and let the search engines bring the customers to you.
Try to keep your domain name as short and to the point as possible. If you think you may eventually market your site offline then try to get a .com extension. If you are sticking strictly with online marketing then the other extensions such as .net, .us and the newer .ws will have more names and options available.
There are numerous tools available to search domain name availability such as Godaddy.com or Nameboy.com; both have tools for suggesting different names based on your first choice if its not available. Godaddy or 123cheapdomains.com are probably the cheapest place to register your domain once you decide on a name. If you are joining a program that sets up your website you should check if domain name registration is part of the package or something you can benefit from or get a discount if purchased from it.
About The Author
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Jeff Houdyschell Provides proven income opportunities, Ideas and information helping others start a work at home job. For more online business tips, visit the eSmartJob.com information center at: http://www.esmartjob.com/articles/articles.html
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