It used to be that the key to building a successful small business, besides offering a product that people wanted, was finding a good space in a busy neighborhood. Today, small business owners can service customers the world over without ever leaving their homes. The catalyst for change has been the maturation of the internet, where a good location means simply means having a name that your customers can remember.

The ability to conduct business and reach customers online creates a host of opportunities previously unimagined. The cost of entry is relatively low compared to brick and mortar enterprises. By reaching customers beyond their immediate locale, small business owners are able to provide highly targeted products for niche markets and still sell enough to turn a handsome profit.

1) Just because you are online doesn’t mean you shouldn’t promote offline. Use signage, flyers, posters, local event sponsorship, as well as online tools, such as email newsletters/alerts, reciprocal link exchanges with other sites, commenting on relevant blogs and other sites with a link back to yours, or word of mouth to promote your website. We recently had a customer ask us to build a site for her campaign for a local political office. She leveraged the site to communicate with potential voters and included her URL on every postcard, flyer and yard sign (this is the key point – your website should be prominent on EVERY piece of anything that may be in front of a potential customer). By driving potential voters to her website, she was able to communicate and connect with voters on the issues that were important to them. The candidate wound up winning the seat on the community council with just over 62% of the vote.

2) Make sure your platform can stand the test of time and evolve as technology and user demands change. A key to success in forming an online business is to make sure that you continually take advantage of new services and technologies as they are created/invented. This will enhance your site’s accessibility, professionalism and ability to service your customers. Because maintaining this adaptability is so important, you need to work with a web designer that can provide this constant caretaking and evolution. Very few local design studios offer these services as part of a single solution. The result is that many people have to hire multiple vendors, or negotiate their own deals, which leads to increased costs and aggravation. But the good news is that there are now some larger web services providers out there who will build you a beautiful website and not charge you an arm and a leg to provide all of the necessary services in one package. Some will also continue to provide monthly management services at a reasonable price.

3) Be more than a URL and financial transaction destination. In the real world, small businesses rise and fall on the loyalty of their customers. Whether you operate a large company like ours or a one person operation, there is no better way to build customer loyalty than through attentive customer service. Be sure to include contact information in an easy to find location on your website. A second phone-line is a small investment to keep your customers satisfied. Barring that, a regularly monitored e-mail address can provide a venue for you to respond to customer concerns in a timely manner. Most domain registrars will include free e-mail addresses with domain purchases, and many offer complete e-mail solutions for a reasonable fee.

4) Keep it fresh and original. Providing regularly updated, unique and relevant content on your website can help ensure that customers keep coming back to you. If you sell model airplane parts, providing a forum for customers to discuss and/or learn about their hobby, even when they aren’t looking to make a purchase, is a great way to make sure potential customers remember your website once they are interested in buying. Consumers also appreciate the opportunity to read reviews of products they might purchase and to provide feedback once they have purchased something. Letting customers discuss your offerings has the added benefit of providing you with insight into what your customers are thinking.

5) Your Domain is your storefront. Your URL is your great spot in a busy neighborhood. The best URL’s are easy to find, and perhaps even more importantly, secure. Choose a reputable domain name provider, review their policy for expired URL’s carefully and acquaint yourself with the additional domain security tools they may offer. Losing your URL is like returning to your place of business and finding it’s been taken over by squatters, but a lost website can be more difficult to reclaim.

With the right approach, there’s no limit to how far a small business can grow online. An online business can service the world from a single location, and the tools required to get started are growing more and more accessible at the entry level. Follow your dream, and follow this advice, and you’ll be well on your way to making the internet work for you.