Title: Successful Online Business: Possibilities Word Count: 427 Summary: Building a successful online business is more than simply attempting to place a product on a webpage with the belief that visitors will be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. If you spend a little time on the web you will find many such sites with very little in the way of visual interest or compelling reason to explore the product any further. Many of these sites appear to have been created in the mid 90’s with only marginal skill in website creation. That’s not say they ... Keywords: marketing,internet marketing,site promotion,online business Article Body: Building a successful online business is more than simply attempting to place a product on a webpage with the belief that visitors will be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. If you spend a little time on the web you will find many such sites with very little in the way of visual interest or compelling reason to explore the product any further. Many of these sites appear to have been created in the mid 90’s with only marginal skill in website creation. That’s not say they receive no business, after all their website is still up and running. However, if you turned away from the site quickly chances are many others have too. The idea of a successful website takes strategic thinking, planning and execution. The development of an online marketplace requires research and marketing. You need to find a niche and learn to market to that niche. It may also be advisable to discover a niche that is actually of interest to online buyers. You will likely need to learn certain online software applications and terms that allow you to further develop your site for easy navigation as well as the successful optimization of keywords and phrases that allow your site to be ranked higher in search engine results. There will be security issues to address along with ezine options, RSS feeds and the best use of autoresponders. A good website will also make use of affiliate programs for residual income and determine a course of action for a finely crafted website design. As you roll out your website you might want to include phased-in plans for video streaming as a means of demonstrating your product or services or podcasting with experts in the field. If all of this seems a little too much for you please understand the reason I bring up so many different marketing tools is to spark the idea that there is as much that is a part of the development of an online business as there is in establishing a brick and mortar storefront. It may seem easy – even tempting – to simply throw a site together, but without a plan the site is likely to perform on a mediocre level at best. Take the time to visit some of the more successful online stores. As you look through their webpages you will gain some idea of the things that work on an e-commerce website. A well-defined purpose for your website will go far in determining the initial launch and success of your foray into web-based sales.