Bonafide Marketing Genius

How to Start an Online Business Without a Degree

With the Covid restrictions easing, more people are considering the opportunity to start an online business. However, not all businesses will flourish in this new world order. In order to ensure your business is heading in the right direction, you will need to consider how you are going to approach this new venture. The good news is that you do not need a formal education to get started. In fact, you may not even need a computer.

Things You Will Need

While you can certainly get by with just a smartphone and a laptop computer, you will find that many businesses require you to have certain technical know-how. For this reason, you will need to consider investing in some of the following:

  • Computer Equipment – You will need a computer or laptop in order to have access to the internet. Additionally, you may want to consider investing in a tablet device as well. These will become your essential business tools. Without them, you will find it very difficult to get any work done. Be sure to buy quality equipment that will last a lifetime and perform at its best.
  • Internet Connection – Without reliable internet access, you will struggle to conduct business. While mobile phones provide internet access to a large proportion of the population, many people still rely on a home or office broadband connection in order to do their jobs online. If possible, it is best to have a dedicated line installed at your home in case you lose connection regularly. A good starter package from a broadband provider will consist of everything you need in order to get online quickly and easily.
  • Email Account – In order to conduct business online, you will need a way to communicate with potential customers and other business contacts. One of the simplest and most effective ways of doing this is via email. You can create a free email account with GMail, for example, or any other free email service. This will provide you with a way to send and receive professional-looking emails quickly and easily.
  • Domain – Once you have your email account, you need to purchase a domain name that is suitable for your business. If you plan on promoting yourself as an expert in your field, you will want to consider entering the following domain name: expertise. com. net
  • HOSTING – Once you have your domain name, you will need to purchase hosting for your website or online store. The type of hosting you will need will depend on how professional you want to appear. If you are just looking to produce a simple, informational site, you may want to consider shared hosting. This is where your web host will provide you with a basic web space that you can use to conduct your business. You will need to purchase a domain name with hosting in order to make it available online. This combination is a popular choice for new businesses because it is so easy to set up. Just follow the simple instructions provided by your web host and you will be up and running in no time. Keep in mind: If you go this route, you will need to make sure you purchase quality hosting from a reputable company with a good reputation.
  • SSH Key – If you are using a dedicated line to access the internet, you will need to generate an ssh key pair. This is a security tool that allows you to securely connect to your server from a remote location. By generating a key pair, you will be able to login to your dedicated connection with your public key and avoid having to enter your password everytime you want to connect to your server.
  • SSL Certificate – In case you decide to go down the SSL route and protect your site with a security certificate, you will need to purchase and install an SSL certificate on your server. This certificate encrypts your website’s data while it is transmitted across the internet, protecting it from being accessed by hackers. If you decide to go down this route, you will need to install the SSL certificate on your server manually or use a tool like LetsEncrypt to install it for you automatically.
  • Domain Privacy – Last but not least, you will need to consider purchasing privacy for your domain name. Whether you are selling your product online or from a website, you do not want potential customers to be able to discover your personal details just by searching for your domain name. You can purchase privacy for your domain name for $10 per year with PrivacyProtect.

Additional Things To Consider

While you can certainly get by with just a smartphone and a laptop computer, you will find that many businesses require you to have certain technical know-how. For this reason, you will need to consider investing in some of the following:

  • Website – Now that you have everything you need to get started, it’s time to purchase a quality domain name and build a website for your business. There are many fantastic free tools like WordPress that can be used to quickly and easily build a professional-looking website for your business. Just remember to create a professional-looking header, an informative description for your potential customers, and to include quality links to other sites and resources that are relevant to your field.
  • Email Marketing – Once you have a website, you will need to implement an email marketing strategy in order to grow and maintain your audience. You can set up automated email campaigns with massive mailing lists from niche social media platforms and email marketing platforms like MailChimp or HubSpot. Every business is different, so you will need to find what works best for you.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – In order for your website to appear on the search engine results page, you will need to optimize it for the search engines. This means that it must have high-quality content and be easy for the search engine to index. You can use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEO tools like Wordtracker to help you find the best keywords to optimize your content for.
  • Analytics – It is important to track the performance of your website and email marketing initiatives in order to make informed decisions about future campaigns. You can use tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of your website and marketing initiatives and identify high-performing content as well as the methods of communication that work best for you.
  • Paid Advertising – There are many different paid advertising platforms like Google AdWords that can be used to gain exposure for your business. Just remember to be careful that you are not inadvertently promoting the wrong products or services to the wrong audience.
  • Live Chat – It is often said that customers want to “talk” to someone before they make a purchase. If you have an online store, you can add live chat functionality with a plugin like Wistia or Zoom. These are some of the most popular plugins used for adding live chat to a website. Just remember to engage with your customer quickly and efficiently before they become frustrated and depart your site – never promote false hopes or promises that you will deliver the product.

In summary, in order to get started, you will need a dedicated internet connection, a reliable computer or laptop, a domain name, and a way to create an online store or website. Once you have these four crucial elements, you can take your pick of the following: