Entrepreneur.com lists seven steps you should execute to create a successful small online business. These steps are based on a proven model that has worked on countless of other small online businesses.

Here they are:

1. Find a need and fill it.
2. Write copy that sells.
3. Design and build an easy-to-use website.
4. Use search engines to drive traffic to your site.
5. Establish an expert reputation for yourself.
6. Follow up with your customers and subscribers with email.
7. Increase your income through back-end sales and upselling.

Step one is arguably the most important. It is important you start a business that focuses on a pain that is relevant with a segment of the market. Where is the need not being met, how are you solving it, and what true value are you providing?

When it comes to step two, they say there is a proven sales model behind getting your customer to make the final purchase:

1. Arouse interest with a compelling headline.
2. Describe the problem your product solves.
3. Establish your credibility as a solver of this problem.
4. Add testimonials from people who have used your product.
5. Talk about the product and how it benefits the user.
6. Make an offer.
7. Make a strong guarantee.
8. Create urgency.
9. Ask for the sale.

These steps are all about getting your customers’ attention, identifying the problem they may or not even know they have, selling your value proposition, making a compelling pitch of real-life stories of this product/service making a difference that identifies with the customers, sounding confident, and closing the deal.

Step three is all about building the foundation and the platform from which you will operate from. Creating a user-friendly website for your customers to navigate and explore will be one of the biggest factors playing into the life of the business. Are customers able to see the mission of the company, the story, and identify with the product/service throughout their experience on the page?

Step four is all about SEO. Building and optimizing your website effectively that will gain you exposure and page rank. More traffic = more sales.

Step five: Brand image and reputation matters. Now, more than ever, people care about the causes they are supporting. Brand awareness and the missionary/social impacts the companies are aligning with mean a greater and greater deal to the consumer.

Step six is all about using the internet and the power of connecting with the customer to the next level. Have a subscribers list where they can be the first to see new products dropping. Also, you should use it a platform where you can connect with the community and seek their feedback on different aspects.

Step seven is all about maximizing profits and opportunities. Can you promote more sales through different loyalty programs, complementary products that the customer would find helpful, and creating an experience where they are a repeated customer?

i hope you enjoyed this blog and find these steps helpful if you are interested in starting an online business or taking it to the next level!