Many ecommerce business ventures never make it past the first year. While the reasons vary; through my own errors I have found some things that have and have not worked for myself. I would like to detail 3 steps that anyone can do and have led to my successful ecommerce business. These 3 components are: finding the right niche, patience, and targeting traffic.
All of these components are simple on the surface, but do take time to develop into a successful business plan. First, finding the right niche is something that takes some time and research. You need to see what your competition is and pick a niche that interests you. Google has a great tool called "wonder wheel." You can find this on the Google page under options. This tool will allow you to see how many search results for a keyword search as well as related keyword searches. Some results will be in the millions. Other related keywords will be in the thousands. You can see how you can target your ad and SEO campaign using this tool as well.
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The second component is patience. Many people want instant gratification. Meaning they want to launch their website today and see money tomorrow. You need to develop a realistic business plan with realistic goals. Our goal was to have a successful SEO site and user friendly site in 1 year. Notice, I do not have a goal of any dollar amount in my first year. If you take the time to build a successful web site including SEO and marketing; the profits will come in good time. It takes a while to build a sound successful business, so take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the process.
Finally, you need to get targeted traffic. If you are trying to sell a house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and you are number 1 on Google search for "real estate agent." this will not be effective. You may get thousands of hits; but from all over the USA. You want targeted hits from people looking to by a house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Therefore, your marketing campaign must be keyword specific, and niche specific. Using the Google wonder wheel is a great tool.
Good luck with your ecommerce adventure and remember to stay motivated with realistic goals. It takes time; but the rewards will pay off for your hard work.