3. Own Website to Sell Online

3. Own Website to Sell Online

You can also set up your own website to sell online. Understandably, this sounds daunting considering your direct competitors would include Amazon, eBay, Walmart and hundreds of other well established businesses.

But this need not be a deterrent:  there are thousands of small businesses that sell online through their own websites.
Setting Own Website

Setting up your own website to sell online is fairly simple. First, you need to buy an excellent domain name that matches your business and its unique identity. Nowadays, domain names are available for as low as US$9.99 per year.

Once you have a domain name, buy hosting space for the website from Bluehost or other hosting provider. When your website is hosted, you are almost ready to go. Once you host a website, there are several free and paid themes that you can select for your online store.
Set-up Payments Portal

The main purpose of every business is to make money. Therefore, you will need to set up a secure payments portal on your website. This can be done in collaboration with a bank or through a commercial payments gateway.

You need to subscribe to the payment gateway to avail their service. This will ensure that money paid by customers goes directly into your bank account.
Use Delivery Systems

Since customers will want doorstep delivery of their orders, you can sign-up with a great logistics provider who will pick up the package from you and drop it at the customer’s address.

Depending upon your location, there will be several excellent logistics providers that would willingly offer the service. Check with your local post office if they have special offers for e-commerce packages.

This will depend upon your location and country.
Define Rules & Policies

Before you sell online, it is important to define your policies regarding orders and delivery. You can learn a lot about these rules and policies by visiting any top online store like Amazon.

Find which of their policies are best suited for your website to sell online. Generally, returns policies are the most intricate. Remember, accepting returns can be compulsory under law in some places.

For this, you may need to consult an attorney.
Marketing & Publicity

When you launch own website, marketing and publicity can prove a major burden. Advertising costs a lot. One of the best way is to use SEO on your website to get organic traffic from search engine.

If you have budget then Google AdWords and Facebook will be a great option to advertise your products online.

You can use free resources like opening a Facebook page and getting people to like your online store. Also use Pinterest and Instagram.

Another major resource that can be used to sell online through your website is YouTube. Open a free YouTube channel under the brand name of your online store. Post short and simple videos about the stuff you sell online and their benefits to users.
Advantages of Own Website

Having own store to sell online has several advantages. You develop a brand awareness and identity. You also get to fix terms and conditions. Getting instant payments is possible through the gateway.

Having own website to sell online also means there is no limit on how many products you can post, the number of pictures and description.
Disadvantages of Own Website

But setting up your own website to sell online comes with myriad problems too. Firstly, you need to put extra efforts to promote the website.

You may have to enlist help of a Search Engine Optimizer (SEO) to ensure your website finds top rankings on search engines like Google. Managing logistics can become nightmarish, especially during festivals and gifting seasons.