Online Business

Affiliate marketers act like companies in many respects but what they generally don’t have behind them are effective, reliable payment solutions that a standalone company needs to do business. PayPal helped solve this problem back in the late 90’s. But – and I’m speaking from personal experience here – PayPal has grown more and more into a monster over the years. They’re getting more and more expensive, and don’t be surprised if they freeze all of your funds for no reason at all.

Not long ago, Google started offering an alternative to PayPal, called Google Checkout. It’s easy to use, easy to implement, and it costs significantly less than what PayPal charges. And if you list your products in Google’s product search (formerly Froogle), then you’ll see even more benefits because Google displays their checkout button next to websites that offer their payment solution.

If you haven’t already, you should take a look at Google Checkout. Let me warn you though, as easy as it is to get started with GC, they will likely give you a hard time if you sell expensive products costing upwards of $1,000. They did to me!

Starting a business online is no simple task. And when you’re in the business of helping other people start their own business online, just the process of explaining them how it’s done can be both aggravating and time consuming. Trust me, I know. But, fortunately enough I’ve come up with a solution that breaks everything down and is simple enough for anyone to understand. Take a look:

Step 1: Acquire a Domain Name
You must decide on a .com (or net/org/etc) name for your website and have it registered

Step 2: Build a Website
You, or someone you hire, must design and develop the html code that becomes your website

Step 3: Host the Website
You must find a webhost to upload your website onto their servers, and make it available to users on the internet

Step 4: Market the Website
Develop an advertising and/or search engine optimization campaign to drive traffic to your site

I’ve been using this simple 4-Step explanation with all of my prospects lately. And not only has it made things easier for me, it’s actually increased my conversion rates. I guess there’s just something appealing about a person who can take a complex idea and explain it in a short, elegant way.