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If you want to step out of the corporate office, stop commuting, work independently of location and become your own boss, you may want to start an online business. If you are ready to take the plunge, peep this post to learn how to start an online business.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Ready to dig in? You can do this!

Research online business ideas

To make your online business succeed, you need to make money. So, the first step in starting your business is deciding how you will generate revenue. When it comes to online business ideas, you have a few options.

Sell products online

Over the past few years, people have grown more comfortable shopping from their couches, which means there’s never been a better time to start an online store or add ecommerce functionality to your website. It’s never been easier for small businesses to get into the ecommerce game, either.

If you’re an ecommerce noob, however, you may need help selecting the right products and platforms to sell online, learning how to build and launch your ecommerce site, finding your target customers, and closing the deal. We’ve gathered all the information and tools you’ll need to easily launch your online store and list your products on all marketplaces, both quickly and effectively.

Try dropshipping

Many first-time ecommerce entrepreneurs start their careers with no physical inventory. Through a process called dropshipping, you can act as a wholesaler of products that you curate on your site, then purchase directly from the manufacturer to ship to your customers.

Sell courses

Online courses that you create yourself or sell on behalf of others. Like digital products, online courses can be set to automatically deliver to customers upon purchase.

Start a blog and become an affiliate

Affiliate products that you sell on behalf of another business. When selling affiliate products, you usually don’t have to store or ship products. The merchant deals with delivery, and you simply receive a commission for helping sell their product.

Create a SaaS product

Software as a service (SaaS) is an offering that falls somewhere between a product and a service. If you develop software — say, like a scheduling app for small business — you can have customers sign up and pay a recurring fee to use the tech you developed. For this type of product, a platform with membership functionality helps a lot.

Offer services

You can start an online business based on selling consulting and freelancing services that are completed online or over the phone. When you sell services online, you can find customers and make sales on your own. Or you can sign up for sites that manage the process and allow you to connect with clients through their platform.

Choose a niche that works

The best product ideas are often born from hobbies and passions, where you discover an opportunity in a niche that no one is serving.

For example, pet products are always popular in the ecommerce sphere, but competition can be high. But if you choose a niche like organic pet products, there’s less sellers offering similar products and a greater opportunity to refine your catalog.

Search for keywords or phrases that your target market will likely use to find your niche product or service, and note if the market is saturated.

If that is the case, it could cost you extra money and time to stand out in an already crowded marketplace. Sometimes, it’s better to start small in an underserved market.

Check the online competition

Once you have positive product feedback, research your competition and gain market insight online.

Start by searching for and visiting popular product review sites, where you can find lists of top websites  for specific categories, compiled by experts. Read what the experts like and visit the websites to see how they’re doing it. Additionally, look at customer reviews to learn what people like and dislike about them.

Likewise, go on social media to see what people are saying. Do people complain about them, or do most of their customers sing their praises? This exercise will give you an idea of how much brand loyalty the competition has. Also, see if those brands respond to customer questions and complaints, and list what the common issues might be.

Subscribing to your competitors’ email lists is another effective way to analyze how they are talking to your target audience. Make note of their pricing and promotional strategies, which we’ll detail later in this post.

Research keywords and difficulty

Use a keyword planning tool such as Moz, Semrush or the Google keyword planner tool. These will show you search volumes for a particular keyword, as well as how much competition there is when it comes to ranking for it.

As you research keywords, it’s important to strike a balance between search volume and competition — there’s not much benefit targeting a keyword nobody searches, yet it’s best to avoid high-competition terms.

Check the SERPs

When you start getting your head around the keywords you want to target, plug some of them into a search engine and check the results. Note who’s at the top of the page — they must be doing something right, so pay a visit to their websites and ask yourself some of these questions:

• How are they incorporating keywords into the website text?
• How does the language they use establish their brand?
• Are there any design elements that jump out?
• What other things make this website special?

While you should never copy a competitor’s website, there’s nothing wrong with getting inspiration from it. Jot down notes that you can refer to as you continue to start an online business.

Create a business plan

A business plan can be like a roadmap that guides your business from starting to succeeding. And if you’re planning to apply for a loan or attract investors, a solid business plan is evidence that you’re a safe bet. At a minimum, your business plan should include these sections:

• Executive summary — Be brief in describing, from a high level, what your business will do or sell.
• Organization and management — Introduce key members of your team, and how their skills and experience will help you succeed.
• Service or product line — Describe your offering, how it works, and why there’s a demand out there for it.
• Marketing and sales — Explain how you’ll get your product or service in front of the largest possible audience.
• Funding request — If you’re seeking external funding, specify your needs and what the funding will support.
• Financial projections — State how much revenue you expect to generate. This can strengthen your case for funding.
• Appendix — If you have reference materials, technical specs or certifications, include them here.

Consider funding options

Unless you have that rich uncle everyone dreams about, you’ll need to secure funding before you successfully start an online business. There are a few routes you could take here:

• Secure a loan — If your business idea is compelling and you have a rock-solid business plan, you might persuade a financial institution to front you the startup funds. Just be sure to understand any interest and potential penalties.
• Attract investors — Investors also could show interest if you have a great idea and business plan to put in front of them. However, you might need to relinquish some control of your venture to accommodate them.
• Bootstrap it — This would be the most direct route. If you have savings, investments or other assets, using them to bootstrap your idea gives you total control. But you need to consider the ramifications if your business idea falls through.

Choose a business structure

Separate yourself from the business by setting up a C-Corp or LLC status that limits your personal liability for the company. This protects you and makes you appear more professional to customers and clients. Here are three structures to consider:

• Sole proprietorship — The business is nor incorporated, with a single person designated as the owner.
• Partnership — Two or more people are designated owners, contributing toward expenses and sharing profits.
• LLC — With a limited liability corporation, definitions can vary by region, but essentially the business exists without owners, offering legal and tax protection.

Separating your personal and professional finances will make it easier for you to file your taxes and keep an eye on your financial situation.

Once you establish your business as a separate entity, you can get a tax ID number for the business, allowing you to better manage your taxes and open a business bank account.

Check laws for online businesses

Here, you might need to source some professional advice or at least do some comprehensive research. Don’t start an online business only to discover there’s a law that creates a conflict leaving you dead in the water.

There’s likely a local government agency — such as a Department of Revenue — that could provide a checklist of applicable laws.

For example, in some regions there are very strict laws that apply to marketing to individuals online. And if you’re setting up an online store, it’s crucial to understand all the regulations that cover privacy and data protection.

Obtain permits and licenses

At the very least, you’ll likely need a license issued by your regional authority to start an online business. And if you specialize in a particular product or service, there might be additional permits or licenses you need to secure.

For example, a barber or stylist would need a license from their local cosmetological authority. And many home services require specific licenses or permits, for example, to excavate or operate heavy machinery.

Register a domain name

When choosing your ecommerce business name, consider something that is short, memorable, and marketable. A thorough search for a domain name can also help you find the right name for your ecommerce store.

The cost for a domain name can range anywhere from $2 to $20, but there can be hidden costs. Review this guide on how much a domain name cost for more details on what to include in your budget.

You might also consider using .shop or .store for general ecommerce, or get more specific with .jewelry, .clothing, .coffee and more.

Build your website or online store

Once you decide on a business model, you need to choose the best place to build your business online. How you make money online will dictate which platform you should build your business on. Choosing where to build an online business is just as important as learning how to start an online business.

Whether you plan to create a website or use an online store builder to get online, be sure to evaluate all your options, taking cost and complexity into consideration.

Target your main keywords

Do some research to discover what select words and phrases people use to search for your type of business. Sprinkle these keywords throughout the content on your website and create pages that focus on your target keyword. These might represent services — such as “lawn care” — or products if you’re operating an online store. Here it helps to check what the competition is doing to perform well in search results.

Create content that ranks and sells

Whether it’s a shareable infographic, entertaining how-to video, or blog post about why spending time in your online store is more fun than watching a favorite TV show, make content that people can’t find anywhere else.

This is the kind of stuff people will want to link to from their own websites and social profiles (remember backlinks?). Make sure they find that amazing content by optimizing it for search engines.

When it comes to content that ranks and sells, there are a couple main elements to consider: SEO and compelling product listings.

Search engine optimization (SEO): the process of refining a website to get higher search engine rankings and organic visitors to your site, without paying for search engine placement.

Unlike paid listings — advertisements that display in sponsored areas — organic search results are “free” and based on, among other things, the site’s content and how closely it matches the keywords being searched.

After you (or your website guru) does the website backend stuff needed to attract the attention of the search engine bots (like connecting the site to Google Search Console), search engines know that your site exists. They scan it, index the information, and analyze the website’s content to determine how and where your website’s content should display on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Compelling product descriptions that sell

Details can make or break a sales transaction. Since you don’t have a sales clerk to answer your customer questions on a website, start by thinking of all the questions they might ask that person in-store.

For example, what fabrics is a sweater made of? Is it organic and earth-friendly? Was it made locally? What other items might pair well with it?

Your descriptions should be as detailed as possible. However, being honest and upfront about it helps to build trust with customers.

Set up payment providers for ecommerce

The key to closing an online sale is to provide an intuitive and seamless checkout and payment experience.

Some platforms offer built-in checkout and payment processing tools. For example, GoDaddy’s Online Store enables you to securely accept all major credit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay — but not all service providers do. If you’d prefer to sell both online and in person, a solution like GoDaddy Payments is easy to set up and provides a high level of security for your transactions.

When evaluating options, you’ll need to consider:

• Does the platform’s merchant account accept all currencies and offer SSL certificates?
• What forms of payment can you accept through your account? Credit cards, personal checks, wire transfers, or money orders?
• How about PayPal or Stripe?
• Does your platform offer a payment gateway to verify, approve, and process charges in real-time?
• Does it integrate with your website’s existing platform?
• Do other merchants like or complain about the platform’s checkout and payment experience?

Review all your options and ask the platform provider about the associated transaction rates and processing fees. For example, GoDaddy Payments offers the lowest transaction fees compared to other leading providers.

Source products

If you’re planning to start an online business to sell products, having a reliable source will be essential. There are a few ways to consider locking this down:

• Find a supplier — A reliable manufacturer or wholesaler can keep you supplied, but inventory control (too much vs. not enough) can present a serious challenge, as can storage and transportation.
• Set up dropshipping — As mentioned earlier, dropshipping lets you sell while your supplier fulfills the orders. This might require specific technology to manage the supply chain once you get things moving.
• Supply it yourself — This option gives you the most control, but you need to think about your workforce. Doing everything yourself could be rewarding, until you find yourself scrambling to keep up with demand.

Build a brand

Even if you hire a pro to build your site for you, you’ll need to make (or at least approve) decisions about the look of the site — its design. Here are a few design fundamentals you’ll want to consider:

Logo. If you don’t have a logo or would like a new one, try our logo maker, where you can make a new logo in a matter of minutes. Once you have it, think about how you want to incorporate your company logo into your website’s design.

Colors. For brand harmony, it’s important to choose the right color palette for your website. Do you own a creative company? Perhaps vibrant colors like hot pink and tangerine speak to your brand. If you’re in the professional services industry, more subtle hues such as charcoal and blue might be more appropriate.

Think about the feelings colors evoke for you and match them with how you want your customers to feel when they visit your website.

Fonts. Think about the fonts that might best represent your particular business — from bold, linear styles to more delicate, feminine fonts.

Layouts and more. Consider the amount of “whitespace” (space between elements) in your design. A lot of whitespace can denote clarity or simplicity, while having very little of it can make your site look active or intense. Other elements, like background colors, gradients, and the “texture” of your overall design, can contribute to your online impression.

By putting a little thought into these basic design elements, you’ll make big strides in telling your story, building your brand, and framing your products and services in the best possible light on the web.

Related content: How to Make a Logo

Market and grow

Once you have a product or service to sell, a place to sell it and the peace of mind that you are operating legally and strategically, it’s time to get some customers and get to work. Tell family and friends, market yourself and seek out potential clients and customers.

Here are a the main ways to market your online business:

• Organic search — Learn the basics of SEO and get your content to rank higher.
• Paid search — Discover and bid on keywords to display your ads in related searches.
• Social media — Build a following and promote your online business on social media.
• Email marketing — Curate subscriber lists and develop email marketing campaigns.
• Online reviews — Monitor review sites and work to ensure you hold a high rating.
• Word of mouth — Network in person to build awareness of your online business.

The perk of having an online business is that you can take your work with you just about anywhere. But one of the best perks is that your online business is accessible to a massive audience of potential customers.

So, set up shop and get to work on building, marketing and growing your online business.

FAQ

What kind of business can I start online?

While the limit is your imagination, in this post we’ve covered some of the more popular types of business to start online:

• Ecommerce store — Set up an online store and process sales through your website.
• Dropshipping — Have a third-party supplier fulfill the orders you generate online.
• Online courses — Charge people to access learning material you post online.
• Affiliate marketer — Build a following and sell another business’ products to visitors.
• Create a SaaS product — Develop software and charge a fee for access to it.
• Offer services — Services such as counseling or teaching can be delivered online.

How do I start an online business with no money?

Starting an online business with no money can be a challenging task, but it is possible with the right approach and mindset. Here are some steps you can take to get started:

• Build a website — Use a free website builder to create a professional-looking website for your business.
• Use social media — Take advantage of social media to promote your business and reach potential customers.
• Network — Connect with other entrepreneurs and professionals in your industry through online forums, groups, and events.

Starting an online business takes time, effort, and persistence. Stay committed to your goals and remain flexible in your approach as you adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

What kind of online business is most profitable?

The most profitable one depends on various factors such as the target audience, the niche, and the business model. Here are some examples of profitable online businesses:

• Ecommerce — You can create your own online store or sell your products on marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay.
• Online education — Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Coursera allow instructors to create and sell courses.
• Affiliate marketing — Many bloggers and content creators use affiliate marketing as their primary source of income.
• Digital marketing — Provide digital marketing services like search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email marketing.
• Software as a service (SaaS) — Examples of successful SaaS companies include Dropbox, Slack, and Zoom.

It’s important to note that the profitability of an online business depends on various factors such as the quality of the product or service, the target audience, and the marketing strategy.

Which online business is best for beginners?

There are many online businesses that are suitable for beginners, depending on their interests, skills, and resources. Here are some ideas:

• Dropshipping — Set up an online store and sell products without holding inventory. A third-party supplier ships the products directly to your customers.
• Affiliate marketing — Promote products or services on your website or social media platform and earn a commission on each sale made through your referral link.
• Blogging — Start a blog and create content around it. Once you have built up an audience, you can monetize your blog through ads, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing.
• Online courses — Create an online course and sell it to people who want to learn the same skill. You can use platforms like Udemy or Teachable to host your courses.
• Social media management — Offer your services to small businesses or individuals who need help with their social media presence.

Ultimately, the best online business for beginners is one that aligns with their skills, interests, and goals. It’s important to do your research, understand the market, and be willing to put in the time and effort required to succeed.

It’s hard to keep relevant when you run an offline retail business.

Having an online store isn’t the exception, it’s the expectation, and when websites and commerce aren’t a part of a business strategy, it becomes increasingly difficult to remain resilient.

For instance, a recent IBM Retail Index report found the pandemic accelerated the shift toward ecommerce by roughly five years.

Meanwhile, in-store Black Friday sales dropped off a whopping 28% between 2021 and 2020 while online sales surged by 21% in the same period.

To adapt, many offline business owners find themselves launching online stores for the first time.

Others are making it easy for customers to order online and do curbside pickup.

And the savviest are experimenting with omnichannel selling, using their website to manage sales on Facebook, Instagram, and the other places their customers already spend their time.

If you haven’t done so already, the evidence is clear that it’s time to bring your brick-and-mortar store online.

In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to have a successful transition to selling online.

Table of contents

1. Research your ecommerce strategy

There are a variety of websites and tools you can use to understand consumer online shopping habits. Some sites that provide these insights for free through their blogs include eMarketer, McKinsey, PWC, Comscore, Pew Research, Nielsen IQ, and Think With Google Research Tools.

Take some time to research:

• How do your target customers prefer to shop online?
• When are they most likely to shop?
• Which channels are they most likely to use to discover your site?

For example, your target customers may prefer using a mobile device versus their desktop. Others might prefer to contact your store online through text messages rather than email.

Knowing this will help you to choose the right ecommerce platform to build and host your website, and create customer experiences that meet or exceed expectations.

Install a web analytics tool to learn as you go

Moving beyond third party research, using a website analytics tool will show you how people actually interact with your site:

• How your customers shop on your website after you launch
• What are your most popular product pages
• How they find your site through channels like search, social media, and blogs or traditional media sites

Google Analytics is free and is a popular option for many small business online retailers. To get started, watch this video which highlights some primary uses and benefits.

Ask your existing customers for help

If you already have a social media presence to promote your physical stores, you can also reach out through that channel to ask what your customers are looking for in an online store.

Their comments on various social channels can also give you insights into which products are the most popular and which ones they’d be likely to buy from you online.

Additionally, you can post an online survey on your social channels to find out what they might want in an ecommerce solution. Tools SurveyMonkey or Google Forms are an excellent place to start.

If you already have a customer email database in place, you can also send the survey out through that channel. It’s helpful to offer an incentive to get people to answer your questions, such as a gift card giveaway contest or a coupon code to use once your new site is live.

Research competitive ecommerce sites

Finally, take a look at your top competitors’ ecommerce websites and social media channels to see how they are targeting customers through savvy copywriting, design, and photography.

Make a list of the strengths and weaknesses of each site so that you can iterate on what works well for them and improve on what doesn’t.

2. Choose a reliable ecommerce website builder and hosting service

Once you’ve researched your market, the next step is to invest in the design, build, and launch of your ecommerce storefront.

Select and purchase a domain name

Likely, you’ll want a domain name that is an exact match to your business.

If the domain name you want is already taken or is too expensive, try for an abbreviated version of the name, or a different extension, such as .shop or .store for general ecommerce, or get more specific with .jewelry, .clothing and .coffee.

The price to purchase a domain name typically ranges from $2 to $20. However, there can be hidden costs. Refer to our domain name guide for more details on what to expect.

You can play around with different domain name options via this search box:

INSERT DOMAIN SEARCH BAR HERE

After you’ve selected a memorable URL, you’ll need to find a reliable website hosting service.

Many services — like GoDaddy’s online store — offer tools to build your own website for free.

Some things to look for in an ecommerce platform:

Accessibility: Your website hosting and design service provider should offer affordable (free or for a monthly fee), and easy-to-use templates. That’s for both an intuitive front-end design for customers and a back-end dashboard for managing orders and inventory.

They should also offer a variety of payment solutions and, preferably, a flat fee for service charges.

Customizability: Since it can get expensive to hire a graphic designer and website developer, the design templates offered by your service provider should be easily customizable and intuitive for anyone without a coding or design background.

Mobile-optimized: According to Oberlo, “nearly three out of every four dollars spent online today happen through a mobile device.” That’s why it’s critical that you select a mobile-optimized design theme and template for your new online store.

Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant: Since credit card fraud and security breaches are a constant threat to ecommerce businesses, it’s crucial to find a service provider, like GoDaddy Payments and Online Store Builder, that comes with PCI compliance built into its ecommerce solution.

The business must also follow proper technical and operational standards, monitored by the PCI Security Standards Council, to secure and protect the data provided by credit cardholders which are transmitted through card processing transactions.

Secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate: SSL is a security protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. When customers see a tiny lock icon beside your domain name URL in their web browser, they’ll rest assured that their online transactions and information are both private and secure.

Keep in mind that a robust, templated ecommerce store building solution should be available in one quick install, and should include:

• An affordable website template/theme
• Product pages
• Shopping cart
• An encrypted payment processing solution
• Secure hosting for your site

3. Select an enticing store theme and template

Once you’ve selected your URL and platform, you’ll need a theme to suit your online store’s functionality and branding needs.

GoDaddy Online Store Builder offers multiple solutions to accommodate a variety of businesses — from selling goods and services to allowing customers to book appointments online.

If you’re on a tight budget, start with a free theme or basic paid package (starting at $14.99/month) and re-evaluate your needs over time.

If you already have a managed WordPress website, you can also integrate WooCommerce themes and extensions to build an ecommerce storefront for your brick-and-mortar store that processes transactions using GoDaddy Payments.

Once your visual design is sorted, invest heavily in product descriptions and photography to appeal to as many of your visitor’s senses as possible.

If you’re creating copy and taking photographs yourself, here are  Just be sure you have the time to learn how to do it properly by watching videos or reading blogs on popular ecommerce sites.

4. Carefully select the products you want to sell online

While you already sell products in-store, you’ll need to decide which products to sell online. Between shipping, packaging, and a number of other factors, the margins on selling your products online can be very different than what you’re used to.

In those cases, you might want to take customer payments online but offer curbside pick-up, instead. You can also offer bundled solutions like the example below.

Other product and shipping considerations

When putting together your online product sales plan, ask yourself the following questions:

• Will you feasibly be able to package your products yourself, or will you need to employ someone to help you with it? If so, then budget that cost into your shipping fees.
• How are you going to store and track your inventory? You’ll need inventory-tracking software — ideally built into your ecommerce hosting and design solution. You can also use your stock room if you already have a physical storefront. Otherwise, you’ll need some sort of product storage solution.
• How, when, and why are you adding new products to your website? Be strategic about adding the right items and consider seasonal sales items and discounts.

5. Choose your online sales channels

For example, you might want to sell and ship products exclusively online. On the other hand, you might want to offer customers the option of buying your products online and then coming to your store for curbside pickup.

In fact, “85% of shoppers have increased curbside pickup” since the pandemic started. And many of them want that pickup process to be completely contactless.

You can also offer contactless payment and other online shopping solutions in-store for customer convenience and safety.

Of course, the reverse can also be true where you can also have “online exclusive” products which can be used to encourage your in-store customers to shop online.

Select ecommerce payment providers

There are many options to choose from when selling online. The most common way is to sell your products via an online store or to add ecommerce functionality to your WordPress blog using WooCommerce.

In either case, you need a domain name and checkout page where customers can complete their transaction via their credit or debit card or using their preferred third-party payment provider like PayPal, Apple Pay, or GoDaddy Payments.

Many small businesses prefer to use a third-party payment provider. That’s because it minimizes your security risks by storing customer credit card data through an encrypted service via the payment provider and not on your site.

GoDaddy Payments lets small businesses sell via all major credit card and debit card providers, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. It comes with advanced online encryption while maintaining the strictest payment card industry (PCI) compliance standards.

Likewise, your payment product questions and issues are managed 24/7 by GoDaddy’s customer support team.

GoDaddy Payments also offers the lowest fees (2.3% + 30¢ per online transaction) compared to other leading providers, and the money arrives in your account by the next business day. As a bonus, there are no long-term contracts, monthly minimums, or surprise fees to worry about.

It’s easy to set up your account in minutes, and you can manage all of your orders, inventory, customer reviews, and email in one place using the GoDaddy Online Store dashboard.

6. Consider your online payment solutions

If you don’t have the time, money, or resources to launch an ecommerce store right now, you can still sell online to customers using other sales channels.

GoDaddy Payments recently launched a variety of online sales solutions for small businesses.

Sell anywhere with shareable pay links

If you do most of your business with customers via text messages, email, social media or over the phone, you can process transactions using a customizable GoDaddy Payments Online Pay Link. Simply add your store branding and the cost of the transaction, then easily create and share a pay link with customers in minutes.

You can even transform a pay link into a scannable QR code with one click. Then post it or let customers print it anywhere to scan and pay in person quickly.

Via your GoDaddy Payments dashboard, select Pay Links and enter the price, description, and image for your payment request. Then, send your newly created payment link to your customer (through your preferred sales channel), and it’ll take them to a secure checkout page to complete their purchase.

After your customer completes the transaction, you’ll get paid by the next business day.

Related: GoDaddy Payments — Now available with Online Pay Links and Virtual Terminal

Turn your phone or computer into a virtual terminal

The new GoDaddy Payments Virtual Terminal allows you to accept credit card payments right from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

It’s a simple, secure way to get paid when your customers aren’t standing in front of you (e.g., collecting credit card info over the phone). And you don’t need any extra hardware like a card reader to complete the transaction.

Simply log in to your GoDaddy account and open Virtual Terminal on your Payments dashboard. Then, take your customer’s credit card info, type it into Virtual Terminal, and confirm the charge. Again, you’ll receive your payment by the next business day.

Get a point-of-sale (POS) system for contactless payments

The global pandemic has also influenced a dramatic shift away from in-person cash payments to contactless payments. As a result, small businesses should look for innovative point-of-sale (POS) systems that allow them to evolve with their customers’ in-store payment preferences.

GoDaddy’s POS system offers a variety of payment hardware solutions, including contactless payments, with the lowest transactional fees (2.3% + 0¢) per in-person transaction.

It allows you to quickly and easily take credit and debit card payments, plus contactless payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Then you can track it all in your GoDaddy dashboard.

Additionally, you can connect GoDaddy’s POS with your GoDaddy Online Store to help unify and expand your selling and enable customers to buy online, pick up in-store, or book online and pay in-person.

You’ll also benefit from the following hardware solutions:

Dual screens: GoDaddy’s dual-screen POS makes checkout a breeze. Plus, the all-in-one terminal includes a built-in payment processor, scanner, printer, and security.

Tap, dip or swipe payments: You can use the included charging dock to go hands-free. One single battery charge keeps your sales going longer, and you can connect your Card Reader to your GoDaddy Mobile App to start taking quick and easy payments.

Peace of mind: Every GoDaddy POS checkout is PCI secure, and every device comes with a one-year limited warranty and thirty-day refund.

7. Market your new ecommerce site online and in-store

Once you’re ready to take your brick-and-mortar store online, it’s time to let your customers know about it.

There are several ways you can do this affordably — all of which will require an investment of your time at a minimum.

Encourage customer ratings and reviews

Consumers have always trusted opinions and product recommendations from their peers over advertising or PR messaging.

That’s why you should encourage your ecommerce customers to provide ratings and reviews on your product pages and learn how to appropriately respond to all online reviews — both positive and negative.

To use positive reviews and ratings as a promotional tool for your ecommerce business, refer to our comprehensive guide, which includes some helpful case studies.

Boost your social media activity and presence

Whether or not you already have a social media presence, it’s crucial to start boosting your online social activity and brand profile to drive traffic back to your new ecommerce website.

Creating and sharing valuable social media content is both an art and a science. Luckily we have created lots of content with tips and advice to help you do it properly.

You can start by watching the video below to learn how to think like a digital marketer to reach, engage, and convert customers on social media:

Next, read through our time-saving social media tips for business owners, and learn about other best practices to expand your reach and grow your business.

Build an email marketing database

Email is a highly targeted and effective way to increase ecommerce traffic and sales to your new ecommerce website. Start by gathering customer email addresses both in-store and online once you launch your site (if you haven’t done so already).

To incentivize customers, consider offering a 10% to 20% discount on their first order in exchange for their email opt-in to your newsletter. Then you can contact those customers whenever you’re doing a seasonal promotion or new product launch.

It’s equally important to set up an email report in analytics to help you track how your email campaigns perform in driving new sales transactions and site visits. To learn how, refer to our beginner’s guide to starting an email list.

GoDaddy Online Store Builder comes with built-in email marketing functionality. Have a look at this walkthrough to get started.

Use search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO is a highly effective yet often time-consuming traffic-driving strategy for your new ecommerce store. More than 80% of consumers frequently search online before they purchase a product or service. Likewise, “SEO drives ten times more traffic to a site than organic social media.”

Your best bet is to start small by creating engaging and educational content through a blog or through online videos, and work on building links back to your website through other websites.

To ensure your new ecommerce site appears in search engine results, read our SEO beginner’s guide or watch this video.

Advertise online

Once you’ve begun to build up your site traffic and are more aware of the most popular and highest-rated products on your site, you might want to invest in paid advertising.

Take a look at your website analytics to see which sites drive the most organic traffic to your online store. Then invest in advertising with those sites to drive even more targeted traffic back to your top product pages.

Watch this video for tips on how to get started with paid online ad spending.

Promote your ecommerce site in-store

Be sure that customers who frequently visit or pass by your brick-and-mortar store know about their new online shopping options.

Promote your new domain name on your retail storefront window or awning, shopping bags, receipts and anywhere else that they might see it when they shop in person.

Prioritize customer service

A happy customer is always your best word of mouth marketing tool. If you can’t hire someone to help you with online customer service, then set aside time each day to answer customer emails and phone inquiries, update order statuses, and enter their shipping details.

Before you take your brick-and-mortar store online, ask yourself:

• How will you send shipping confirmations to customers?
• Who will handle phone and email inquiries, how, and when?
• Do you need a separate business phone line?
• How and when should you answer social media questions and comments?

You can save some time by developing and posting an FAQ section on your website, and creating templated email responses to your most common customer inquiries.

It’s time to bring your brick-and-mortar store online

Ecommerce sales are soaring, and customers have accelerated their online shopping habits and preferences because of the global pandemic. As a result, brick-and-mortar stores must re-think their sales strategies.

Even if your retail store sales are solid, it’s time to offer online and contactless payment solutions to satisfy your customers’ evolving shopping needs.

With the right online and in-person sales strategy, using a PCI-compliant provider like GoDaddy Payments, you can rest assured that your customers’ privacy and security are in good hands.

For even more ecommerce tips and strategies, read our post: “How to start an online store.”