If your dream is to make a living as an online seller, but you aren’t sure how to start selling online, you’re not alone.

For those who are just getting started, figuring out how to start an online business in the world of eCommerce can be a confusing, jumbled mess.

Fortunately, we’re going to help you cut through the noise and become an online seller by providing you with a complete, no-nonsense checklist to opening and running a successful online store.

If you’ve always wanted to know how to start selling online with your own eCommerce store but weren’t sure how to get started, this is the guide for you.

1. Choose or Create a Killer Product

There are stories of people making millions on nonsensical products thanks to their unique marketing approach. But finding success as you learn how to start selling online is going to be a lot easier if you have a great product, or, better yet, multiple great products. Find one that fits a niche you’re comfortable with. Make sure the product isn’t in an overcrowded market (but is marketable) and has good profit margins.

Most small businesses sell services in one way or another. From online education to technical support to personal coaching, your skill set could be a perfect fit to sell services online.

As you figure out how to start an online business, keep in mind that products like video tutorials, one-on-one consultations, or step-by-step plans can be an incredible draw for customers.

Do you currently run a small business? As you are brainstorming product ideas, think about where your business already excels that you might want to expand.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to go from how to sell online to building a wildly successful business. There are plenty of online stores selling copycat products that are doing extraordinarily well, and this is actually how most entrepreneurs get started.

As you figure out how to start selling online, one great way to find products is to purchase them in bulk from wholesalers. Platforms such as Alibaba.com allow you to find a vast range of products that are incredibly affordable.

Another excellent option for an online seller that keeps your operations and shipping costs low is digital products. Digital products include ebooks, games, online courses, and so on.

With digital products, you don’t have to deal with shipping, inventory management, or anything else you will encounter when you’re selling physical products.

Best of all, digital downloads are hot sellers right now, with plenty of people willing to pay good money for things that exist only as 1’s and 0’s on a computer. Figure out what your unique expertise is, and you’re on your way to knowing how to start selling online.

2. Put Together an Online Seller Marketing Plan

Wondering how to sell online? It’s all about marketing. Gone are the days where an online seller could just throw up a website, sit back, and watch the traffic pour in. While it’s possible to build an online store that sees a ton of traffic – and sales – you’ve got to bust your tail to get it there. Fortunately, as you learn how to start an online business there are a lot of marketing strategies you can put to use to drive people to your site, including:

PPC Advertising
Social Media Marketing
Blogging and Content Marketing
Building Backlinks
Email Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Affiliate Marketing
Video Marketing
And many, many more…

You will want to learn as much as you can about online marketing strategies and put together a custom marketing plan for your product.

It’s important to do create an online marketing plan before you actually build your website and start selling online since the marketing plan you put in place may influence your site’s design. Choose one of those marketing ideas on the list above that sounds interesting to you. Then, start by doing some research and some marketing experiments.

3. How to Start Selling Online with the Right eCommerce Platform

The right eCommerce platform can make or break your online store. In one of our previous posts, we discussed what you want to look for in an eCommerce platform. In summary, these things include:

Great customer service
Strong aesthetics
Helpful features
A good user interface
Top-of-the-line security
Affordable pricing

Take the time to explore the platforms you are considering, and don’t just choose one at random. Not all platforms are created equal, and you will build your entire business within the structure of your eCommerce platform. Make sure you choose one that will give you everything you need to make your online store a success.

4. Build Your eCommerce Website

Now that you’ve learned a little bit about how to sell online, and chosen a great eCommerce platform, it’s time to build your website. While picking a platform with a variety of tools and an easy-to-use interface will make building a good website a lot easier, you’ll still want to put in a lot of time and work to optimize your site.

We could write entire books (and many have) on optimal web design, but there are a few basics any online seller should start with. For one, you will want to fill your eCommerce website with crisp, attractive images and stellar written content.

People want to know they are buying from a professional, and nothing screams unprofessional like shoddy images and poorly written product descriptions. Take the time to find some nice images, write some great content, and upload these things onto your website in a way that is easy on the eyes.

Next, you will want to put your products up for sale. If you chose a good eCommerce platform, this step will be simple, and features such as checkout and payment options will already be in place. All you really have to do is list the products in your inventory, upload your images and product descriptions, and select options for pricing and shipping.

As you get used to the learning curve of how to start selling online, remember that small decisions can have a big impact on your online store. Think about SEO, sign-up forms, testimonials, and anything else that might increase your chances of making a sale and you’ll be set.

One more thing to remember as you decide how to start selling online. Omnichannel selling is a fancy way of saying that your customers will interact with you many places, both online and off, so it’s important to create a complete experience.

Your business will make more sales if your customers can access your products, and information about your products, from multiple entry points.

For instance, an eCommerce platform that offers embeds lets you include items for sale directly on your blog. A button or widget will give your customers the same easy checkout process that you’ve built on your eCommerce website. A Facebook store is also a great idea for any online seller. Start with the online space where you have the most engagement and expand from there.

5. Go Live with Your Online Seller Marketing Strategy

Now that your online store is up and functioning, it’s time to start putting your marketing strategy into action to drive people to your new eCommerce site. What this step looks like, and how you sell online, will depend largely on the marketing strategies you have chosen.

Whatever you decide, it’s important to keep one thing in mind: your marketing strategy as an online seller needs to be flexible. When you decide you want to learn how to start an online business and put it into action, change is inevitable. You will find that some strategies work well and some marketing ideas don’t work at all. Pay attention to your analytics, and adjust your promotional strategy accordingly.

Don’t sweat it if the marketing strategy you end up using is completely different from the one you originally put into place. This trial-and-error evolution of your online marketing approach is all part of building a successful online store.

6. Measure Your Results

The most successful online seller never stops learning how to start selling online, and they are always looking for ways to improve.

The internet is constantly changing, and even if it were to freeze in its current state there would still be more information than a single online seller could ever get through.

The more you learn about how to start an online business, the more you will see how important it is to measure the success of your efforts. After reading this article you know how to sell online, and now it’s time to go out and find what works best.

Test new tactics, check your data and make adjustments. Never get complacent. If you keep learning you’ll find a formula that works, even if it takes a little time.

Summary – How to Sell Online: