Most businesses today either have a website or are considering building one. Any soloist looking to have a serious online presence needs to develop strong online habits because you’ll only get the most from your site once you understand the medium. This is especially true for businesses engaged in eCommerce and selling product through an online shop.
The essential internet tips
There are some things you should definitely know how to do because they will make your life easier and save you time and money.
Use as many internet banking features as your bank provides
Get familiar with the processes of transferring money, receiving statements, paying bills and checking your account balance online. Once you know how, you'll save money at the ATM by not needing to check your balance, and your creditors will love you for transferring money and not giving them extra work in dropping a cheque down to the bank.
Become proficient at sending, receiving and replying to emails
There is email etiquette and good practice you should understand, especially when sending emails. The most important is to give your email a thorough proofread before sending. Check for spelling and grammar first, but also ensure if you've mentioned an attachment that it is attached. You can't get that email back once it's sent!
Understand online purchasing procedure
Challenge yourself to buy some Christmas presents online this year, and if you'd like to extend the challenge further, try only buying from small business. Niche retailers thrive online and you'll find amazing and very competitively priced treasures if you look hard enough.
Each business will have different purchasing and delivery processes. Feel your way through the buying experiences and
decide which practices you might incorporate into your business.
Pushing boundaries
Once you’re au fait with the internet tips above, consider the following.
Book a complete holiday
The travel industry is well versed on what it takes to make a great website, so try doing all your research online and then book flights, accommodation, tours and car rental without picking up the phone.
Check out your competition’s sites
The anonymity of the Internet gives us a special protection when checking out our competitors.
Take a leaf from the book of owners of money spinning websites, who make a habit of immersing themselves in the Internet and watching how other similar businesses innovate and develop their products online. This helps them understand their customers and act on new trends as they emerge.
Many also find it useful to investigate the practices of competitors outside their immediate area. You could try searching for businesses in another state or country. We can learn much by keeping a watchful eye over how others innovate in our industry.
Because they have no idea you're looking you can afford to take a longer look than you might if you popped into someone else's shop. Go on, you know you want to.
If you've mastered those, have a go at these other online goodies:
- Win an auction on eBay.
- Post in a forum or add a comment to articles – like this one!
- Search Google, Yahoo and Live for specific local products & services.
- Find your location on Google maps.
- Subscribe to an RSS feed.
- Write a review for a hotel, restaurant or service you’ve used.
- Start a Facebook profile.
Do you have any internet tips? What do you do online to keep yourself current and up to date?
“ There is email etiquette and good practice you should understand, especially when sending emails. ”
Nicky Jurd is a friendly geek who provides business owners with a plain English approach to the web. She runs a full service web-development firm in sunny Cairns, and writes about effective small business websites through her blog.
