Many would be entrepreneurs fail because they think they can’t afford to start. Wrong! Just about everyone can afford to own an online business. It’s the perfect option if you’re starting out because there is no risk or overhead cost. It’s not the easy way out (I assure, be prepared to work just as hard!), it’s just a cheaper route to success. Almost any business idea can be translated to a website. I’m going to show you how to own an online business in 5 easy steps.

1. Own an online business: Choose your concept Say you’re a chef with a unique model for a vegetarian fast food Restaurant. You know you’ve got a winning scheme, however you can’t afford to get it off the ground. Starting an online delivery service is a good idea—however, you will need access to a kitchen that passes health inspections, raw materials, and unless you plan to cook and deliver the food—labor. This could get expensive. You want to own an online business to make money, not to spend it! As an alternative, you could set up a website for vegetarians.

2. Own an online business: Keyword research and niche You’ve picked the website theme, now it’s time to get a little more specific by doing keyword research and choosing a niche within your topic. Choosing the right niche and keywords is everything when you own an online business. If you Google the term vegetarian, literally millions of results appear. It will be next to impossible for anyone to find your website if you’re not on the first page of Google’s search results, and that’s stiff competition. Most people don’t look past the results on the first page.

Google “Key word tool” and click the Google Keyword tool link in the search results. Here you can set up a free Google Adsense account, or simply use the keyword tool for research without an account. If you aren’t signed in, you can only access the first 100 results. When you own an online business, this tool is invaluable. Sign up. Now, type in the term, “vegetarian” in the search box under “find keywords,” near the top of the page. As you can see there are over 2 million monthly searches for vegetarian. The competition is low (which is good), but there are far too many searches. Why own an online business, if no one can find it?

You want to choose a keyword with less than 5000 monthly searches, and low-medium competition. If you look through the results, the term “quick vegetarian meals” has 1900 monthly searches and low competition. It’s also in line with your concept of a fast food vegetarian restaurant. Your website could contain homemade recipes for quick vegetarian meals, along with chef’s secrets on how to make everything restaurant quality. You could even sell your own e-cook book on the site. Now that you have a concept, you’re almost ready to own an online business!

3. Own an online business: Domain name and hosting There are ways to own an online business that do not require you to buy a domain. However, you will have much more success(and credibility) with your own website. You can purchase a domain name from GoDaddy or another registrar for between $2-$15. You will also need hosting for your site, which you can get at Hostgator for less than $4 a month, and $.01 for the first month. Think of your website as your store front, and hosting as the plot of land to build your business on. It’s a small investment with potentially high returns. Ideally, your domain name should contain the keyword phrase (“quick vegetarian meals”) or relate to it very closely. You’ve invested the time to own an online business, so choose a name that represents it well.

4. Own an online business: How to make money Congratulations, you own an online business! You’ve got your website set up—now what? First, you need to add quality content and include your keywords. You don’t want to over do it with the keywords, make sure it sounds natural. Ideally, the keyword density should be around 2-4%, although it’s not set in stone. Keyword density is a hot topic, and beyond the scope of this article. To rank well in Google , you should have 5 pages on your website:

1. Homepage: “Quick Vegetarian Meals: Chef’s Secrets” 2. About Me: Your Bio 3. Privacy Policy 4. Subject closely related to your topic: (Where to buy ingredients) 5. Blog: add articles on daily or weekly basis to keep visitors coming back

There are many ways to make money when you own an online business. The most popular method is to become an affiliate advertiser. You sign up to an affiliate network and post ads related to your website’s niche. You make commissions (up to 75%!) on every product you sell, or lead generated depending on the program. As mentioned earlier, you could also sell your own e-books or other products. When you own an online business, the route you choose to make money is up to you!

5. Own an online business: Spread the word

Without visitors, you can’t make money even if you own an online business. Ways to get the word out, include writing articles related to your website topic and submitting to websites like street articles (article marketing), submitting press releases to free PR directories, and participating in forums and blog communities. If you have an advertising budget, consider using Goolge PPC (pay per click) Advertising. There are so many ways to market, but you’ll have to do your research to find what works for you. It’s amazingly easy to own an online business; the real challenge is making it successful. That’s entirely up to you. Luckily, there are many resources out there to help you along the way. Good luck!