Starting a new web-based business is an exciting prospect and one of the main ways individuals all over the world are achieving financial independence. Likewise, expanding an existing business to the web can be a great way to expand your audience and garner customers in markets you might not otherwise find. Sometimes, we get so excited about building our new online businesses that we can forget to cover all the bases before launch. If you want your web-based business to be successful, then there are a few steps you must take before deploying it – outlined below are these actions and why they are important.

Selecting Your Product

Frankly, this seems like a no-brainer, but there are tons of businesses that launch a web presence before deciding what it is they are selling. Sometimes this may be due to a delay in approval for certain affiliate programs, while in other cases it can be because the developers see no reason to wait to deploy the site, even though it has no listed products. The second your website is launched, it is visible to the world and is pinging online descriptions to major search engines. Do not get ahead of yourself: by having all your products listed and optimized before deployment, you can begin your journey on sound footing without having to worry if potential customers are seeing – and subsequently – leaving your site because there are no products.

Determining Your Storefront

Perhaps even worse than launching a business website without listed products is launching one that doesn’t even have the proper storefront installed and ready. These concerns must be addressed before launching; if you are selling services, then it is possible to get around this step but for those who want to do direct sales of products, knowing which set of tools you will be using for checkout and product display is vital. Since this is more of a technical issue than an aesthetic one, it makes absolutely no sense to deploy a website when it is not fully functional. Hold your horses, find the best storefront solution and THEN launch your website.

Getting the Word Out

Do you have a game plan for promoting your website via major search engines and social media? If not, then launching your website is premature. Content marketing strategies – whether it is for a blog or a web-based business – need to be well thought out and documented in advance. Once your site’s storefront and product selection is determined and implemented, you are nearly ready to begin its big launch. The final piece of the puzzle is having a plan and beginning your marketing strategies the very second that your site comes online. Idle time does no good for a website; have your ducks in a row and be ready to promote your business via the web as soon as you are live.

By taking into consideration these aforementioned concepts, you will be sure to attract new business and be pinging online content and marketing that is both relevant and desired. A website is a complicated series of parts; if you launch it too soon, then you are only hurting its chances at future success. By getting the word out, implementing your storefront and determining the products beforehand, you can gain the upper hand in SEO, content marketing and product placement from the moment your site comes online.