10 Step Process to Successfully Take Your Business Online in 2024

Bringing your established offline business into the digital world can be an exciting but challenging transition. If you’re reading this, we can assume you’re for tips on how to take your business online so let’s skim past the basics – yes, you need a professional website, secure payment gateways, and customer support systems. If you’re still setting up these fundamentals, we’d recommend booking a free consultation with us to ensure you get them right.

For those ready to launch and take the next steps towards digital success, here’s how you can make your online presence thrive:

Table of Contents

1. Legal Essentials: Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and More
2. Build Awareness
3. Leverage Your Existing Suppliers & Client Base
4. Use Social Media to Take Your Business Online
5. Incentivise Usage
6. Ensure Your Website is Optimised
7. Create Content for SEO
8. Build Customer Trust
9. Process Automation and AI
10. Analytics and Continuous Improvement

1. Legal Essentials: Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and More

Before launching, ensure your website has the correct legal documents in place. You need well-drafted Terms and Conditions that define the rules of engagement for your customers. A comprehensive Privacy Policy is also essential, especially with GDPR regulations. These documents are not only legal requirements but also establish trust and professionalism with your customers. Don’t forget any necessary industry-specific policies, such as returns and refund policies, and compliance with consumer protection laws, this is an often overlooked step.

WHEN YOU’RE READY TO LAUNCH:

2. Build Awareness

Your brand’s awareness is a crucial step to getting your business online and attracting those first few visitors to your site. Where possible start by creating a buzz BEFORE the launch.

• Press Releases: Announce your online launch to local news outlets, relevant blogs, and industry publications.
• Email Campaigns: Reach out to your offline customer database with an email announcing the new site, including special incentives to get them on board.
• Google My Business: Claim and update your Google My Business profile, ensuring that it links directly to your new website. This helps with local search visibility.
• Insert Marketing: Including promotional material within your existing distribution channels (have promotional material in store).
• Coming Soon Website: If you are creating a buzz beforehand make sure there is a holding page if people visit before the launch date.

Working towards a specific launch date to take your business online can really help channel your attention. As the saying goes… “Nothing focuses the mind like a deadline!”

3. Leverage Your Existing Suppliers & Client Base

Your existing suppliers can play a vital role in boosting your online presence. Here’s how:

• Approved Supplier Lists: If you’re part of any supplier networks or industry associations, ensure that your online business is listed on their approved supplier directories.
• Partnerships: Discuss partnerships where your products or services are featured on their platforms, with direct links back to your site. Mutual promotion can benefit both parties.
• Backlinks: Get your suppliers to link back to your site. These backlinks from credible sources can significantly improve your site’s SEO, and help to drive organic traffic.
• Brand Credibility: Highlight your partnerships with well-known suppliers. Displaying recognisable logos or showcasing your products on trusted platforms lends credibility to your online business.

Your existing customers are your biggest advocates. Here’s how you can engage them to take your business online:

• Email Newsletters / Launch Campaign: Inform them about your online store with exclusive offers and promotions.
• Customer Loyalty Programmes: Introduce a loyalty scheme that rewards customers for online purchases.
• Testimonials and Reviews: Ask your loyal clients to leave reviews or testimonials on your website and social media pages. Social proof is powerful in converting new visitors into customers. You can encourage these with coupons as well, assuming you do not contravene the review platforms T&C’s – i.e. only incentivising 5* reviews is obviously not allowed.

4. Use Social Media to Take Your Business Online

Social media is a fantastic tool to promote your online business:

• Platform Choice: Choose platforms that align with your audience. Instagram and Pinterest are great for visual businesses, while LinkedIn works well for B2B operations.
• Engagement: Regularly post engaging content, including product highlights, behind-the-scenes looks, and customer testimonials. DO NOT constantly try and sell on social media. A good rule of thumb is 80/20:
  • 80% Educational, Entertaining and Engagement etc
  • 20% Special Offers Promotions, Testimonials and new product launches etc
• Paid Advertising: Consider running targeted ads to reach a broader audience. Social media platforms offer advanced targeting to reach specific demographics and interests.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers relevant to your niche to extend your reach to a larger audience.

5. Incentivise Usage

Driving traffic is just the first step. You need to convert that traffic into sales, and incentives are key:

• Exclusive Online Offers: Promote online-only discounts, coupon codes, and free delivery to entice visitors to make a purchase.
  • It’s recommended to incentivise a users 1st purchase.
• Limited-Time Promotions: Use urgency-driven campaigns, like flash sales or early bird offers, to encourage immediate action.
• Referral Programmes: Encourage existing customers to refer friends and family to your site with special offers or rewards.

6. Ensure Your Website is Optimised

A well-optimised website is essential for visibility and user experience:

• Technical SEO: Ensure your website is technically sound with fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and a secure HTTPS connection.
• Schema Markup: Implement schema data to enhance your product indexing on search engines, allowing your products to appear in rich snippets and product carousels.
• User-Friendly Design: Make sure your website is intuitive to navigate, with a clear checkout process and visible calls to action.
• Professional Product Imagery: This should go without saying, but your website represents your business. If the images are cropped incorrectly or the resolution is too low this WILL affect your ability to convert customers.

7. Create Content for SEO

Content is king when it comes to online visibility. High-quality, SEO-optimised content will drive organic traffic to your website:

• Blog Posts: Write informative blog posts related to your industry. Use keyword research tools to find out what your audience is searching for.
  • There is ALWAYS an angle for content. If you need help reach out to our team for a free consultation.
• Product Descriptions: Optimise your product descriptions with relevant keywords while keeping them engaging and helpful.
• Content Marketing: Invest in content that adds value to your audience, such as tutorials, guides, and video content. Quality content builds trust and keeps customers coming back.

8. Build Customer Trust

Customer reviews play a pivotal role in maintaining the success of your online business over time. Here’s why:

• Build Trust: Positive reviews help establish credibility with new customers. They serve as proof that your business is trustworthy and that your products or services deliver as promised. Display customer reviews and testimonials prominently on your site.
• Security Badges: Show that your site is secure with SSL certificates, payment protection, and data encryption.
• Clear Contact Information: Make sure customers can easily reach you with any queries. Displaying a phone number, email, and live chat options will help build confidence.
• Social Proof: When potential customers see others praising your products or services, they’re more likely to make a purchase themselves.

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews by following up with them post-purchase and offering incentives such as discounts on future orders.

9. Process Automation and AI

In the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are no longer just cutting-edge technologies—they are essential tools that can help you streamline operations, reduce manual workload, and enhance customer experiences. Here’s how you can integrate these technologies into your online business:

• Post-Purchase Support: Set up automated workflows for post-purchase support, such as sending thank-you emails, tracking updates, or requesting feedback.
• Accounting Automation: Integrate your e-commerce platform with accounting software to automatically sync sales data, manage invoices, track expenses, and generate financial reports.
• Data Entry and Reporting: Automation tools can handle repetitive tasks such as data entry, order updates, and report generation, reducing the time your team spends on manual tasks.
• Shipping and Logistics: If you existing logistics provider has an API then you can automate your shipping statuses with your website keeping your customer informed every step of the way.

These are only a fraction of examples where automation can be leveraged to make your business more efficient.

10. Analytics and Continuous Improvement

Finally, make use of analytics tools like Google Analytics to track how your website is performing. Identify areas where visitors are dropping off, which pages are converting the best, and continuously tweak your strategy based on data insights.

• A/B Testing: Regularly test different elements of your website, from the colour of buttons to the layout of product pages, to see what works best.
• Abandoned Cart Recovery: More advanced features like abandend cart will recognise when your users have added items to their basket and not checked out, you can then drop them and email with an incentive to check out.
• Customer Feedback: Solicit feedback from your customers regularly and make adjustments to your website or service offerings based on their input.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Transitioning your established offline business to the digital realm is a crucial step in staying competitive in today’s marketplace. With the right strategy, tools, and support, your online presence can not only thrive but drive significant growth for your business. From ensuring legal compliance and optimising your website to leveraging automation and analytics, every aspect of your digital journey requires careful planning and execution. Remember, your online success isn’t just about launching—it’s about continuous improvement and adapting to an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Now that you’re equipped with how to take your offline business online and make it a success, it’s time to take action. Whether you’re looking for an entry-level e-commerce solution, a custom-built application, or expert advice on where to begin, we’re here to help.

Need some help to take your business online?

• Explore our Entry-Level Licensed E-Commerce Solutions: Pro-Sites
• Discover how we can build a Custom E-Commerce Application tailored to your unique business needs: Website Design Services
• Book a Free Consultation today to discuss your specific requirements and how we can help: Online Calendar

Take the next step towards digital success—get started today!