6. Choose a domain name wisely – your domain name is how your ebusiness will be remembered. A domain name can have a powerful reinforcing impact on an ebusiness if selected well. A poorly chosen domain can have a deflating effect on an ebusiness and may cause you to work harder to establish a recognizeable brand.

7. Content is key – focus on well written, clear and concise Web copy. Endeavor to create a unique voice and personality that projects a professional image with personal warmth. Make your copy easy to read and help the visitor see the benefits of your product or service.

8. Have a call to action – don’t leave your visitors wondering as to what they need to do next. Have a clear way for them to make a purchase or contact you via your website. Encourage your visitors to act now.

9. Build trust and confidence – always include a telephone number and address to contact you. If you have testimonials then put them on your website.  If you don’t have testimonials yet, offer free samples in order to get testimonials.

10. Build a professional website – simple design with good layout, color scheme, easy navigation, and a way to contact or purchase online work best. Complex designs with busy pages can easily lose  readers. Make sure your website is compatible with the popular browsers used by your visitors.

In the future installments to this series we will deal with ways to building customer trust and confidence, as well as ways to make money online.

So you decided to start an ebusiness and are very excited about the opportunity ahead of you. That is a good thing. Excitement is important. However, control it and don’t let it blind you to the reality. If you are in it to make “easy money” then you better pour a lot of money into it and hope something sticks. Otherwise, get out and get out now. Here are some key principles to help you on your way to financial freedom, a smart, calculated way:

1. Find a need and address it – most successful ebusinesses started because the creators of the business needed something that was not available or out of reach for most Internet users. At times something may be available but you can do it better.

2. Leverage existing services – successful ebusiness entreprenuers also use existing popular services to get the word out. YouTube can be used to put out video advertisements, how-to videos, or viral videos. Twitter can be used to post short comments and links back to your website. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and other services can be used to reach certain audiences.

3. Use what you know and love – if your ebusiness can focus on an area you know very well and/or have passion for, this will help you to keep focus and interest in the difficult growing period.

4. Use offline marketing – just because your business in online, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use trusted and proven offline business building techniques. Offline advertising and promotional material can drive prospective customers to your website.

5. Be patient – ebusiness success is not overnight. Your efforts today may not bear fruit until some months down the road. A website is never finished. It is always a ‘work in progress’ and requires attention, especially in the early stages. Patience is vital to ebusiness success.

In future articles we will continue to build on our list of ebusiness development principles. Stay tuned.