Building your business on the web is an intricate operation needing the application of a wide array of skills. You need the business skills of business model conceptualisation, business model testing and feasibility study; the artistic skills of design and layout; the language skills of copy and content writing; and the technical skills of programming and scripting. That's quite a handful and not something your average web design company would be able to handle.



Using a different company for each of these tasks could lead to chaos. So it's a good idea to entrust the whole project to an online marketing agency. With in-house specialists in all the required disciplines, such an agency can take your project from conception right through to finalisation. Meanwhile, you can get on with the tasks that really create value for your company such as product development. Let's look at the range of services such an agency can offer.

If your company is new to ecommerce, you need to determine the right business model for you. Then you have to carry out a feasibility study. These tasks are known as business model conceptualisation and business model testing.

If your business model is feasible, the next step is to find a home for your web site on the internet. For this you need domain registration and web hosting. The next step is to actually create your web site which involves determining and creating content and graphics and to set the layout and design. Plus you have to to equip your web site with the technical systems to support your business model. This could involves setting up a shopping cart, for example.

With your web site in place and functioning, you have to get traffic. You can do this in two basic ways. The first is to use search engine optimisation (SEO) to ensure your web site is found by those searching for your product or service. SEO is of two main types: on-page, which involves tweaking your page content and tags, and off page, which mainly involves building links to other web sites.

The second method of getting traffic is to use pay per click campaigns (PPC) such as Google ad words. This involves doing keyword research to determine the terms that your prospects will use to look for the type of products that your company offers. You then develop small ads for your product. These ads show up in the search results and each time your ad is clicked, you pay a fee. This is sometimes known as search engine marketing (SEM). Your business model might also use affiliate marketing to sell other people's products for a commission or email marketing which involves a sales campaign carried out through email.

The tasks and associated skills needed to put up a commercial website are considerable. One stop shop online marketing agencies can plan and carry out all the needed tasks will free you from a considerable administrative burden. Having all your online marketing solutions taken care of will allow you focus on the main strategic thrust of your operation.