1)Before you even think about choosing a domain name or a host for your site, you have to decide what you are going to sell. The category could be:

a)an informational product such as an ebook, hard cover book, report, CD, DVD or a combination of two or three of these,

b)a purchased retail product such as a tangible product that you may buy and stock or have drop-shipped from a manufacturer such as collectibles, decorative items, industrial items, electronic gear and accessories, etc.,

c)a manufactured retail product that you make yourself, or

d)a service, national or world-wide, that might include such things as starting an articles directory, providing custom written material, locating items for a customer or any type of assistance that a customer might be looking for.

2)Whatever you choose, develop a passion for your business product, whether it is an e-product or tangible goods. If you really do not have strong positive feelings for it, it will be harder to get really enthusiastic. Genuine excitement sells your product.

3)As with any business, you have to be willing to devote your time and labor to it both in setting it up and in maintaining it. But once you are up and running, you can enjoy it if you love what you are doing and the product(s) you are dealing with.

4)Once you choose your product, you are ready to choose a domain name to let the WWW know what you have to offer. You can check on the availability of any name and submitting your ideas free of charge.

5)When your site is set up, it is a good idea to keep a three-ring binder with printouts of all your pages on the site, especially product pictures and prices, vendor information and sales receipts for tax-time calculations. Be sure to back up your site pages and information on a CD.

6)The last piece of the puzzle, although it is probably the most important, is advertising so you can start getting visitor traffic and, most importantly, customers.

You can blog your information, submit it in article form to article directories, take out ads in trade magazines and newspapers, or if your budget is large enough, do a television commercial. Pay-per-click ads are effective but they can get expensive very quickly. There is a way to eliminate those costs.