An e-commerce website refers to a website where you can buy and sell goods and services on the internet. Fulfilment of orders can be online i.e. electronic products or services or it can be offline i.e. for physical products or services.

So you want to set up an e-commerce website. While it may appear daunting, it is very easy if you set your mind to it. There are several ways of going about it,

You can build an e-commerce website on your own if you have the necessary skills. Some popular software for building a website include Microsoft Frontpage and Macromedia Dreamweaver.

After building you website, you will need a shopping cart software program that will help you take orders, calculate shipping and tax. It should be able to send sales notification too. Several options include GoEcart.com and 1shoppingcart.com. You can also make use of the e-commerce solution provided by Ezhostcafe.com.

Next, you will definitely need to obtain a means of receiving payments online. For this to be possible, you need a merchant account and a payment gateway. Some banks might reject you but keep trying until you get one that will accept you. Some leading payment gateways include Authorize.net and Verisign.

Of course, it might be too expensive to get the above or you might not even have access to a merchant account especially if you in Africa. This therefore means that you might have to consider a third party payment processor like Paypal
etc.

Next, you need to host your website. You need to find a web hosting company that supports e-commerce websites such as Godaddy. Network Solutions, Ezhostcafe.com etc or for some people who prefer a local option where they can initiate a direct contact especially in times of outage, use redwoodng.com.

Another option is to use a hosted solutions such as Prostores by Ebay or Yahoo stores by Yahoo. This typically costs between $30 – 40 per month plus setup fees of up to $50 per month. Ensure your hosted solution offers a full wizard-driven setup, multiple templates, SSL encryption, database driven system, multiple payment options etc.

Another option is to completely outsource the building of your ecommerce website to a company that will build the website from scratch. The company can handle the building of your website, a custom built shopping cart and advertising. Such a company include Ezhostcafe.com, redwoodng.com etc

Of course, you don’t even need to build or setup an e-commerce website. You can simply make use of several services or auctions websites to sell your goods and services. Such websites include Ebay, Craigslist, swapthings.com etc

Thats about all. If you have any comments please don’t hesitate to drop me a line below.

This article was written by Emmanuel Odeh CEO of Arthur Redwood Co. He is an internet marketer and online entrepreneur and owner of www.hotbizcafe.com

Earlier last week, I was researching on the internet as is normal with my need to continually feed my list with the latest happening in the internet marketing world. Anyway, I came across this little e-book that has been guaranteed to earn you $2475 for referring 100 people to download a copy.

This e-book report is guaranteed to be useful both to the experienced internet marketer and the beginner. You don’t need a website to be able to take advantage of this opportunity.

According to the author, my friend Ng Yu Ching, this e-book is guaranteed to help you make you make money through three  sources viz Clickbank, Paypal
and Paydotcom.

Rush over now to download and read the free report here. Remember its free and you are guaranteed to earn $2475.

This post was written by Emmanuel Odeh CEO of Arthur Redwood Co. He is an internet marketer and online entrepreneur and owner of www.hotbizcafe.com

Twitter is a social network experience that can help you draw massive traffic to your website/blog. This is the new social media network by which the top internet marketers draw traffic to their website/blogs. Over the next few articles, we will discuss how you too can use twitter to attract traffic to your website/blog like the guru’s.

How to set up

Setting up an account on Twitter is easy. Go to http://www.twitter.com. You will be asked to either login or register. If you don’t have an account, you need to register.

The Twitter screen will ask you for your first and last name. A green tick will appear next to the box. Next, you need to enter your username and you need to give some thought to the name you want to use to represent yourself on Twitter. This is important because you will need different email addresses for several Twitter accounts if you choose to have more than one.

Anyway, the first account you register should always be in your own name if it is still available. Naturally, common names like WillSmith  (there are no spaces in usernames) will have been taken. It is still possible though, to get variations on your name like Will_Smith or Will Smith23. You can only use an underscore in a username. Hyphens are not permitted.

If you wish to register a business name, then you can do that, but make sure that you use your own name in the signup process so you are identifiable and connected with the business name you register. We will discuss reasons for operating under each type of registration later in this article series.

Next, you will be asked for your email address. Each email address is linked to an account and you will only be able to use your email address once. So every account you register, you will need a different email address. Lastly you will fill in the CAPTCHA letters and click on Create My Account.

You will now be shown a new screen where you will be asked to add any o your friends from popular web based email programs. You can always do this later. Next screen presents a list of people Twitter asks if you would like to follow. Choose some if you like, but personally I wouldn’t be bothered. Click finish and you will be taken to your own Twitter account.

Your Settings

Now we are going to fill out our settings and this is a very important step on Twitter. The access to the settings can be found at the top right of your screen.

Firstly, we will concentrate on the account tab on the settings page. The information you entered when registering is already here. What you need to do now is to flesh this out so people can find you on Twitter and you can make yourself interesting to follow. Much of what is entered here is searchable on Twitter and a host of other third party applications and also helps people to make a decision to follow you on Twitter.

It is possible to change your username at anytime on this screen, though, it is not advisable as it can only confuse your followership. Therefore, is not recommended. However, change the time zone to your own and move over to the one line bio.

Your Bio

You have 160 characters here to sell yourself. Take your time over it and do it well. Don’t just enter a bunch of keywords as they appear uninteresting to people. Instead, use keywords and start your bio with the words “I am” and then describe yourself.

An example-
“I am into internet marketing, Affiliate
marketing, public speaking and internet consulting. I am passionate about social media and helping people start an online business”.

Note how the keywords are used in the above description. You can obviously see keywords like internet marketing, affiliate marketing, public speaking, internet consulting, social media and online business. Using these terms in your bio will have you popping up in search results when people are searching for like minded individuals to follow. So it is definitely worth taking time to get your bio right.

Remainder of Screen

Enter your website or blog here if you have one. Be sure to include the http:// prefix to the URL.
Your location is next and is very important so people can search and find others in their area. It is also important to you if you are chasing rankings on Twitter as users are ranked by their locations.

Protect Updates
You can protect your updates if you want to have a private account and you will have to approve followers. If you intend to meet new people on Twitter, DON’T turn this feature on. People just can’t be bothered requesting permission to follow you unless they know you personally. You may now save your settings.
Devices
You can enter your mobile phone number here if you want Twitter updates to your phone. This is not advisable if you have a large number of followers.
Notices
This setting allows Twitter to “nudge” you with a text to your phone if you haven’t updated in 24 hours.
Replies
The replies function is interesting and will determine what tweets you see that are prefixed with the @ symbol. This is how you direct a tweet to someone in particular.The rest of the notices are pretty self explanatory. However, if you are following someone and they are following you, you can send direct messages to each other that won’t appear on the Twitter timeline. Direct messages are essentially private messages between two people.

Picture
This is really important. When you open this page, you will see the small avatar on the screen which is the default for Twitter. If you want new followers, you really need to put a photo of yourself here. If the Twitter account is for a company then the logo will do nicely. When people are scanning the Twitterstream your picture stands out even more than your name.
Design
You can change the background o your Twitter page here. Twitter provides a number of alternatives that you can select or you can upload your own background. You can also change the colours if you want. Whatever you do, just change from the Twitter default. It shows that you have taken some time setting up your account.

That is it. You now need to go to the Twitter home page and type in your first tweet. You can type in something like “Hi, I’ve just joined Twitter and am looking forward to meeting interesting people” and click the update button.

You are now welcome to start using Twitter to attract massive traffic to your website or blog

This article was written by Emmanuel Odeh CEO of Arthur Redwood Co. He is an internet marketer and online entrepreneur and owner of www.hotbizcafe.com

If there was an advertising guide that could tell you exactly what to do to make money off of using Facebook, then no doubt there would be millions of copies sold. People want to make money and Facebook wants a portion of that revenue for using their website; it is more than just a social networking site. Sure you can find friends and such but for some people Facebook is all about business.

Facebook is a social networking website devoted to promoting interaction between its members. You can use the Facebook application as a way to share stories, find friends or if you are trying to make money blogging, use it as part of your internet marketing strategy. You do this through blogging and through bulletins found on the Wall within Facebook. You can post networking news for the world to read through your profile. Again, if you are trying to build a passive income stream and wish to display blogs products from an online store, then simply upload photos into albums so that visitors and friends can see your merchandise. Clicking on these pictures will lead them into your online store and hopefully to a sale, all without doing nothing more than a few posts in your Facebook account.

As far as an advertising guide or tips go, the best way to get your product seen is to follow the advice of business experts. You want to expose yourself to as many people as possible. This means creating ads that will make people want to click on them. Surely you have seen the “Win a Free Ringtone” ads posted by marketers. It might be a diet patch banner ad that beckons those who want to lose weight into clicking on their advertisement link.

Often times, we hear about merger news about Facebook being acquired by a large company, such as Google or Yahoo. As of yet this has not occurred and if founder Mike Zuckerberg has anything to say about it, it will not be happening anytime soon. This means that for now your advertising services are still in need. When you advertise through a banner ad, Facebook gets a portion of the sale. It is this portion that allows Facebook to remain free to the public. It will stay free as long as there is daily advertising by companies and businesses that want to put their banner ads onto the site.

Any advertising guide would advise that you pay attention to media facts when attempting to make money off of a website. The dot com fiasco of the 90s is enough to show anyone that fact. But not all facts are set in stone. Facebook is certainly not out of the competition and still does need advertising services in order to remain in operation. Will the website generate enough traffic for you to make tons of money? No one can guarantee that.

Source: Make Money

Before a doctor diagnoses a specific disease, his patient must undergo a series of laboratory exams and assessments. He has to know the history of his patient and how lifestyle affected his present health problem. As results come in, that would be an indication of the time when a physician gives specific drugs and therapies for maintenance. This will eventually contribute to the level of optimum health for that individual. If all else fails, the process will be repeated again.

Similar to what the abovementioned situation has stated, an entrepreneur’s responsibility would be pretty much the same. It’s just that, he should see his customers as his patients and what they must have to survive a present predicament or a need. He must follow certain steps before doing anything irrational that could contribute to the downfall of his business. He should have certain characteristics innate in his personality for if he lacks one of these, he’s most probably doomed to fail.

Entrepreneurship is collectively defined as exhibiting one’s vision, taking action, and pursuing that vision as a goal to be achieved in life as service to reality. In the meaningless definition, it’s getting your butt out of that couch and doing something rather than fulfilling your life’s destiny of being a couch potato. Stated below are some of the distinct attitudes an entrepreneur should positively have:

• Optimism – is foreseeing things in a positive way notwithstanding any circumstances that may hinder progress. The assertiveness of an individual depends on his knowledge of how to handle a difficult situation

• Creativity – is thinking outside the box. Expanding one’s mind of what is beyond the ordinary through fine research and collection of data.

• Stability – either physical, mental, social or emotional, a leader must possess a stable life which means he could handle tough situations during tough times

• Charismatic – intelligence of communicating with different walks of life. Who says a charming man is less than an intelligent one? A good entrepreneur must have the certain magic glistening in his eyes and could convey enchanting words to get hold of that convincing power no one dare resist.

• Risk-taker – as someone beginning his own dream, he should be stern and must have the guts and the balls to take the big leap of plunging into his own doom or success. He should not be afraid of taking chances when opportunity strikes.

• Energetic – willing to do whatever it takes to reach to the finish line. His drive must always be at its highest level for being an entrepreneur would make you work overtime. His enthusiasm must prevail the next best thing.

• Time bound – like a written report in a newspaper, an entrepreneur must be on the top of every innovation. By looking at our past, we could predict our future.

Small businesses, in time, would turn out big if the scope of management exceeds what is expected. So it is necessary for a beginner to be positive about his endeavors. He must be very observant of what his environment lacks and needs. He should have sturdy shoulders to put on extra weight of carrying a responsibility that could change his or her life.

One’s greatest failure is sticking with the mentality of being conventional. This would be one of an entrepreneur’s greatest downfalls. Think big. Act. Make your business dreams come true.

This article was written by Emmanuel Odeh CEO of Arthur Redwood Co. He is an internet marketer and online entrepreneur and owner of www.hotbizcafe.com