Starting an Online Business for Dummies, Third Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author) "These days, virtually every existing company seems to be adding a Web site with an address like www.company.com to its arsenal of business tools..." (more)
Key Phrases: online businesspeople, online business site, own online business, America Online, Microsoft Internet Explorer, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Get the scoop on recession-proof online strategies

Packed with e-commerce survival stories, best practices, and resources

Get the information you need to thrive online — even in todays economy!

Today is a great time to launch an online business – the competition is less, the technology is better, and Internet use is at an all-time high. This thoroughly updated guide shows you how to dive right in. From fine-tuning plans and setting up a high-traffic site to marketing, customer service, and security, its just what you need to succeed!

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

From the Back Cover

Make the most of VoIP, site feeds, blogging, and affiliate marketing

The newest, fastest ways to establish and promote a lucrative online business

It's never been easier to get an online business up and running! From identifying your market to building your Web site to attracting (and keeping!) customers, this friendly guide covers it all. You'll take advantage of the latest Internet marketing trends, secure your site, receive online payments, and deal with legal and tax issues — all from the comfort of home.

Discover how to:

• Draw up a cyberbusiness plan

• Acquire equipment and inventory

• Market to customers around the world

• Improve your search engine ranking

• Set up Amazon, Yahoo!, and other storefronts

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 3 edition (August 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764516558
• ISBN-13: 978-0764516559
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,522 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #50 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Business & Culture > E-Commerce
  #60 in	Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Marketing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic information, but not hands-on enough, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Starting An Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

This book offers a good introduction to what you need to start your own online business. All aspects of starting such a business is covered, and after I read the book I could proudly say I knew the how's (as well as what's), and I was on my way starting a business.

But there are two major flaws to this book: first, it's not very readable, and second, it doesn't give you enough hands-on information. There are superfluous step-by-step instructions on how to use FrontPage Express, but the author doesn't tell you much about building store fronts or how to accept credit cards online, two of the more pressing topics for someone wishing to start a e-business.

The CD is a big disappointment. Just a collection of demoware and shareware. It is an environmental waste and makes the book a little pricier than it should be.

112 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offers the Right Stuff to Get Online & Noticed!, April 26, 2000

By	Jim Moran (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting an Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

Starting an Online Business for Dummies offers readers the right stuff they need to get online, to get noticed, and to remain competitive in today's highly competitive online business world. Readers will pick up on a number of important business development concepts, Website design considerations, and marketing strategies. They will also learn that the Internet is a cost-effective way to let others know about the products and services they have to offer!

Website design considerations featured in the book includes developing content, establishing a graphic identity, offering features like guestbooks and discussion groups, setting up sites to handle secure sales, providing various payment and shipping options, providing customer service, and becoming a resource for customers. Greg Holden points out that business people can attract prospective customers to their sites by offering important information, products, services, and features free of charge that will not only enhance the appearance and functionality of a Website but may also end up enhancing one's bottomline!

When it comes to marketing, Holden provides realistic and easy to use marketing strategies and advice developed to draw attention. Readers will learn about starting their own newsletters, using newsgroups and mailing lists, holding contests, establishing business partnerships, exchanging links, placing banner ads, and using meta tags to attract the attention of search engines!

Other important online business considerations covered in the book includes Website security, legal matters, trademarks, copyrighting, taxes, and record keeping. Holden offers instruction and advice on these and other matters and directs his readers to Websites where they can find further information. A 32-page "yellow pages" Internet directory is included in the book to give readers a jump-start on finding good online resources!

The CD that accompanies the book is loaded with the latest trialware editions of popular programs such as Paint Shop Pro, HotDog Pro, Norton Utilities 2000, Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and the Adobe Acrobat Reader. A bunch of business programs are included as well to help businesses get up and running quickly!

Starting an Online Business for Dummies offers readers an excellent introduction to the art and science of setting up an online business. Every major aspect of starting a business is covered in adequate detail to help someone get started. Get a copy of this book and experience the thrill of operating your own online business - it can be very rewarding for you!

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book to get started with., August 13, 2001

By	Ron G. Macari (Mississauga, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting an Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

The title of this book reads "Starting an Online Business for Dummies" and the book offers the novice Online business person an easy way to begin understanding the concepts behind much of today's Online business without overwhelming the reader. In many other books I've read, terms like, "Meta-tags","Banner Exchange","Keywords" and many other terms are used without the author of the book ever considering the fact that the reader may not be familiar with these terms, or bothering to explain them clearly. "Online Business for Dummies" takes the time to explain each new term which is introduced, and offers many clever anecdotes which not only keeps the reading enjoyable, but also helps the reader to remember and understand the concepts.

In our own Online business we used "Online Business for Dummies" to draw out a mind map which helped our tech oriented support staff to gain a better perspective on the typical support needs of novice Online business people.

If you are just starting out I couldn't recommend a better book to get started with. Learning the in's and out's of Online business is not a one step process, and I think that "Online business for Dummies" does a fairly good job of laying a foundation you can build on.