How to Start Selling Online: A Beginner’s Guide for Small Businesses

Coming into 2025, there’s a surprising amount of small businesses that don’t have a website for their business. From our 2024 State of Web and Digital for Small businesses survey, we’re seeing that at least 45% of small businesses are opting out of a website in favor of using third-party tools and applications. Given the recent back and forth surrounding the potential banning of TikTok, it’s a clear reminder that the digital landscape is continually evolving. Small businesses are at risk of losing leads and sales if they rely solely on third-party platforms to conduct their business.

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With all of this in mind, it’s a perfect time to start considering building your own website that you own and control. Combining a space you can call your own with the reach of social media is an amazing way to build a customer base and community. There are still opportunities to leverage third-party platforms for cross-selling, but having a website to call your own ensures your business remains secure, even as third-party platforms and marketing channels grow increasingly volatile.

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In this guide, we’ll break down the steps to help you start selling online successfully. From choosing the right platform to marketing your products, you’ll learn practical tips to start building an online store you can call your own while attracting new customers and driving sales.

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Why Small Businesses Should Sell Online

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Selling online isn’t just about keeping up with trends, it’s also about creating new opportunities for growth and stability in your business. Here are the key reasons why small businesses should prioritize selling online:

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1. It Expands Your Reach

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Unlike a physical storefront, an online presence allows you to connect with customers globally. Whether you’re selling handmade crafts or specialized services, the internet removes geographical limitations and opens up new markets. Even if you’re only operating your business at a local level, having an online store can help you stay organized, push more product, and offer levels of engagement that may be difficult to have in person.

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2. It Can Drive Lower Overhead Costs

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Operating an e-commerce store can be significantly cheaper than running a physical shop. You can save on rent, utilities, and staffing while still offering an exceptional shopping experience through your website. Also, the amount of savings you might realize can easily be reinvested into your business to offer more incentives, run more marketing campaigns, or expand your offerings to make your business even better.

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3. It’s Flexible and Scalable

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Selling online gives you the freedom to experiment with new products, services, and promotions. With tools like analytics and automations, scaling your business becomes easier as you learn what works best for your audience. It also opens opportunities for creating apps and experiences that could help your customers better understand what you offer and what products and services are best for them. For example, we were able to create a heating oil calculator for a local heating oil company to allow customers to better understand how much oil they had left so they could be empowered to order more before running out. Tools like this are often difficult to implement without the flexibility of an online platform.
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4. It’s Resilient in a Changing Landscape

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Owning your own website ensures that your business can adapt to changes in algorithms, platform policies, and even global events (e.g., potential TikTok bans and the crackdown of big tech companies like Apple and Google.) When you control your website, you have a stable foundation to weather many external challenges.

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5. It Helps Build Your Brand

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‍Your website acts as a digital storefront and hub for your brand identity. It’s the one place where you can fully control how your business is perceived from visual design to messaging. When you're operating your business on third-party platforms, they may limit your branding and offerings to fit within the space they've provided to you. Sometime, they may even charge you more for added flexibility. A website allows your brand to stand out on your terms, offering unmatched opportunities to connect and grow.
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By selling online, small businesses can gain a competitive edge and ensure long-term growth. Now we’ll explore how we can start setting up a strong foundation for your online store.

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Setting Up the Foundation

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1. Define Your Niche and Audience

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• Why It’s Important: Before going into the design and development of your online store, it's best to understand who your target market is. It's crucial for creating an online presence that resonates with customers and drives sales.
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• Action Steps:
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  • Conduct market research to identify your ideal customers.
  • Analyze competitors to uncover gaps and opportunities in the market.
  • Create detailed customer personas to guide product offerings and marketing strategies.
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2. Choosing Your Products or Services

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• Tips for Deciding What to Sell:
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  • Focus on products or services aligned with your expertise or passions. Some products sell better in a shopping cart experience (e.g., handcrafted items), while others, like bespoke services, may require consultations or quotes.
  • Validate product ideas through surveys, pre-sales, or limited launches. This is an important step to identify product fit with your target market.
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• Considerations for Different Business Types:
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  • Will you be selling physical products, digital products, or services?
  • Evaluate whether dropshipping, in-house fulfillment, or hybrid approaches suit your business best.
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3. Plan Your Brand Identity

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• Brand Essentials:
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  • Develop a clear mission and vision statement that shines through in your website's messaging.
  • Choose a memorable business name and secure a matching domain name. Don't be afraid of websites that don't have .com at the end of it. There's plenty of opportunity to market your website regardless of the extension at the end.
  • Build a cohesive visual identity, including a logo, color palette, and typography. This should ideally align with the type of business you're in.
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• Why It Matters: A strong and consistent brand identity builds trust, sets your business apart, and makes your online presence more memorable. Otherwise, you risk your website looking identical or lacking compared to your competitors.
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This is a lot to take in. So if you feel overwhelmed at any point in building your foundation, schedule a call with us to create a personalized action plan. We can easily simplify the process for you. Once your foundation is in place, we’ll explore the next steps for creating your online store and bringing your brand to life.

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Creating Your Online Store

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1. Choosing the Right Platform

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• Popular Options:
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  • Shopify: Best for scalable e-commerce. It's also a very popular option for small businesses that are looking to sell physical goods.
  • Squarespace: Great for visually-driven brands. This is a great option for bespoke services that can benefit from more storytelling of their brand.
  • Webflow: Flexible and design-focused. This is a great platform for businesses looking to create unique experiences such as the heating oil calculator we made for the local heating oil company.
  • WooCommerce: Ideal for WordPress users. It's highly customizable and beneficial for larger organizations that need more control.
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• What to Consider:
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  • Cost and budget. Some of these options such as WooCommerce may be much more expensive than Shopify. Even so, there are plenty of ways we can develop a roadmap that'll balance features with costs.
  • Ease of use and technical expertise required. Places such as Squarespace are more user-friendly compared to solutions like WooCommerce which may require significant development.
  • Scalability and third-party integrations. Some places such as Shopify and Webflow have a ton of third-party integrations that are easy to implement. Also, if you anticipate rapid growth of your business going with services like Shopify and Webflow will allow you to handle a high volume of transactions without risking the performance of your website.
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2. Build Your Website

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• Essentials for Success:
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  • Intuitive navigation for seamless user experience. Your website should make it easy to understand why your business is the best option, what is it you offer, and how customers can get started with you.
  • High-quality visuals and product descriptions. It's okay to use some stock imagery, but we would highly recommend taking time to have proper photos taken of your products and business along with concise descriptions.
  • Mobile optimization (60%+ of online shoppers browse on mobile). And more customers are shopping on their phones by the day.
  • Secure checkout process to build trust with customers.
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• Pro Tip: Keep your design simple and focus on functionality over excessive features. Bringing in fancy animations and experiences may sometimes hinder the customer experience if not properly executed.
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3. Optimize for Search Engines (SEO)

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• Why It Matters: Helps potential customers find your store on Google and other search engines.
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• Quick Wins:
  • Use clear, descriptive titles and meta descriptions.
  • Optimize product pages with keywords.
  • Create a blog to drive traffic with valuable content. The content should ideally align with your products and service offerings, offer tips and tricks related to what you offer, and more.
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4. Test and Launch

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• Before Going Live:
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  • Test your website’s speed, functionality, and checkout process. One of the main reasons customers fail to follow through on purchasing is due to a slow checkout.
  • Ask friends or family to provide feedback. If they were a customer coming to your website, would it make sense what they're having to do to make a purchase?
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• Launch Strategy:
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  • Announce your store on social media and email lists. Ideally, you should post multiple times weeks leading into your launch. This ensures that the proper reach is being met and customers will have your business top-of-mind.
  • Offer a limited-time promotion to drive initial traffic. It's a great way to make a splash and generate some sales from your store. Also make sure you're capturing reviews and testimonials that can be posted on your social media or Google Business Profile.
  • Gather plenty of feedback. We suggest launching a short survey that's easily accessible on the website to gather what's working and not working for customers coming to your website.
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Once your store is live, it’s time to dive into marketing strategies that will help your business grow beyond launch day. Even though we hope that Google picks up our website and runs with it, it's crucial to continue driving interest with targeted advertising.

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Marketing Your Online Store

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1. Building Your Brand Awareness

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• Leverage social media platforms to promote your store:
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  • Use Instagram and TikTok (while we have it) for visual storytelling to showcase your products or behind-the-scenes content.
  • Facebook and LinkedIn are ideal for building community and establishing professional credibility.
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• Create engaging content that highlights your products and brand story.
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  • Share customer success stories and testimonials.
  • Post tutorials or tips related to your products to add value to your audience.

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2. Utilize Paid Advertising

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• Run targeted ad campaigns on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram to reach potential customers.
  • Use audience segmentation to tailor ads based on demographics, interests, and online behavior.
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• Retarget website visitors to encourage them to complete their purchases.

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3. Focus on Email Marketing

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• Build an email list by offering incentives such as discounts, free guides, or exclusive content.
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• Send personalized emails with product recommendations and updates.
  • Create segmented email campaigns for returning customers vs. new leads.

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4. Partner with Influencers

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• Collaborate with micro-influencers in your area to reach niche audiences.
  • Provide free products or exclusive discounts for them to share with their followers.
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• Encourage authentic, user-generated content to build trust and social proof. Collaborating with local influencers can amplify your reach within your community, creating a stronger connection with nearby customers.

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5. Offer Promotions and Discounts

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• Use time-sensitive deals to create urgency and drive sales.
  • Highlight promotions during holidays, product launches, or slow sales periods.
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• Bundle offers to increase value and encourage repeat purchases from existing customers.

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6. Measure and Optimize Marketing Efforts

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• Track key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and ad performance.
  • Use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or email marketing platforms to analyze your campaigns.
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• Continuously test and refine strategies based on performance data. Regular updates and optimizations will ensure your marketing remains effective as your business and audience evolve.

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Marketing your store effectively ensures that you’re driving consistent traffic and conversions, turning your online presence into a sustainable and thriving business. This is another part of the process that may feel overwhelming... especially if you're a smaller business trying to do everything at once. We're just a call away to help you put together a strategy that'll make the most of your new website.

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Next Steps

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Selling online is more than just setting up a website. It’s about creating opportunities, fostering growth, and connecting with your customers in meaningful ways. By building a strong foundation, creating an engaging online store, and employing effective marketing strategies, your business can thrive with an engaged audience and growing sales.

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We understand that starting your online journey might feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s choosing the right platform, refining your brand identity, or crafting a marketing strategy, we're here to guide you every step of the way.

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Let’s work together to build an online presence that’s not only functional but impactful. Get in touch with us today, and let’s make your vision for a new website come to life.

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