Anyone can start an online business, but making it 
profitable is a whole other ball game. If you were to 
ask a group of web entrepreneurs what the secret is 
to their success, you'd get many different responses,
but you would find a common thread running through their 
answers --comprising these simple online "commandments":
 
1) Thou shalt make sure your site gets submitted and 
listed with all the major Search Engines.
 
Some are still free and some will cost you a few bucks.
Before you submit, it's important that you make your 
pages "search engine friendly" and optimize them for
your most important key phrase. Do include key phrases 
in your title tags and in the first 250 words of text
on the page. You'll find a nice submission list here
....http://tinyurl.com/c4pb
 

2) Thy Website Design must be clean.
 
OK, this is important; first impressions do count...
especially online. If you can't create a good looking 
and professional website, please outsource it to 
someone who can. Nothing will kill your sales faster 
than a site that looks like it was put together by a
ten-year-old. Check out these great articles for
pointers:
 
http://tinyurl.com/c4ph
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html
http://www.websitetips.com/design/
 

3) Thou shalt write compelling Website Copy. 
 
I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone 
say, "my site gets traffic, but no one is buying." 
Converting browsers to buyers is tied to your ability 
to write good ad copy that pulls a reader in and 
makes him or her take the action you want. You can 
read a few good books and take a stab at it yourself,
or source it out to an expert like Michael Fortin of
http://SuccessDoctor.com . At the very least, sign
up for his newsletter -- it's good stuff.
 

4) Thou may need to Pay Per Click. 
 
The search engine game has changed much over the last
five years, since the advent of the PPC's. Today 
they are an important part of any website search 
engine strategy. The basic two you need to use are 
Overture and Google Ad Words. There are other smaller
ones, but these two major players will give you more 
bang for your buck, as they have relationships with
almost all the other search engines to supply sponsored 
listings. For more information check out:
http://PayPerClickSearchEngines.com
 

5) Thou must Advertise thy presence.
 
Do nothing and you'll get nothing. You need to 
advertise online and off to bring in the traffic
your website needs. Participate in Forums, buy 
ezine ads, create and send out press releases, swap
links with other related sites. If you don't get 
your URL out there,no one else will. For ideas
check out:
http://www.promotionworld.com/
 

6) Thou shalt take Electronic Payments. 
 
If you're selling a product or service online you 
need to be able to take payments electronically.
At the minimum, you should have a PayPal account
: http://PayPal.com . If you need to take credit
cards you'll need a merchant account or an account
with http://Clickbank.com . People like payment 
options; give them as many as you can and you'll 
enjoy enjoy increased sales.
 

7) Thou shalt engage in Email Marketing.
 
Email is the #1 means of communicating online and 
a great way to market your site. You can reach 
thousands of potential customers by advertising 
in targeted newsletters for pennies on the dollar.
Just make sure you are dealing with a reputable 
ezine publisher and not some guy "selling lists"
from the inside pocket of his jacket. Good 
resources are:
 
http://Doubleclick.com
http://DirectoryofEzines.com
http://tinyurl.com/4obh
 

8) Thy Online Education is a Continuing Process.
 
The online world is a constantly changing environment,
and what works for you today may not do so tomorrow.
Make sure you read relevant publications and keep up 
with what's new and "hot" in your industry. If you 
can't keep up with technology, it'll leave you in 
the dust. Read..Read...Read....and you'll be surprised
at what you'll learn.
 

9) Thou Shalt Network. 
 
This is important to any business, online or off. As 
much as the Internet has grown, there is still a close
sense of community with established players. Make sure 
you make friends with other entrepreneurs every chance 
you get. Find out who they are, you'll learn a lot from 
watching their moves. Be helpful and courteous when you
can and someday they'll return the favor. One of the best
forums online for finding out who the "experts" are is
http://www.ablake.net/forum/
 

10) Thou Shalt Answer Your Email. 
 
I know this sounds like a "no-brainer," but I'm afraid 
it's not. If someone sends you an email, do your
best to reply to it within 24 hours. Nothing will
turn potential customers off faster than a lack of
response to their needs and questions. Take care of 
your business promptly and people will love you for 
it. Use autoresponders where you can for automatic
sending of ezine samples, ad rates, FAQ's and more.
A good free one is http://www.getresponse.com/
 

By following these 10 commandments you'll shine online
and you'll become the type of entrepreneur that others
will want to do business with. These unwritten rules 
are there for a reason, follow them and you too will
be successful online!