How to start an online business - ideas and tips

Małgorzata Łopata
Nov 17, 2025
9 min read

The temptation to start an online business is often the prospect of financial freedom and professional freedom. However, the benefits of running an online business encompass many aspects – from the ability to focus on interests or specialized knowledge to working from anywhere in the world at any time of day (or night) of our choosing.

We have a wealth of online tools at our disposal to effectively create a website that will meet almost any business goal. This step-by-step guide will show you how to start an online business and help you successfully launch your new venture.

How to start an online business

Find your niche
Select a company name
Create a business plan
Verify your idea
Build a professional website
Promote your brand
Register your business

1. Find your niche

Before you begin developing your product or service, you need to choose your target market. By narrowing down who your customers will be, you'll be able to build a business that meets specific needs and meets existing demand.

This process will require thorough research to answer several important questions. Market research is the practice of gathering information about your target audience to determine how appealing your offer would be to that specific audience.

When choosing your niche, there are several things to consider. Does your business idea offer something unique or revolutionary? Will it solve a problem for potential customers and differentiate you from the competition?

When conducting market research, it's worth visiting other companies' websites and seeing what the competition offers and what it doesn't. Pay attention to their marketing strategies, branding approach, and anything else that could help your growing business. You can conduct a SWOT analysis and list the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of each competitor.

2. Choose a company name

Choosing a business name and a matching domain name for your website is key to creating a brand identity for your online business.

When choosing a name, it is worth considering:

Easy to remember: Your company name, often combined with your domain name (your website address), should be easy to find and remember. Try to keep it descriptive but concise.
Availability: Make sure your company name is available for use. In some cases, companies register trademarks for their names, making them legally protected. You can search the database of registered trademarks at the Polish Patent Office or the European Union Intellectual Property Office to check the availability of your desired name.

For unregistered business names, it's worth doing a quick search online and on social media to make sure your name isn't already taken.

Branding: After conducting market research, you now know what your company will represent and how you want to present it online (and beyond). When a company gets a name, it also acquires an identity that helps distinguish it from others. A great company name embodies your brand's sense of purpose, representing the essence of what you do.

3. Create a business plan

Develop a detailed business plan to clearly outline the structure and how you want to bring your idea to life. A business plan is a written document that serves several purposes, including organizing the process of starting a business, determining finances, and helping you set business goals.

Here are some basic elements to include:

A solid executive summary: When creating an executive summary, remember that this is the section that others, such as stakeholders, will also read. This section should serve as a standalone document and provide a high-level overview of the business idea.
Market Analysis: In the earlier stages, you conducted various studies on your competitors and industry. Now it's time to compile all your notes into a formal document. The main focus should be on who your competitors are and what the market you want to enter looks like.
Financial projections: You've likely been tempted to start an online business because of the low startup costs. Whether you've already invested in the business or haven't yet, you need to figure out how long it will take to start generating a profit. This section of your business plan aims to clarify your future financial goals.

4. Verify your idea

When thinking about starting an online business, there are a few preliminary steps you should take before finalizing your plan. For example, you can use a simple test solution called a minimum viable product (MVP) to help validate your idea before investing further.

An MVP is a version of a product with enough features to attract early customers, intended to help solidify a business idea early in the product development cycle.

There are several ways to test your MVP:

Create a landing page: This is a single web page dedicated to a single goal: conversion. A landing page is the easiest way to test a business idea because visitors only have to consider one thing: your offer. It's a small investment, which is great for businesses just starting out. With the right template , creating a free landing page is very easy. Include eye-catching elements and consider a strategic call to action that encourages visitors to take the initiative. Depending on the page's purpose, your call to action could be anything from pre-ordering a product, booking a session, or downloading content in exchange for a contact email address. Share your landing page on forums, social media, and other places where you interact with your target audience. Creating a landing page will also give you real insight into visitor activity and engagement. Test and optimize your landing page accordingly using website analytics tools, taking into account various metrics such as the page bounce rate, the percentage of visitors who interact with the page, or the most frequently used sections and buttons.

Launch a crowdfunding campaign: Fundraising campaigns are a good indicator of whether your potential customers like what you offer. Zrzutka.pl and polakpotrafi.pl are among the most popular crowdfunding platforms in Poland .

Fundraising before actually spending money on a product or service is an effective way to gain validation for your idea in the early stages of your business. Set a campaign goal to see if your idea is actually gaining traction. Make sure it's SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—so you have a clear end result in mind. If you achieve your goal, it means your approach is working—if not, you still have time to make adjustments to your strategy.

Solicit feedback: Conduct user interviews with people who fall within your target audience. This could be family, friends, acquaintances, or members of your local community. It can be helpful to show them a summary of your business plan to get their honest opinion.

5. Build a professional website

Whether you use a professional template for your website design or build one from scratch, make sure it's mobile-friendly so you can use it seamlessly regardless of screen size or device type. An online presence is a huge part of any business's success.

Below are some important elements about the website:

Design your website: a well-executed design aligns with your brand's branding and tells its story. When done well, it will attract target customers. Properly highlighting important content is one of the most important principles of web design. This will direct visitors' attention to your intended destination. Designing a custom logo will make your online business stand out from the crowd and give it a professional touch. Include your logo in all brand-related assets, from the website thumbnail to your social media channels. To enhance user experience, ensure site navigation is intuitive. Also, take the time to choose the right color scheme to evoke the desired emotions. Whether your brand's personality is casual, intellectual, or typically feminine, finding the perfect fonts will not only impact the website's aesthetic but also the impact of its message. It's also good practice to incorporate visual content such as photographs, videos, and illustrations.

Post high-quality content: Create compelling content based on understanding your audience and what you want to offer them. At this stage, you should have a good understanding of your target market, who your potential customers are, and what their interests are. Establish yourself as an authority in your industry by adding a testimonials page or writing a blog. Build your company's reputation and build trust by showcasing customer reviews and sharing your knowledge and experience.

Include keywords: Incorporating frequently searched words and phrases into your web content is a crucial part of your SEO strategy, which involves optimizing your pages to improve their rankings on search engines like Google and Bing. Keyword research helps you identify frequently searched terms within your target market and highlights questions or problems that users want answers to. Use keywords in all aspects of your web content, such as the alt text of photos and illustrations, as well as your website's meta tags.

Add useful features: Depending on your product or service, you should offer features that appeal to your target audience. By building a website with Wix, you can be sure to find a variety of solutions for every type of online business. Wix Bookings is an online scheduling platform where business owners can book sessions and manage their schedule, allowing clients to schedule appointments at any time. If you're looking to start an online store, the Wix eCommerce platform will be incredibly helpful. This versatile platform offers everything you need—from product pages to shopping carts to secure payment solutions. Perhaps your business has the potential to attract customers from around the world. This means you need to create a multilingual website that displays in your visitors' native language.

6. Promote your brand

Creating anything without a solid plan usually doesn't end in great success. And while you occasionally hear about "businesses that started by accident," these are more of an exception than the rule. When creating a project, it's important to plan marketing campaigns in advance that align with your brand image and audience.

What should you consider when planning promotional campaigns?

Email marketing is an effective way to stay in touch with existing customers or acquire new ones. You can create and send newsletters, invitations, and information about promotions and new products, all of which, thanks to ready-made, responsive templates, look great on all devices. Email marketing can also improve overall user engagement with your brand and increase traffic to your website.

SEO optimization , as you may already know, is key to increasing website traffic. Ranking your website on Google is a digital marketing strategy that will help your brand stand out online. Armed with keywords you've identified through market research, you can naturally incorporate these terms into your content. If you're not an expert, the professional Wix SEO Wiz tool will create a customized SEO plan for your website for free .

Social media marketing helps your business gain rapid exposure and reach a wide range of people worldwide at little to no cost. Whether it's Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or elsewhere, you need to post engaging content. Some of the best social media marketing practices to remember include regular posting, adding hashtags and emojis, live streaming , and any form of direct interaction with your followers.

7. Register your business

There are good reasons to register your business online , including tax benefits, credibility with investors (making it easier to raise capital), and limited personal liability.

Remember, there's a good chance you'll have to pay taxes when running a business. Take the time to understand your tax obligations.

Also, make sure you have the appropriate permits or licenses, as well as other documents required to comply with the laws in your industry.

5 Online Business Ideas You Can Start Today

Below are some great ideas for starting an online business. Whether you want to host a podcast, write an ebook, or sell online, you're sure to find something that fits your lifestyle and professional goals.

1. Blogger

If writing is in your blood, you've undoubtedly considered joining the ranks of bloggers. Once seen as a form of virtual journaling, blogging is now a profitable way to share experiences and knowledge online.

If you want to start a successful blog and create valuable content, the first thing you need to do is understand your niche. The next step is to consider how you can monetize your blog . For example, you could offer paid access to premium content, become a brand sponsor, or offer personalized training or coaching.

2. Partner

For those who already have a loyal following, affiliate marketing can be a winning proposition. By joining an affiliate program, you earn a commission every time someone uses another company's products or services based on your recommendation.

3. eCommerce Seller

Setting up an online store to sell your own products has many advantages. One of them is the ability to control every aspect of your business, from managing order fulfillment to optimizing the customer experience. Remember, if you don't have the resources to open a store, you can minimize costs by starting with an online store. Once you've established your online business and are generating revenue, you can easily open a brick-and-mortar store as well.

4. Webinar and online course instructor

Do you have knowledge you'd like to share? Running online courses is a great way to generate passive income. Just remember to give yourself time to thoroughly plan your course and prepare your classes in advance.

Another option is to create a webinar, which is an online presentation typically held in real time. Webinars are powerful tools that, for a fee, provide participants with access to the knowledge of top industry experts.

5. YouTuber

YouTube already has over two billion users worldwide, which equates to about one-third of all internet users. If you're looking for ways to connect with a large audience, this platform is perfect for you.

There are many effective ways to make money on YouTube, including selling merchandise, working with an affiliate program, or creating sponsored content – what you choose is entirely up to you and your audience.

Good luck

Best regards, Małgosia from Milimetriks