Statistics are showing that there are more people today who are making the decision to run their own business instead of working for someone else. Operating a business without having to depend on a company paycheck, is a great feeling. Doing work for yourself that is not just a clone cubicle job is another rewarding feeling. These things are a big part of why many people choose to open their own businesses, and are what makes self employment so desirable. The pressure of having everything rest on one’s shoulders is usually enough to frighten away the masses though. Making the decision to be in business for yourself, should never be made lightly.Starting a small business online, is a lot safer and easier than taking the chance and spending a life savings on a brick and mortar business. Running a business from the comfort of your own home or place of choice, and not having to spend time on traveling to work, will make things a lot easier and less time consuming. The time that you save on unnecessary things, can be utilized to enhance your business. The idea is to work smarter, and not harder! Business is not rocket science, but you need to be on top of things and think like a true leader in order to succeed.There are so many new small businesses starting up online daily. There are many that are doing very well financially but the majority of websites that are online today do not get a lot of viewers. that is because the people who know what they are doing, are getting the lion’s share of the various markets. Making your small business a successful one needs the right type of website and the right type of customers drawn to it. Before starting any business, it is a good idea to plan first what you want to sell and how you want your site to appear to people searching on the web.The process of market and niche research is very important, and should always be the first step when starting a business online. This would then be closely followed by keyword research, to ensure you were going after the correct and “selling” keywords. The types of words that people in the “buying mood” use when they utilize the search engines such as Google and Bing. I cannot stress this enough, market and keyword research is the most essential step towards success on the web (or in any business for that matter).The second most important thing is your website; how it looks, and how well it operates. The appearance of your site is so very important, because the look of your site can either turn people away or have them interested in what you want to convey. Whether you have something to sell that is very useful or something that a lot of people are looking for, your site must appeal to the public for your business to become a successful one. Regarding operation, your website should not be hard to navigate and find the important items or information. It should be logical in its layout, and all functions should work as intended. If a potential customer receives a 404 error when trying to buy a product of yours, chances are good that he will not finish the purchase.If you take care and time to design your product, you should do the same when designing your online business structure and your website. No matter who creates the website, only YOU can properly design how it will operate. If you choose to have developers work on your web design and SEO, make sure that you are able to articulate that design properly before work begins. As long as you follow through on all of your information, and advertise your product correctly, your online business will be a great success!