Online Business Ideas You Can Start

Being an entrepreneur doesn't mean you're pigeonholed to open a brick and mortar store to spotlight your skills and make money. The internet offers you a wealth of opportunities to start your own businesses, often with little to no cost. By focusing on your strengths, you'll be able to build a client roster and get your online-based business started.

These businesses allow you to be a full-time or part-time entrepreneur:

1. SEO consultant

Do you know the ins and outs of search engines and have skills in platforms like Google Analytics? The owners of a lot of smaller companies don't realize how much of an impact search engine optimization (SEO) can have on their business. Educate those business owners on the power of SEO to help transform their websites into a more SEO-friendly property. Use your skills to show business owners how to read and use their analytics data the right way, and how to properly use keywords and structure content to get more traffic.

2. Business coaching

If you possess a great deal of business experience and knowledge, why not create a business that helps aspiring entrepreneurs find success? You can use your skills to help new business owners get off to a good start and help experienced entrepreneurs keep up with demand. To show off your knowledge and skills and bring in clients, you can also write articles about business on platforms like LinkedIn.

3. Specialized retailer

Specialized stores are already a niche profession. When that's the case, it's best to set up an online store to reach those customers who are seeking your specific products. There's an audience for everything, whether it's making dollhouse furniture or creating organic dog food. Through a web-hosting service with an integrated shopping cart feature or with e-commerce software, your business will be operational in no time. Many vendors will even ship products to customers on your behalf, which means you don't need to own a lot of inventory.

4. Social media consultant

Larger companies can hire an agency or full-time staff member to run their Facebook and Twitter accounts, but small businesses often have to handle their own social media marketing. With so many responsibilities, business owners are often too busy, overwhelmed or undereducated about the importance of social media to spend time developing and implementing a great social media strategy. As a consultant, you can help them determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will your business.

5. Web design

There's nothing more off-putting than a poorly designed website, and often, it kills credibility. If you know some HTML and have a good eye for design, you can launch a service to create attractive, easy-to-use websites for small businesses. Put your skills to good use for business owners who want to take their online presence to the next level. Build a comprehensive portfolio, and then create your own website to show it off and attract a steady stream of clients.