Starting your own business is huge. With the advent of the Internet, it has gotten both easier and harder. There are so many ways to get the word out now, but the options are dizzying! How to know which are helpful and which are superfluous? We had the same questions as we set out to launch a new service, Healthy Kosher Snacks (HKS). There are kosher snacks out there, as well as healthy ones, but how many that combine both that kids are actually willing to eat? Our vision is a monthly subscription box that gets delivered to subscribers' homes, filled with nutritious and appealing snack foods. Below are the steps to successfully getting your business online. We'll be taking the journey along with you for HKS, and we'll let you know how it's going along the way.

First Things First

Before you start anything, developing your 1,000 true fans, and buyer personas based off of them, is a must. The idea is that all you need to be successful is a base of 1,000 die-hard fans who will do anything for what you have do offer. 1,000 is a number that may sound large, but with a world population of over 7 billion, and a large percentage of them able to find you with just a few clicks, it is very doable. You can read more about the concept here. Identifying your fans means pinpointing their pain points (whew, that was a mouthful!). What are they lacking that you can provide? You'll need to research this in order to create your buyer personas, or personifications of your fan base into concrete characters.

You'll also want to take care of some technical things before you even start online. This article sums it up nicely.

The List

1. Create a Google My Business profile and a simple website. Catch up on the best ways to use Google My Business here and take a few minutes to set up your profile. Then, follow these easy steps to create a simple Google website.

2. Create a link to get Google reviews. Read here about why Google reviews are important, then watch how you can generate a link yourself.

3. Choose 10 keywords from Moz Keyword Explorer. Keywords are important. While not every piece of content will revolve around those keywords, they will be the foundation to what you are posting and sharing. Remember the pain points you set out to solve above? Keep those in mind when choosing your keywords that can be used for pillar page content (remember: the new SEO system that has one informative "pillar page" that links to more specific blog posts are related topics).

4. Create social media accounts. Start with The Big Three: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (read here about creating a Facebook business page).

5. Register on the best citation sites for your city. Being registered on citation sites is an important step in for local SEO, as it makes you visible online. This list will tell you where to focus your efforts according to your city.

6. Set up a MailChimp account. Email marketing is important for small businesses. Setting up an account with MailChimp is free and makes the process so easy.

7. Set up a Wordpress website. It powers 29% of the Internet, and has a minimal fee starting at four dollars a month. The simplest way to build a complex website.

8. Get the free marketing tools from HubSpot and connect them to your website. It's free, and will help you grow your business. What's not to love?

9. Connect your new HubSpot tools to MailChimp. Two in one. Install here.

10. Start blogging using your 10 keywords. Blogging is one of the most effective ways to gain traffic online. Get blogging tips for SEO here, here and here.

There you go! These easy and close-to-free tricks are enough to get you off the ground. Of course, there's a lot more you will do to really get your new business the attention it deserves. Check out the articles linked on this page, as well as our other blog posts, to learn more helpful tricks about marketing and SEO. If you're located in Baltimore, click the button below to learn SEO tips and tricks specific to Baltimore businesses.