How To Start An Online Business in Australia
Do you want to learn how to start an online business in Australia?
This step by step guide has been designed to give you everything you need to get your online business up and running.
You’re going to learn everything from choosing what type of business to start, to registering your business in Australia and getting your website online.
Starting an online business is actually very simple in Australia. In fact, by following these steps, you could have your website online today and be earning money by the end of the week.
Step 1: Decide What Type of Online Business You Want to Start
Step 2: Register Your Online Business
Step 3: Set Up Your Website
Step 4: Set Up Other Online Properties
Step 5: Start Promoting Your Business
Step 1: Decide What Type of Online Business You Want to Start
There are so many types of online businesses you could potentially start. If you’re looking for inspiration, blogger Adam Enfroy made a list of 107 online business ideas.
There are a few key points to consider when deciding what type of online business you want to start…
- What are you good at?
- How much time do you have to invest in your business?
- What are your interests?
- How much money do you have to invest in your business?
- How soon do you want to start generating a profit?
- Is this business going to be a side-project or your full time gig?
- How much existing knowledge do you have of online business?
Pursuing an online business that relates to your strengths and interests will make it a lot easier to keep working on your business even when it’s difficult.
You need to be honest with yourself about your strengths, weaknesses and current circumstances. Not every online business model will be suited to your personal circumstances.
You should also be realistic about your current level of business and marketing knowledge. Some business models like affiliate marketing or e-commerce could be very difficult if you’re starting with little business and digital marketing experience.
Read 5 Questions To Ask Before Starting An Online Business
Disclosure: If you buy something through a link in this article, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Types of Online Businesses
With everything above in mind, use the following table to determine which online businesses may be best suited to you.
Each of these different online business types has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. But each will require a lot of hard work if you want to create a full-time income.
Learn 12 Ways To Make Money Online in Australia
Step 2: Register Your Online Business
It’s a pretty simple process to register an online business in Australia and it can all be done online.
Australian Business Number (ABN)
Once you’re ready to start operating your business, you will need an Australian Business Number (ABN). If you already have an ABN, you won’t need to get another one if you’re operating under the same business structure. You can operate multiple businesses with the one ABN.
But if for example, you already have an ABN for a sole trader business but you want to operate your online business as a partnership – then you will need another ABN.
Registering an ABN is free to do and can be done online at the business.gov.au website.
If your business is considered a hobby, then you may not need to register an ABN. Watch this video from the Australia Taxation Office to help determine if you’re running a business or a hobby.
Business Name
You don’t necessarily need to register a business name. If you’re happy to operate your online business under your personal legal name, then there is no need to register a business name.
But if you do wish to register a business name, you can do so through the Australian Business Registration Service. You should firstly check on the ASIC website, to make sure your business name is available.
It’s only $37 to register a business name in Australia for 1 year or $87 for a three year registration. The application takes about 12 minutes to complete.
Goods & Service Tax (GST)
If your annual turnover for your online business in over $75,000 then you will need to register for GST. But if you are under $75,000 then you won’t need to.
Generally, most online businesses will be under $75,000 turnover, at least in their first year of operation. So there is no need to register for GST in that case.
But if you are expecting to reach this threshold then you should register for GST, which can be done online or over the phone. Check the ATO website for more details on registering for GST.
Other Registrations
Depending on the type of business you plan to operate, it’s possible that you might need to register for other licenses or permits.
The easiest way to find out what else you might need is to use this tool on the Australian Business Registration website. It will ask you a few questions about your business and tell you what you need to register based on your answers.
Choosing A Business Name & Domain Name
Picking a good business name can build trust and credibility in your business. There are numerous advantages to having a good business name…
- It will build trust in your business
- It can create a perception of credibility
- Potential customers will respond more positively to your advertising
- People will be more likely to click on your website when they see you in Google
- It will be easier for people to remember your brand
But finding the right business name can be a challenge for new business owners.
You will also need to register a domain name for your website (eg. conversionbuzz.com).
In another article, we detailed a simple process to generate hundreds of great business name ideas and pick one that’s perfect for your business. Using this process, you will be able to create a business name that has psychological appeal.
It is based on two key psychology principles: The mere exposure effect and authority bias.
Read Our Complete Article How How To Create Your Business Name
If your customers will all be in Australia, then you should use a .com.au domain. But if you’re serving a global market, then get a .com domain. Of course, if available it’s often good to get both.
To register a .com.au or even a .net.au domain name, you will need to firstly have an ABN or ACN. Once you have this, you should be able to register a .com.au through a domain name provider like Go Daddy.
Step 3: Set Up Your Website
Your website is one of the essential elements of your online business. While there is a lot to cover on the topic of setting up a website, I’ll focus on the basics you need to get started.
Types of Websites – What’s Best For You
The type of website best suited to your business will ultimately depend on how you want to use the website. There are a few main questions to consider…
What type of business is it?
If you’re starting an e-commerce business selling physical products, take a look at Shopify and WooCommerce if you want to sell products from your own website.
For blogging or any website where you will be posting a lot of written content on your website, I strongly recommend using WordPress. If you’ve never used WordPress, it can take some time to learn but it is definitely the most powerful and flexible platform for bloggers.
You might consider a website builder like Webflow or Wix if you’re starting a business where your website isn’t going to be your primary source of sales. For example, if you will be generating your revenue mostly through another platform like Upwork, Instagram or Amazon.
DIY or Outsource?
If you’ve never built a website before, it can be very time consuming trying to learn. Still, many people will choose to build their own site to save some money, or so they have more control over the design.
If you’re planning going down the DIY route, I would strongly consider using Wix or Squarespace. Both offer easy to use, drag and drop website builders. They also have pre-made templates that look great and can be customised to your needs.
Using one of these platforms will save you a lot of time upfront and also later when you need to make changes to your site.
If you would prefer to have someone else build your website, you can find a freelance web developer through a service like Fiverr or Upwork.
Web Hosting & Domain
To set up your website, you will need a domain name and hosting. If you’re using a website builder like Wix or if you’re using an e-commerce platform like Shopify, you won’t need to worry about hosting. Your website will be hosted on the provider’s servers.
But if you’re using WordPress, then you will need to purchase hosting. I would recommend Hostinger, which is one of the most affordable hosting plans and also includes a free domain, as well as a free SSL certificate.
Step 4: Set Up Other Online Properties
In most cases, your website will be the most important part of your online presence. But there are also other important properties that you should set up when starting your online business.
Social Media Accounts
There are currently over 20.5 million social media users in Australia in 2021. That means nearly 80% of the Australian population is on social media.
Social media accounts can help bring more visitors to your website and ultimately drive more sales. Having a social media presence also gives your business added credibility.
Facebook is still Australia’s most used social media platform so I would recommend starting there. It’s free to set up a business page on Facebook and it only takes a few minutes to get set up. See this guide on Facebook for more information on setting up a business page.
Other social media platforms to consider creating accounts on are Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat.
I do not recommend creating accounts for each of these platforms when you’re first starting your business. Instead, pick 1-3 depending on your industry and target audience.
If you’re creating an online business that serves other businesses, you should create a LinkedIn account. For e-commerce businesses selling physical products, consider joining more visual platforms like Instagram or Pinterest.
Email Marketing Account
An email list is one of the most valuable assets for an online business. Email marketing programs allow you to build your email list and send promotions or other email content to this list.
Many email marketing services offer free plans for smaller businesses with less than 500-1000 subscribers. So it won’t cost you anything to get started with one of these services.
Personally, I use MailerLite for Conversion Buzz and have found it to be very good. MailerLite is free if you have less than 1000 subscribers and still very affordable as you get more subscribers.
MailChimp is also a popular choice and offers a free plan for up to 2000 contacts. However, their plans are more pricey as you get higher subscriber counts.
Remember that whichever service you use, you’re not locked in forever. They all allow you to export your contacts, so you can switch to another service at any time.
Be sure to familiarise yourself with Australian email marketing laws and the Spam Act when using email marketing.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool from Google that most websites use to track usage on their sites. It will tell you how many people have visited your site, what pages they looked at, where they came from and everything else you need to know.
This data can help guide business and marketing decisions. If you ever sell your business in the future, potential buyers will want to know these numbers as well, so it’s important to have them.
If you’re using a WordPress website and you’re not sure how to install Google Analytics on your website, read this guide. Or if you’re using Wix or another content management system, just Google search ‘how to install Google analytics on ……..’
Recommended Resource: If you’ve never used Analytics before, register for this free Analytics course by Google.
Step 5: Start Promoting Your Business
Now with your business registered and your website online, you need to begin promotion. There are many ways of promoting your online business. The best method will depend on the type of business you have.
Facebook Ads
Running ads through Facebook can be one of the most cost-effective ways to get people to your website. Facebook ads are highly recommended for e-commerce businesses or if you’re selling digital products such as online courses.
Facebook allows you to set your budget to as much or as little as you like and you can stop your ads at any time.
Recommended Resources: Read this guide to Facebook Ads from Buffer and familiarise yourself with Facebook’s ad policies.
See 4 Great Facebook Ad Examples In This Article
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Many websites attract thousands of visitors every month for free from search engines like Google and Bing.
You too, can drive thousands of users to your business website by applying the fundamentals of SEO. By using the principles of SEO, you can get your business to show up at the top of search engines when people search for terms related to your business.
The higher in the search results your website is, the more users you will get on your website. And this is free traffic!
SEO does take time. Your website usually won’t appear at the top of the search results overnight. But it can be worth a lot of money to your business is it does get to the top of the search results.
Recommended Resources: Hubspot offers some free SEO courses and the SEM Rush academy also offers some good free training.
Google Ads
Google ads are often overlooked by people in favour of Facebook Ads. You might hear people tell you that Google Ads are too expensive now and don’t work like they used to.
But there’s a good reason why the biggest businesses in Australia all use Google Ads.
Google Ads are one of the most effective forms of advertising because you’re able to reach the right person at the right time. Here’s an example..
Let’s say you operate an online resume writing service business. You can tell Google that you want your ads to show when someone searches for “professional resume writing services.”
The top two results above are both paid Google ads. Those websites pay if someone clicks on their ad.
According to Ubersuggest, there are over 1900 monthly Google searches in Australia for ‘professional resume writing services.’ You can use a tool like Ubersuggest or SEM Rush to see how many people are searching for terms related to your business offering.
See These 5 Google Ads Examples To Learn How To Write Effective Ads
What Else Should You Consider When Starting Your Business?
The five steps above can get you started quickly in online business. But of course, there is much more to consider beyond this point.
Business Funding & Grants
Funding and grants are offered to new Australian businesses at the federal, state and local government level.
Depending on your business, you may be eligible for some of these grants. This money can help you in the early stages of your business to get established.
One program to consider is the NEIS program. Participating businesses receive a weekly payment for the duration of the program (currently 38 weeks), as well as free business training and mentoring.
See If You’re Eligible And Apply For NEIS Program On This Australian Government Website
Work Productivity And Support
Productivity is often a challenge for those starting their own online business. You don’t have the structure and accountability that you get in a traditional job.
It’s up to you to create your own structure and accountability systems.
Try to figure out what works for you in order to be productive. You might be someone who needs a very structured routine. Perhaps you’re a lot more productive very early in the morning. Maybe goal setting and planning is what you need.
It may be worth considering renting out a co-working space. Most major Australian cities now have dozens of co-working offices. You rent a desk and work alongside other entrepreneurs in the same office.
Co-working spaces in Australia generally range from $100-$200 per week. This can be money well spent if it helps you to be more productive. It’s also a great way to make valuable connections for your business.
Read This Article on Morning Routines And Productivity
Should You Hire A Digital Marketing Agency or Freelancer?
A well planned digital marketing strategy can rapidly accelerate the growth of your online business.
But if you don’t already have experience with digital marketing, you may be tempted to hire an agency or freelancer to assist you.
Digital marketing agencies in Australia tend to range from $500 to $2000 per month depending on their level of service. Alternatively, you could hire a marketing freelancer who could potentially be more affordable.
You can find a freelance marketing professional to work with quickly on a website like Marketer Hire.
If you have the money to spend on one of these services, it is worth strongly considering. A good agency or freelancer can help your business grow much faster.
But you should be very careful in selecting an agency or freelancer to work with. There are many agencies in Australia that will promise big results and fail to deliver.
Alternatively, if you have more time to spare then I would recommend learning as much as possible about digital marketing yourself. There are many free or low cost resources online that you can learn a lot from. Including this blog!
