Are you thinking about starting an on-line business? Maybe you have a vague idea of what's required - maybe you haven't a clue. This article outlines three basic, non-negotiable things that you will need.

1. Premium web hosting

I suppose it is possible to make a modest income on-line without your own website. But, it is practically impossible to make serious income without your own site. This applies whether you're selling on eBay, marketing affiliate programs, or selling your own product or service.

A web host provides you with your space on the internet. You want to make sure you get a host who can provide you with plenty of space to grow and excellent data transfer rates. The last thing you want to do is fall for one of the free services that only gives you a small amount of space or can only handle a very limited amount of traffic. You don't want to be forced to move your site to a different web host after quickly outgrowing your free space.

2. Sequential auto responders

As may be evident from the name, an auto responder can automatically reply to emails. A "sequential" auto-responder can be set up to send multiple, sequential emails at designated time intervals. For instance, if you invite your web site visitors to sign-up for a free e-zine (i.e., electronic magazine), your web page would be programmed to send an email to your auto responder e-mail address. The auto responder would then send one, two, or more messages, at programmed intervals (perhaps a week apart) to your visitor. This builds your "brand name" in the minds of your visitors and increases the chances that they will buy your product. And, guess what? You're building your "brand" with little effort on your part! Imagine the time this would take to manually send these emails to each web visitor?

3. Advice from a trusted source

So, what are the key steps in marketing your product or service? The internet is a virtual sea of information. Navigating through it is best done with the help of someone who has already learned through the "school of hard knocks". Perhaps you personally know someone who has this knowledge, but if you're like most people, you really don't know whom to trust. My advice is to find a product or service which offers this type of "how-to" advice. The available options range from fluff to very valuable. Let the buyer beware! There are several ways to verify the claims being made by the sellers of these services. First, check the traffic numbers for the service's web site on alexa.com. The lower the web site ranking, the better. Next, ask for advice on the internet marketing forums. Many of the participants in these forums know their way around the internet and can help you evaluate the quality of a particular product or service.