Internet Business Types

There are several types of businesses you can start online. It is difficult to make certain distinction among the Internet business types because sometimes they are interwoven and combined to give the best results. A criterion that can ease the distinction is the main income source of the business.
1. Corporate WEB site. This is not really an online business. Actually it’s WEB presence of a business, created for promotional purposes. Anyway, online presence is useful for almost any offline business and can bring new customers.
If you own offline business and you want to expand sales online, sometimes it would be better to create a corporate WEB site first in order to sense the potential market.
The basic income of a corporate WEB site comes from offline sales initiated from the WEB presence. These sales are very hard to track.
2. WEB Services. WEB services include: e-mail, web hosing, directories, online payment (PayPal), online marketplace (E-bay) and many others. I this category we can also include some services that are prepared by order and could be delivered online like; web design, graphic design, internet marketing, translation, market research etc. Generally the income comes from monthly fees and sales. When the services are free the sites are monetized from the embedded ads.
3. On-line Shop. First requirement to open real e-shop is to have possession of appropriate goods for online sales. You can manufacture these goods or you can by them in bulk or one by one after you sell them (from a drop shipper). Other important issues you have to take care of are; the ordering and payment system, and the delivery of the goods. If you have the knowledge and the resources you could build and manage these system your self, but he easiest way is to cooperate with specialized companies in these areas.
The income in this type of business comes generally from sales.
In this business type you can increase your sales several times by joining Affiliate programs. That way you will make your products available to other WEB sites to sell for a commission.
4. Affiliate Shop. The WEB appearance of an affiliate shop is the same as the appearance of a real On-line shop. The difference is that you sell products you do not possess and you don’t have to take care of the payment and delivery. At the end of the month you receive commission form the sales made. The affiliate shop can be considered as a virtual reselling agent. The sales are electronically tracked with special codes for every affiliate partner.
Affiliation is very easy way to start online business. You can choose to sell whatever you like and you don’t have to make big initial investment.

5. Informational sites. Blogs, forums, online news, e-magazines, online encyclopedias, specialized WEB sites etc, can be treated as informational sites. Generally, the information at internet is free. If you possess specific or hardly accessible information you could also sell it and make good profits. The main income concerning informational sites comes from selling ad space, from referrals and or affiliate sales.
The easiest way to start home business with Informational site is to open a Blog and to embed Ads.
The key for success is simple; you can write about everything you want as long as you attracts visitors that act appropriately (generate income).
As I mentioned before in order to maximize your profits you can combine different business types and several income sources.