The internet has made it possible for regular people to set up their own online business and generate income online. The so called traditional economy has been stuck in rut since 2007, but there has simultaneously been a business boom in the digital online economy.

Online sales for goods and services are expected to increase to $100 billion by 2015 and almost 25% of all Christmas shopping was done online in 2012.

But actually generating income online involves a lot more than simply having a website with some items to sell on it and hoping that customers will come flooding in wanting to by.

Here are 6 simple ways to ramp up your website, boost sales and create a successful online business.

1. Encourage customers to buy now

We are all busy with work, play, and family commitments and it is easy for your potential customer to delay buying your product or service and then even at some point forget to buy it all together. Encourage your customers to buy now with the offer of a discount, extra bonus, or a deadline. But, if you do have a deadline, stick to it or you will lose creditability.

2. Is your headline appealing?

An appealing and interesting headline drives potential customers to read more. Research shows that by improving the headline can increase sales by as much as 50%. Remember that customers buy benefits, not features. For example, a digital camera may have an 8GB memory for 2000 photos, but the benefit is that you never have to worry if you will have sufficient memory in your camera for your precious holiday snaps or special occasion photographs.

3. Make your website inviting

The more times that potential customer visits your website, the greater the chance they will buy. It is very unlikely that they will buy from you on the first visit to your website. This is why an opt-in form on your website is important so that you can keep contact with them via email. Also, you have to make your home page inviting so that they will return to find out more information. A video helps people connect with you and it is an effective way to talk about the benefits of your product or service.

4. Know your competition

If you are not communication with your customers, somebody else is. Know who your competition are and keep an eye on what they are doing. Look at your competitors’ websites, discover their strengths and weaknesses, and take advantage of them. You need to create a strong unique selling proposition that separates you from your competition and gives people a compelling reason to buy form you and not them.

5. Learn to generate traffic

If you do not have any traffic to your website, you will not have any business. You have to learn how to generate website visitor traffic to your website. This is done via both free and paid for methods.

6. Is your payment system secure?

Even though the internet sales are increasing there are still some folks who do not really feel that their payment is secure when ordering something online, especially from a business that they have never heard of or bought from before. Let your customers know that they can order by means of a secure server. It is also important, let them know that if they submit their email address on your opt-in form that their information will be kept private and not shared.