If you have been thinking about starting an ecommerce business, you’ve probably asked yourself what you will need to learn how to do along the way. If you haven’t been asking that, you should have been.

The set of skills that you will need are not very intimidating. However the depth with which you need to be familiar with each of the skill areas depends upon how much of the work you plan to do on your own and how much you want to leave to professionals. To a lesser extent, it will depend upon the type of online business you plan to develop.

I assume you know about the legal requirements in your jurisdiction (for example, your state in the U.S. or your province in Canada). If not, either check with your own authorities (you’ll find a great deal of information online) or consult an attorney. It is also advisable to check with your insurance representative and your accountant prior to actually making your business official.

Of course, those concerns are important for any business; here the focus is about those skills essential for an Internet enterprise. I shall focus upon the major skills that someone in your business must possess, whether it is you, a partner, someone you employ or an individual or a company with which you contract for services.

Computer Skills: You don’t really need to be particularly well versed in computers to be able to start an Internet business. Easily installed and simply used software makes many of the relevant tasks quite simple for anyone who is able to use email and a world processing system. Of course, if you do happen to be a computer whiz, you will be able to learn to use the necessary tools more quickly. However, if you are only barely or moderately computer literate, you must be willing to spend more money on the helpful software that will better overcome those shortcomings.

Search Engine Optimization: This skill set, often referred to as simply SEO, involves knowing how to create and promote your website in such a way that the search engines will be able to find it and that it will show up high in the listings if a web user is searching for a relevant product, service or information that your business offers.

Website Design: Decisions must be made concerning the goals for your website and how the site should look in a way consistent with reaching those goals. Only then does someone need to build the site in a way that maximizes your opportunity to meet the business’s objectives. A word of caution: Designing for the web is definitely not the same as designing for other media, such as print or television. Study other successful websites of businesses similar to yours. Pay particular attention to how easy or difficult it is for the visitor to find the information that she or he is looking for and, most importantly, to perform the desired action (buy a product, request a quote for services, etc.). Usability, not beauty, is the ultimate test of a design.

Writing for the Internet: There is almost no skill more important in Internet marketing than writing. If you are not a writer, don’t worry about it too much. There are a lot of good writers around who are experienced in writing for the web and who are amazingly inexpensive. You can actually find an Internet (or web) writing service that specializes in writing for Internet marketers. However, if you don’t have the money to hire experienced writers as often as needed, or if you don’t have the skills to do your own writing, consider another venue for your business.

Patience: In any business, it takes a while to begin to see positive cash flow. Don’t be fooled by headlines and advertisements that promise great wealth in a few weeks or a few months by employing these supposedly “secret” techniques. You have a better chance of getting rich in a hurry by buying a lottery ticket. Persevere, and you can succeed.

There are plenty of good resources on the Internet to help you learn the skills you don’t have and further hone those that you do. A great deal of the knowledge you need to acquire is available online for free. Unfortunately, much of that information is wrong. You can increase your learning curve dramatically by purchasing high quality information or hiring consultants. However, if you are very patient, you can learn almost everything on your own and without much cost. In fact you can sometimes sign up for valuable cost-free learning resources such as a how to start an online business course, which also should point you to other valuable learning resources and tested software.

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