As any savvy ebusiness operator will tell you, the price of success is eternal vigilance. Launching a business Web site is one thing. To succeed, you must constantly monitor the site, seeking out ways to serve your customers better and reach out to new ones. Here are some great online resources that can help you grow your ebusiness.

Keep Your Site Shipshape
In the 24/7 world of ebusiness, keeping your customers satisfied requires hawk-like site management skills. Nothing turns off customers faster than an error message and a dead-end link. Go over your site regularly with a fine-tooth comb, making sure all the links work, using one of the many link checkers that are available online.

You’ll also want to ascertain that your site is compatible with the most popular browsers, and that your HTML is in line with standards. You can do so by downloading a variety of free tools – such as HTML validators -- from the World Wide Web Consortium, the Internet standard-setting organization.

No successful ebusiness operates in the dark. You need up-to-the-minute information about what works (and what doesn’t) on your site – including what customers are looking at, what they’re buying, and how long they’re staying. A number of Web hosting services include software to create reports from your log files. You can also download any of the numerous reporting tools available on the Web. Reports that give an overview of customer activity on your site can help you target promotions, make inventory decisions, and identify strategies for building sales. These tools can analyze site traffic in real time, enabling you to monitor the success of the site, learn where traffic originates (so you can market your site better), and discover traffic patterns.

Grow your ebusiness
Every business knows first hand the value of good customers. The challenge is how to keep them. Increasingly, ebusinesses are turning to Web customer service sites to ensure that their own customer support is the best it can be. For example, there are sites that enable you to interact with your customers via real-time chat without making them install plug-ins or other software. With a chat button embedded on every page of your site, customers can ask you a question and get an immediate reply. (For a fee, some services allow you to push product pages out to them.) Besides putting a human face on your ebusiness site, these services can save you money. According to Forrester Research, the average cost to resolve a service issue using chat is $4.30, compared with $4.78 using email, and $6.17 using the phone.

Tired of manipulating spreadsheets and email tools to perform a makeshift kind of CRM (Customer Relationship Management)? Perhaps a hosted CRM solution is right for your ebusiness. CRM helps businesses gain insight into the behavior -- and value -- of their customers through a combination of technology and human resources. Outsourcing CRM allows businesses to reduce costs, improve customer service, and gain access to leading-edge technology without having to make significant capital investments. In addition, the explosive rise of ebusinesses has brought with it a variety of CRM products boasting high-end features at a reasonable price. Some hosted products cover everything from lead management to customer support. Others offer “personal pages,” which provide customers with customized Web pages. CRM is a terrific way to build strong, trusting relationships with your customers.

Anyone who spends lots of time working with an ebusiness knows what it’s like to wear a lot of hats at once. It goes with the territory. At any given moment your job might combine elements of sales, marketing, Web design, customer service, IT support, accounting, and PR, to name just a few. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the advent of ebusiness has been accompanied by the growing popularity of online learning programs, which cater to this new kind of workforce. Indeed, researcher IDC has estimated that the online training market could reach $11.5 billion this year. Unlike traditional training programs, Web-based programs can be accessed on demand, making them much more flexible for employees. They’re also more affordable than classroom-based programs. If a smart, versatile, productive workforce is important to you, do some research. There are courses available on every topic imaginable, and some education sites will also develop customized content for your ebusiness.

Get the Word Out
One of the hallmarks of a successful business Web site is the ability to develop a strong public relations campaign around a product or service. Luckily for you, the Internet today provides powerful PR opportunities that equal, and in some cases surpass, traditional marketing tools. For example, discussion sites and newsgroups enable you to meet people who have an interest in what your ebusiness sells. By participating regularly in these discussions you can establish yourself as an expert whose opinion carries weight. Share advice in your areas of expertise, and be sure to include the name of your business and a link to your site in your email signature. People you meet in the newsgroups will want to visit your site to find out more. (One important caveat: Avoid making blatant sales pitches when participating in these discussions. Nothing gets tuned out faster.)

The Internet also abounds in sites that can help you reach thousands of media outlets at minimal cost. Some will even allow you to post online press releases for free. These online tools can act as your customized wire service, allowing you send press releases to targeted media outlets that cover your industry. Do a search on “Web press release” to find out more about these services.

Fact: more than half of the world's Web users make a stop at a search engine each day. Need a better reason why you should optimize your site for search engines? Optimizing your site is also a reasonably priced way of getting your name out there. This sort of marketing is usually much less expensive -- and more effective -- than banner ads.  For details, see this helpful How-to-Guide

Finally, one of the best ways to elevate your profile is through an affiliate marketing program. There’s no risk here and no up-front fees – you pay only after a customer has made a purchase (or signed up for your newsletter or requested information). The idea is straightforward: you agree to pay other businesses (your affiliates) a referral fee for each customer who completes an activity at your site. Spend some time researching the right affiliates for your site. You might even consider recruiting or advertising on affiliate directories.

Conclusion
As you can imagine, the above list of resources only scratches the surface of what’s available on the Internet. Fortunately for you, new and better resources are coming online every day. The more of them you have at your disposal, the better prepared you’ll be to take your ebusiness to the next level.