Having an online business can provide a set of important advantages, which can help in expanding one's company at a higher rate, compared to having just a brick-and-mortar shop. One of the basic advantages is that the online business can be accessed by a larger consumer market, which is not limited only to the city or the country where the company is incorporated in.
The online environment, the ideal place for a wide range of business activities
Another benefit is that there are multiple ways of carrying a business activity in the online environment. Businesses across the world can operate as online stores or as websites that are created for the sole purpose of presenting the activities of a companyand/or the team that represents the company (such as blogs). For example, the latter can be the case of business consultants, public relations agencies, advertising agencies, law firms specialized in various areas of law (commercial law, civil law, lawyers specialized in personal injuries cases, immigration lawyers and numerous others), specialists in company formation and other types of activities.
Low initial costs for starting a website
One of the first aspects that have to be done when starting an online business, after having completed the standard registration procedure available in a given country, is to purchase a domain name. Each country of the world is assigned with a specific domain name. For example, in the case of those opening a Spanish company as an online business, they will need to acquire a country code top-level domain name ending in ".es".
Another basic advantage that should be taken into consideration by those who want to register a company is that carrying an online business can have multiple benefits with regards to the initial costs, as well as the maintenance costs. When acquiring a domain name, the costs are generally very low - in Spain, the costs vary between $15 to $40.
Similar hosting costs for most of the countries
In other places, such as the United Arab Emirates, the costs for purchasing a domain name start at approximately $35-40. This is applicable when wanting to start a website that provides basic features and which can be used by a wide range of professionals such as dentists in Dubai, photographers working in this region, doctors and so on. When purchasing a domain name, investors should expect to pay similar costs, regardless of the country (for the purchase of the domain name and for its maintenance). However, costs can vary based on the type of website the company has and the additional services provided to its clients.
Those interested in investing in the Middle East can also take into consideration starting a business in Qatar, a country which has recently modified its legislation with the purpose of encouraging foreign investments. Currently, foreigners can easily invest in this country in fields such as Information Technology, culture, sports, health, manufacturing and other economic sectors.
