Ads

 Preparing and developing an effective ad campaign was the focus this week. Building upon establishing good keywords from the previous week, I learned the importance of expanding and writing successful ads to increase traffic to my website will also add to the creditability of my business. Some key take-aways to remember from the discussion posts, announcements, and readings this week were:

1. Use creative keywords to build your ad. Sometimes this will include adding keywords from a consumers point of view. It is important to explore words that will describe what they are looking for, but don't necessarily know the official term or name of the item. 
2. Use descriptive and applicable headlines to capture the essence of the business at a glance. To make it easier, Google will generate ideas according to the type of audience you are trying to attract, providing suggestions under categories like "shipping" and "location."
3. Build up your website with relevant content. Google will use the domain name of the business to search for keyword matches that are in your ads. It is also important to make sure the landing page matches the ad, so customers find what they are looking for when they click on the ad.
4. If you are wanting to attract more customers using tablets and mobile devices, check the formatting of your ads. Check for professionalism in content and appearance. 
5. Avoid extra spaces, unnecessary capitalization, and symbols in ads, to maintain the integrity of your business and to produce a high quality ad. 
6. Avoid using to many repetitive keywords and descriptions in ad groups. Using the same keywords will limit the ability to reach a wider audience. 

Finally, a good ad will adhere to the Google policies found in the advertising center: Google Advertising Policies Center. 

Ads & Keywords

 

                                  Photo Source: https://www.dashtech.org/how-to-find-the-right-keywords-for-seo/

This week was an opportunity to learn how to increase traffic to my website by selecting effective keywords in a Google Ad campaign. Through this weeks readings and additional research I discovered to achieve the best outcomes will come from understanding how to create a group of words relevant to my business and products and how to implement them in my ad campaign by creating ad groups and good content.  

A couple of practices to keep in mind when creating an initial list of keywords and ad text are:

1. An ad group should contain 5-20 keywords.
2. Keep text content simple, clear, and to the point.
3. Use specific (not too specific) keywords to describe a product so a customer can find it easily.
4. Create words from the customers perspective. What would they type to find your product?
5. Adding negative keywords to a group can help filter out people who are searching for a different product similar to your keyword.   
6. Pull keywords from my website by adding the URL to my keyword planner
7. Understand how match types work when creating keywords. The example below is a great visual from the tutoring resource page (Source: Google Ads help page). Each keyword match type below will determine how closely related a keyword would need to be to match a potential customers search.

Another resource I found helpful when researching how to create my ads campaign was from a YouTube video How to use Google Keyword Planner. The video provided additional insight in how to set up an effective campaign. It provided tips on how to use filters to maximize clicks, where to locate the plan overview to see location and device data, and how to use group relevance constructed by Google to save time. 

Legal Structures, Licenses & Taxes

 

This week I learned about the types of legal structures and which one would work best to build my business brand. Of the structures, sole proprietorship, partnership, and limited liability, I found a sole proprietorship would work best for my business in affiliate marketing. 

My decision was based on the research from this weeks learning, as well as, several additional informative websites (links below). However, before deciding, I needed to understand the market and industry requirements of my business. To do this,  it required researching other affiliate websites and understanding the affiliate program structure.

I found it significant to understand the business model before deciding on a legal structure because of  tax obligations or acquired penalties if not in compliance with local, county, and state regulations. Each business structure varies in obligation and some structures require more effort in setting up. Some factors I considered before deciding which structure was for were:

1. Control- What level of control do I want over my business?

2. Liability- What is my legal liability? 

3. Cost- Each structure has varying costs when setting up. Do I have any constraints that would prevent me from pursuing the preferred business structure?

4. Tax Obligations- Will I be able to pay the taxes owed under my preferred business structure?

5. Continuing the business- How long do I want my business to run? Is it transferable?

Research Sources

IRS.GOV

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/business-taxes

U.S. Small Business Administration

https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-permits

USAGov

https://www.usa.gov/business?source=busa

Site Design

     This week's material covered the importance of first impressions when designing the layout of a website. A lessoned learned was from the Smart Insights article, "Good web design is crucial for making the right impression" was "web design is not art." This statement threw me for a loop and had me rethink web design all together. 

Being a visual person, I immediately looked at web design as an opportunity to express the individuality of my brand/company. However, I learned web design should be built on function, ease of use, and purpose with an emphasis on "clarity and absolute completeness."

In addition to this, from the readings, assignments, and discussion boards, I learned an effective website design requires a combined visual and functional hierarchy to maintain interest. The layout should meet the needs of commerce, but also the needs of visitors through compatible payment options, easy to use interfaces, and consistency in branding throughout the website. 

 Moving forward, I would like to keep these tips in mind when designing a memorable website:

1. Imagery used on a website shouldn't over power the content. Authentic images should be be relevant to the the product and/or service while creating an emotional connection between the brand and the consumer. White pace and cohesive topography are also important elements to consumer engagement. 

2. Navigation on a website should come with ease of use. There should be no more than 3-7 menu items on a web page. Anything more will overwhelm, distract or become forgettable for the user. 

3. To much content, video or ads will clutter a site and slow down loading times which will decrease traffic to the site. In contrast, faster load times will increase interest and generate more followers. 

4. When creating a website, keep in mind most people use phones, mobile apps, and tablets to search online. Its important for a layout to adapt to varying screen sizes (responsive web design).