W13 Reflection

 This week we learned about adding links to our websites and how it can drive more traffic to your business. I learned that adding relevant links is important because people will click on the ones that fill their needs. If other businesses are able to link your website on their's it will help your business grow. Some websites that are really good with backlinks are BuzzFeed and the the New York Times. They are always posting relevant links at the bottom of their website that leads to more pages they have. This helps everyone explore your page more and find news that is relevant to their searches. For my website I want to create more articles about Photography that have backlinks in them. I feel like this will branch out my audience and help me build a community within my business. I also want to create links that lead to my photography page because this will help grow my social media pages as well.

W12 Reflection

 This week we learned the importance of social media platforms and our businesses. Social media platforms are essential to marketing your business because it helps spread company awareness and allows you to analyze the data. Different social media platforms are tailored to specific audiences. TikTok is primarily visual with videos, while Twitter is primarily for those who want to learn about news. Facebook is tailors to those who want to be a part of a community. My business is very visual with photographs and Instagram and Facebook would really help it grow. Facebook is a great way to build a community and network. Instagram is great for showing my photography and selling my images. I already have photography business accounts on both of these platforms which will help me integrate my stock photo business to them.Utilizing social media for my business is important because it will help me see who is sharing my posts. I will be able to better understand my audience through the data on these platforms.

W11 Reflection

 This week we learned about SEO and our landing pages. Giving titles and keywords to your products will help increase search results and lead you customer to the exact products they are looking for. I also learned some new ways to better my landing page, which will increase site conversions. Having pages that explain who you are will help them feel more connected to the business. Also, people will look at what an image is looking at. For instance, if I put a picture of me into the website and I am looking towards the left viewers will also look there. I should put images that are looking at my products to increase sales. I have learned that having a well organized landing page can make or break your business. We looked at examples of businesses that were not organized. I only looked through the products for the assignment. If I was on the page because I wanted to buy their product I would have left and gone elsewhere. Using the landing page techniques I learned this week will help me increase revenue and keep people from leaving my site.

W10 Reflection

 This week we started our Google Ad campaign. We are starting to drive people to to our business through our ads. I have learned that keywords are important with your ad finances. When I first started this class I did not know that keywords will take your funding, and you do not want to waste it on keywords that are working. You also need to make sure your keyword is relevant to your product. If it is similar, but not what you are selling, people will feel "cat-fished" and go to a different company. You want people to trust your company and your ads. I have also been learning about the logistical side of building a business. I always thought it was easy and you could just start selling. After taking this class I have learned that there are specific tax laws and business laws that need to be followed. There are lots of small fees that need to be paid to operate a business. I feel like I understand a lot more about creating a business and the logistical side of it. It is not just creating, but marketing and financing, too. I am excited to see how my ad succeeds and see my Google Ad data grow.

W09 Reflections

 This week I learned about how to increase my Google Ads quality score. I learned that you do not need tot necessarily change your keywords if they are already relevant, but update your call-to-actions and landing page. I found this interesting that changing your keywords does not change your score a lot if they are already relevant to your product. This makes me realize that there is a lot of psychology to marketing. We are trying to get people to buy our product consciously and subconsciously. We also set up Google Analytics. I feel like this program will be really beneficial to my business and help motivate me. When I see numbers growing I get excited. I want to gain more success and it drives me to work harder. I am very grateful for these programs that analyze everything so that I can manage my time effectively with my business. Overall, I have learned that a lot of analytical things go in to creating a business. We need both the analytical and creative side to be successful.

Week 8 Reflection

 This week I have learned a lot about ads and creating them through Google Ads. I feel like this was a bit harder for me because I had to simplify my ad. I am used to creating content that has more words in it. With an ad it has to be simple and short. People need to be able to glance at it and want to go to your website. Through the discussion board I was able to get a lot of great feedback that helped me. Someone shared a link to a website that helps generate ads for ideas which really helped me visualize different ad options. For my ads I realized that you need to have a call-to-action and not just keywords. I was focusing on keywords to get my ad to show up on Google. People can see your ad, but will need a call-to-action to motivate them to buy your product. Although creating ads is not my favorite, it is necessary to gain customers. The internet is overloaded with so many ads and businesses that it will be impossible for people to see your website without ads. These ads can also be on social media to help guide customers to your business. Overall, I have learned the importance of researching keywords and using them in ads with call-to-actions. 

Week 7 Reflection

 This week I learned a lot about keywords and how to use Google Ads. Using keywords and Google Ads will help your company gain clicks, and ultimately increase sales. Finding keywords for your product can be a bit difficult. I found that I was struggling to find multiple keywords for my stock photos that I am selling. I did not want to be too broad, but also not too specific. Finding a right middle ground is important with keywords. I am glad that Google Ads shows your businesses statistics so that you can quantify things. Knowing which keywords are doing better than others will help you connect with your audience. I am excited to start using my keywords and seeing how it impacts my business. I am also excited to see which stock photo people buy the most. This will help me create more keywords and tailor my business to my audience.