Robbie's Business Reflection Journal

This week we worked more on our ad campaign and tried to fine tune our ads. It's interesting to see how much information is out there regarding Google and ads, as well as the power of Analytics behind Google. The amount of data behind a single keyword is simply amazing. We also studied further effective uses of keywords and ads. Having a variety of ads and keywords helps to provide a good array of ads that Google works to find what works best with your audience. Since starting my campaign, I've logged back in to see if there were any clicks. I found nothing in the first few minutes, but I suppose it's going to be one of those watched pots never boils kinds of things, most likely. Also interesting to me was all the different ways that keywords can be arranged and assembled. Certain phrasing and structures help some keywords or ads to not show because you can deem them outside your scope. You can also use exact phrases, etc, to work to specify your key terms as well. A lo...

So this week, we worked on Google Analytics. Coming in from barely any experience with this side of Google, I had originally thought that Analytics and Ads were about the same thing, just different features. However, they are different and Analytics offers a huge array of data on linked websites. This data that is collected can be used to analyze all sorts of things, from the location of the browser, time spent on each page, where they came from beforehand, and if there were any conversions made during their session. It also can show your ads that are sending people your way. From a data perspective, Analytics provides huge amounts of information that I can use to mold my ads, fine tune my webpage, and better serve my target market. Doing this effectively should help increase the success of my website.

This week we covered Google Ads. While they seem simple on the level as a consumer, the amount of control that is available for those running campaigns is a little overwhelming just starting out. It's good we've had a nice introduction to it and the ability to feel out the system some this week. Learning about ad groups, ads within those groups, and effective keywords and how they all work together could easily be a full-time week-long classroom instruction course. With so many things to learn, with the right amount of practice and experience, one could become very skilled at Google Ads, and put together some very effective campaigns that really work well to drive traffic. There is enormous competition within the online space, and creating effective ads that gain attention and clicks can really boost sales. This and analytics will be interesting to continue learning about these next few weeks.

While we were studying the Google Ads tools, it occurred to me that there were a ton of tools available to us through the system and analytics. As we didn't really touch analytics yet, but just getting started with Ads, I'm sure there will be even more data that we have access to. Seeing how Google Ads worked better really amazed me at how much thought, time, and work is put into those simple text ads, etc, that you run across while browsing and searching the web. It can really go to show how competitive the internet space really is and the varying amount of competition out there on any given day. With that, there is a tremendous opportunity to find success. It takes a detailed eye and the ability to find a niche with lower competition. Then, once that's found, really getting after it to drive success. It will be interesting to see how much more we learn about the backend of Google Ads the next few weeks as we progress. I'm looking forward to it.

This last week we studied the formation of business, structure, and the legal attention we need to have when we start up our own business. There really is a lot of information out there, and it's surprising how much differs between states. Then, things can really get complicated when selling across state lines, and what determines tax rates, etc. However, it is nice to have learned about the online resources that are available for reference and assistance. Something that I've realized is that while I might be new to the game, there are people that have been doing their own business for years, know the ins-and-outs of running successfully and are more than happy to offer advice. A lot of it is just speaking up, asking for advice, and having an ear or two to listen and take in information. Also, if it's shared by someone rather than from a legal statute, it's a little easier to understand (although always check your facts!). With the many different structures, each has ...