My wife is in the process of publishing a paper for an academic journal and needed to spend some time researching at a bookstore this past weekend. Seeing an opportunity to sit down and explore a topic for a few hours, I jumped at the opportunity to join her.
The topics of my study? Registering a LLC, small biz accounting, optimizing a Joomla! website, Google Adwords, Google Analytics, & the rise of MTV.
What random topics. As a result, I think this is going to be one heck of a random blog. I’ll do my best at keeping my thoughts easy to follow.
Setting up a LLC
First, let me preface this by saying that I’m not a lawyer & I don’t play one on TV. 
I don’t exactly know if it’s wise to blab this out onto the Internet, but ReadyWire is a small company. We’re a family-owned business. If you’re an American company like us, it is in your best interest to consider forming your business into a LLC (Limited Liability Company). As one could guess, LLC is a legal form of a business, offering limited liability to its owners. It characteristics of both a corporation and a partnership, but it’s much more flexible to form than a corporation. Within a LLC, owners have a limited liability for the actions and debts of the company, and it is suitable for smaller companies with a single owner. There also can be substantial tax benefits for forming a LLC.
Best of all is the cost of getting started. From the limited research I’ve done, it looks quite possible to register for around $500. In many instances, it will cost you well under that.
To learn more about LLC’s, click here. LegalZoom is one of the many companies that will do all the work for you at a nominal fee. Click here for details.
Google Adwords
Over the past few months, I’ve toyed around with Google Adwords. ReadyWire’s ads with Google certainly provided us with an increase in website visits. I spent around $50 a month over three months and saw our website usage nearly triple. However, I’m afraid those hits didn’t translate into signups. Seeing that I clearly didn’t know what I was doing, I stopped our campaigns. I have not ruled Adwords out entirely, but have chosen hold back on utilizing their advertising services until a such a time where I could sit down and learn how to use it successfully.
At Borders this weekend, I had an opportunity to sift through Howie Jacobson’s new book Adwords for Dummies. I’m no “dummy,” but Howie’s book was designed for a guy just like me. If you’re considering AdWords, I highly recommend picking up this book. He’ll provide you with tips & tricks to help make your campaign a success. Some things I jotted down on my square napkin included:
- Utilizing a fake domain name- If you are in the flower business, consider registering a fake www domain name such as www-flowers.com. Can you imagine seeing an ad that includes your search query, a giant Google Checkout logo, and a highly-specific display url? Who wouldn’t want to click on it?
- Do not utilize “optimize ads,” instead use “rotate ads.”
- Google Adwords provides you with the ability to display your ads on Google as well as the Content Network. Now, there is nothing wrong with displaying your ads on the Content Network. However, it is recommend for reporting purposes to separate campaigns. Create a campaign strictly for display on Google. Then, create a campaign for use on the Content Network. Doing so will provide you with the ability to quickly determine which network is providing you with a greater return (ROI).
I would LOVE to hear your comments & thoughts on Google Adwords. What tips have you picked up along the way? Let’s learn from each other.