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Pop quiz: which online marketplace boasts over 159 million active users, and is downloaded by three out of every ten (34.9%) U.S. mobile users? Yes, it’s eBay. As one of the earliest eCommerce marketplaces to come into existence, eBay is one of the strongest contenders for sellers looking to expand their reach online. Not convinced? Keep reading for a rundown of eBay’s top benefits and how it can serve as a key component of the multichannel selling  strategy for your eCommerce business . Read Also: How to start a business How to sell on eBay in 7 steps If eBay is a fit for your business, then getting started is a relatively straightforward process—and easy to do with Wix. Here are seven initial steps to get you started. Pick your product assortment Create your eBay account Set your shipping policies Set your return policies List your products Launch and promote Monitor closely 01. Pick your product assortment Decide how to position your eBay store to complement your existing eCommerce site . Will you sell resale items, specialized gift sets, end-of-line remainders, or simply a subset of your regular merchandise? Looking for ideas to sell online? How to sell shoes online How to sell art online How to sell furniture online How to sell car parts online How to sell crafts online How to sell party supplies online How to sell toys online Define a clear goal and purpose for launching on eBay. Remember that every marketplace has its unique quirks, audiences, and paths to success—how can you best leverage eBay’s strengths? 02. Create your eBay account If you’re a Wix merchant, log into your Wix dashboard and click Channels  > eBay from the left-hand menu. From here, you’ll see prompts for creating a new eBay account. Alternatively, you can create an account  directly from eBay and connect it to Wix later. However, by signing up through Wix, you’ll automatically receive a higher limit of zero insertion fee listings right off the bat. The exact limit depends on your product type, sales history, and other factors that eBay deems important. To set up a new business account, you’ll need your tax ID and business banking information, as well as a store email address. eBay offers several tiers of professional accounts , each with its own listing limits and set of benefits. 03. Set your shipping policies Specify where you do business and set your domestic and/or international shipping policies. You can assign a flat fee, or a calculated amount that’s based on dimensions and weight of the package. You can also specify your handling time. 04. Set your return policies Define how you’ll manage returns and refunds. You can have your buyer pay (either in full or part) for every returned item or subsidize them yourself. Then, decide whether to automatically accept and process returns, or to approve them manually. 05. List your products   If you have a Business Unlimited Premium Plan with Wix, you can sync your Wix catalog with eBay. This eliminates the need to manually enter your products into eBay and manage the two sites separately. Simply select the products you want to upload to eBay and hit “publish.” Wix will automatically map your products to the right categories. If, for any reason, your listing is rejected, you can easily find your “unsuccessful” listings in your Wix dashboard and see what needs to be fixed. Any eBay listings that are synced with Wix will assume the same product details, prices, and available quantities as you in Wix. However, you can always customize these specifically for eBay. For instance, you can set your eBay quantities to a lower number to create a sense of scarcity. Or, you can enrich your eBay listings with extra product data that may boost your chances of ranking in your category; Wix will reveal advanced fields that you should consider filling out in order to increase your competitiveness. Consider these product photography tips for quality photos. 06. Launch and promote your eBay store Once your account is set up and you’ve got all of your listings prepped for eBay, you’re ready to start selling. Be sure to promote your new eBay store via social media, newsletters, and (potentially) your main eCommerce site. You can also opt into eBay’s paid promotions to attract initial sales. 07. Monitor closely your sales and feedback As on other marketplaces, your seller rating on eBay depends on the reliability (and speed) of your customer service and fulfillment. The highest-performing sellers—dubbed as Top Rated Sellers —enjoy greater visibility and protections on eBay. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that you have the resources to handle incoming orders and questions promptly. Monitor your analytics in Wix to further track which products and categories are doing well, or which are declining in performance. Compare how your eBay strategy is affecting your website sales (if at all) on products sold in both places. Myths about selling on eBay eBay has come a long way since its 1995 debut as “ActionWeb.” Today, the marketplace doesn’t simply allow Joe to sell an item from his closet—notable brands like Adidas  and Best Buy  have taken up eBay storefronts to sell both new and refurbished items. Still, a few misconceptions cloud its reputation. Here are a few commonly held myths that are outdated or just plain wrong. Myth: eBay is for amateurs. Truth: eBay is big business. There are nearly a million branded stores on eBay , including Dyson, Dell, and Adidas. And though eBay’s rise to fame involved auctions on many preowned items, a vast majority of listings (80%) are now for new products. Myth: eBay is an auction site. Truth: most items are “Buy It Now.” As many as  88% of eBay listings are marked as “Buy It Now” and don’t require buyers to bid and wait for an auction to close. Myth: a PayPal account is a must. Truth: buyers have options. Beginning in 2021, eBay phased out of PayPal, making way for its own managed payment services system. Sellers can now manage payments directly from their eBay accounts and offer a variety of payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit cards. Depending on the region, you can offer additional services like buy now pay later, Payoneer, and other local options. Myth: eBay is in decline. Truth: eBay is still alive and well. While it may lack the sizzle of novelty, eBay posted 17% growth in revenue  in 2021, bringing its total revenue to $10.4 billion. The platform’s renewed focus on high-value footwear and other popular categories has helped it to move with the times. How eBay stacks up against Amazon If you’ve already been studying how to sell on Amazon  or are already selling on there, then chances are, you’re wondering if it’s even worth selling on eBay. Amazon, after all, earns more than four times  more GMV from its marketplace than eBay and reigns as the number one marketplace in the U.S. eBay ranks as a distant second—and other marketplaces are smaller still, making Amazon the Goliath to everyone else’s Davids. However, size brings challenges as well as advantages. There are notable differences to consider as you weigh eBay with Amazon. Niche audience  What eBay lacks in size, it makes up for in its unique audience. In fact, comparing Amazon’s buyer base with eBay’s isn’t an exact apples-to-apples comparison. For one, “the ethos of eBay is the ‘enthusiast buyer’ and the ‘value seeker,’” as reported by EcommerceBytes . The core eBay buyer values collectibles, vintage, and last year’s model—a contrast from the average Amazon buyer, who values a larger selection of products that can be delivered right away. This is reflected in the top-selling product categories of each channel. Automotive, jewelry, watches, and collectibles are among the most popular items on eBay. Meanwhile, Amazon buyers flock to home goods, beauty products, and clothing, as noted in Jungle Scout’s The State of the Amazon Seller  report. While eBay has made moves towards fast and free shipping, many buyers may still wait weeks for their items to arrive—perhaps even six to eight weeks  if an item needs to be shipped overseas. By comparison, the average Amazon buyer expects two-day shipping on most items, with nearly all Amazon sellers ( 92% ) using FBA to remain competitive. Less competition With fewer sellers on eBay, your listings will likely have a better chance of standing out. eBay further supports multiple listings for the same products, giving you more control over how your products are presented. Buyers, in turn, can compare listings for the same product that show varying conditions, delivery times, and availability. Amazon, on the other hand, aims to provide one, clean listing for every product in its catalog. This means that if you and other resellers offer the same product, you’ll share the same listing. You’ll have limited control over the listing—which is primarily controlled by the first person who listed the product, or the brand owner. You’ll have to win the Amazon Buy Box in order to win the actual sale. In the meantime, buyers aren’t likely to check whom they’re purchasing from; they’re simply clicking “add to cart” from the product page. Amazon additionally manages its own private-label brands. This has been a source of tension , though this practice isn’t unique to Amazon. Think: how a grocery store may sell its own versions of your favorite cereal. Amazon operates similarly, forcing you to not only compete against other sellers but against Amazon itself. Mobile-first experience   eBay has its roots in mobile commerce. More than 60% of eBay transactions  now involve a mobile touchpoint. And though there are 182 million active users on the marketplace worldwide, eBay’s mobile app has nearly three times as many mobile downloads (512 million), according to Fundera . eBay’s minimalist mobile app design makes it conducive for both shopping and selling from your phone. Being one of the earliest retail apps to hit the market, eBay arguably set the standard for others to come. Today, buyers can view a whole assortment of sellers and listings tailored to their search, while shoppers can easily list products and manage orders without logging into a computer. That said, Amazon’s mobile app is one of the most downloaded shopping apps in the U.S. with 41 million downloads . There’s evidence to suggest that most Amazon sellers do their browsing on mobile too. But approximately 65% of Amazon shoppers  still prefer to complete a transaction on desktop. Greater flexibility There’s no denying that both eBay and Amazon can be lucrative sales channels. However, the path to success is notably different on each, in part because they offer varying levels of control. On Amazon, you’ll be funneled down the same path as many other sellers before you: enroll in FBA to give your products the best chance of getting seen (plus increase your odds of winning the Buy Box); offer fast, affordable shipping; allow returns within 30 days; and launch Amazon ads. By contrast, on eBay, you’ll have a lot more flexibility over your shipping and return policies. You can customize your listing for your product, and somewhat brand the experience. Furthermore, advertising fees (plus competition) tend to be lower on eBay.   Popular products to sell on eBay To determine whether selling on eBay is right for your business, consider whether your offerings are a match for the platform’s audience. In general, eBay is best suited for selling: Watches, toasters, handbags and other everyday items: A broad range of items are popular on eBay, with a tendency toward smaller and less bulky objects. Think sockets and soccer balls, not sofas. When it comes to apparel, menswear and handbags tend to outrank women’s clothing. Parts, components and accessories: f you sell car parts , replacement parts, or supplies for landscaping crews (as examples), then eBay is an especially strong complement to your business. Wix merchant  offers automotive styling products to large tuning companies like Jam Sport, SCC Performance, and JW Racing. TRC’s products are also available for purchase by everyday car enthusiasts. Hence why—in addition to its flagship eCommerce site—TRC operates an eBay store, which flaunts a 98.7% positive feedback rate to date. Collectibles, fan favorites and other “long-tail” items: eBay is a haven for military medal and pen collectors but that doesn’t mean you need to sell memorabilia to succeed. Items from your back catalog, past seasons, or discontinued designs can serve as collectibles in their own right. eBay is a great place to find and connect with brand followers who may jump at the chance of purchasing these products. Resale and refurbished products: Gently-used and returned merchandise are welcome on eBay. Not only do resold items appeal to collectors of vintage style; the appeal of reuse is growing among consumers who seek opportunities to shop sustainably. eBay offers a refurbished-product certification program  in select categories, including small kitchen appliances, which features items from brands like and KitchenAid. Note that eBay restricts and/or prohibits the sale of certain items . These include alcohol, firearms, and other products that have legal or safety restrictions. Cost of selling on eBay As with any marketplace you choose to sell on, eBay has its own series of fees to keep in mind. Based on the latest information for 2024, here's a breakdown of eBay selling fees: Insertion listing fees First 250 listings per month are free After 250 listings: $0.35 per listing Final value fees (when item sells) Generally ranges from 10% to 15.55% of the total sale amount Standard rate is around 12.55% for most categories Per-order processing fees $0.40 for orders over $10 $0.30 for orders $10 and under (This fee was increased from $0.30 to $0.40 in March 2024) Store subscription (optional) Basic Store: $27.95 per month Includes 1,000 free fixed-price listings Additional benefits for serious sellers For a $100 item sale you would expect to pay: Final value fee (at 12.55%): $12.55 Per-order fee: $0.40 Total eBay fees: $12.95 Grow more with eBay Whether you’re looking to find shoppers who are on the hunt for rare, vintage finds or to simply test your product in front of a new audience, eBay can be a great addition to your online store. Sell with Wix  eCommerce today and easily list your products on eBay. Drive traffic from all corners of the internet and manage your multichannel operations  from one, unified platform. Learn more: Amazon alternatives

There are a lot of administrative tasks that come with starting a business . Registering a business is an important one that comes with many benefits, including liability protection. We asked Holly Wade, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses Research Center, how to register a business in the U.S. Keep reading for her tips on how to responsibly take this important step. Still in the early stages? Create a business website with Wix. What does it mean to register a business? Registering a business means that you’re creating a legal entity for your business that is separate from your personal identity. This allows you to protect your personal assets from business liabilities and debts. It also allows you to establish credibility with customers, vendors and lenders—and to access certain benefits, such as tax breaks and legal protections. The process involves selecting a business structure, choosing a name and filing paperwork with your state government. How much does it cost to register a business? The cost to register a business ranges from $20 to $520, depending on the state and legal structure. You might incur additional fees in the process. If you’ve decided on a business name but not on a legal structure, you can reserve the name prior to registering for around $10 to $150. How to register a business in the USA Here’s how to register a business: Write a business plan Choose a business structure Choose a business name Register with your local government Register with the federal government Open a business bank account Apply for the necessary license 01. Write a business plan To execute the following steps effectively, you first need to have a business plan . This document should define your target market, determine your funding sources, make financial projections and outline your marketing and business strategies. “I often call it the magical roadmap of small firms because it’s the document that’s most important for any business owner to have,” says Wade. Putting together a business plan can help you figure out the best legal structure of organizing your business. “When you structure your business and register, make sure that it’s as close to a thought-out business as possible so you’re registering it appropriately,” says Wade. “Figuring it out the best you can from the onset is helpful because once things get established, it’s timely and costly to go back and change things.” Owners should update their business plan at least once a year and read it regularly to know if you’re on track. “There are really significant events that can happen where you’ll need it, and it’s a process putting it together. Having a base to work from is helpful when situations come up.” 02. Choose a business structure There are several types of businesses to consider. While the following is certainly not an exhaustive list, it can provide you with an idea of the basic business structures: Sole proprietorship : As a sole proprietor, your personal and business assets are intertwined, meaning you’re liable for the finances of your business. “If you’re a proprietorship without employees, you don’t need to register but being more established and official is helpful,” says Wade. Partnership : A partnership is when two or more individuals run a business together. With a limited partnership, one partner takes on the personal liability and the others have limited liability. On the other hand, a general partnership means that both partners take on the same liability of the business. C corporation : A corporation functions as separate from its owners, making it its own legal entity. This means you’re protected from personal liability. However, this structure involves more federal reporting and has more tax requirements. It’s ideal if you want to open your business up to shareholders. You'll need to file Articles of Incorporation to register this type of business. S corporation : An S corporation doesn’t pay income taxes. Instead, shareholders do so at their individual rates. This prevents business owners from being taxed twice on corporate income. That said, S corporations can be costly to set up and they must follow complex regulations. Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) : LLCs allow owners to separate personal assets from business assets, protecting them against liabilities. An LLC is more flexible since you can pass your taxes through to the personal income level yet are not held liable for any of your business’s debts. 03. Choose a business name Before you decide on a business name, it’s important to verify that another business hasn’t already claimed it. Besides checking the state database, check with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for trademarks to make sure you’re in the clear. It’s also worth doing a simple Google search and checking social media to see if your preferred name is already in use. Sole proprietorships and partnerships do not need to choose a name. In fact, sole proprietorships must register under the owner's legal name. Owners who wish to use a business name must file a DBA (or "Doing Business As"). Other businesses can use DBAs as well if they want to operate under names that are different from the one they registered. Check with your state for the specific process for filing a DBA, since it can differ by location. Besides registration, consider trademarking the name. A trademark protects your name from unauthorized use by others and gives you exclusive rights to use the name in connection with your business. That said, it's important to note that trademark registration can be a complex and time-consuming process. If you decide it’s important to the health of your business, work with a qualified trademark attorney to ensure that you file your application correctly. Use Wix's business name generator to find a name that fits your brand. 04. Register with your state and local governments Registering a business with your local government is simple. For example, Virginia’s registration form only asks you to select a business structure, a business name and an agent to accept official paperwork. The specific requirements and steps vary depending on the state and type of business. Consider consulting with an attorney or accountant to ensure compliance with all the relevant regulations. Keep in mind that you may have to register with the municipal government in addition to the state government. If you conduct businesses across state lines, you’ll need to register in other states as well in a process called foreign qualification. For this, you typically need to register with the Secretary of State in the new state and obtain a Certificate of Authority. The requirements can vary, so it's advisable to consult a legal professional to ensure all obligations are met. Make sure your business is properly qualified to prevent significant legal and financial penalties. 05. Register with the federal government You’ll need to get an EIN from the IRS in order to file taxes for your business if: You have employees. Your business is a corporation or partnership. You file tax returns on employment, excise, alcohol, tobacco or firearms. You withhold taxes on income, other than wages, paid to a non-resident alien. You have a Keough plan. You’re involved with trusts, estates, real estate mortgage investment conduits, nonprofit organizations, farmers’ cooperatives or plan administrators. 06. Open a business bank account Once you’ve registered a business, the next thing you should do is open a business bank account. “Before you spend any money, get your business credit card and get your business checking account at the very least,” says Wade. “For accounting measures, it’s hugely important to separate your business finances from your personal account.” 07. Apply for the necessary licenses and permits The final step involves registering with different entities and getting a business license . This step varies depending on your industry and your location, so a good way to check if you need any specific permits is to visit the U.S. Small Business Administration website and search based on your business activity. Licensing and permitting fees add up, so be sure to factor them into your budget. For example, getting a business license can cost anywhere from $15 to over $10,000, depending on the state. Plus, legal and accounting fees can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity of your business. Why should I register my business? You need to register a business if you plan to hire employees, seek financing, purchase real estate or pursue permitting. Even if none of those aspects apply to your situation, registering a business is valuable. Let’s discuss some of the benefits in greater detail: Makes you eligible for tax benefits When you register a business, you may become eligible for several tax benefits, depending on your business type and the tax laws in your state and at the federal level. Here are some potential tax benefits you may be eligible for: Business expenses : As a business owner, you may be able to deduct many of your business expenses from your taxable income. This includes expenses such as rent, utilities, salaries, and office supplies. Depreciation : If you own assets such as equipment or property, you may be able to deduct a portion of the cost of these assets over time through depreciation. Deductions for startup costs : If you’re starting a new business, you may be able to deduct certain expenses associated with getting the business up and running, such as legal and accounting fees. Retirement plans : Business owners can establish retirement plans such as 401(k)s or IRAs for themselves and their employees. Contributions to these plans may be tax deductible. Pass-through taxation : If you’re a sole proprietor or operate a partnership or S corporation, your business income isn’t subject to corporate income tax. Instead, the IRS taxes you at your individual rate. It's important to note that tax laws can be complex and change frequently, so it's a good idea to consult a tax professional to determine which tax benefits you may be eligible for as a business owner. Protects your personal assets By registering your business, you can protect your personal assets from debt or bankruptcy. However, the level of liability depends on which legal structure you register under. For example, the government doesn’t see sole proprietors and partnerships as separate entities from their owners, meaning owners are personally liable for any debt or bankruptcy. On the other hand, if you form a corporation or LLC, your personal assets are protected from business liabilities. Allows you to hire employees In order to hire employees, you are legally required to register a business and get an Employer Identification Number  (EIN) from the IRS. Protects your business and brand Registering a business involves claiming your business name. “Registering will get you into the database where other people can make sure they’re not taking your name,” explains Wade. If you don’t register a business name, someone else may claim it, which can lead to confusion among customers and even legal trouble down the road. Wade recommends trademarking  the name to further protect your brand from infringement. For corporations and LLCs, registration also ensures perpetual existence by creating a legal entity that is distinct from its owners. This means the business will continue to exist even after owners, shareholders or founders leave the company or pass away. This perpetual existence can provide stability and continuity for the business, allowing it to continue operating and serving customers even as the ownership and leadership of the company changes. Provides access to funding Registering your business shows lenders and investors that you’re credible and committed to your business. Many won’t even consider investing or giving you a loan if you haven’t taken this step. For instance, both lenders and investors will want to know the legal structure of your business. This information tells them how your business is governed and how decisions will be made. Ultimately, this knowledge assures lenders and investors that their money will be managed responsibly. How to register a business FAQ Can I register a business if I’m a non-U.S. resident? Non-U.S. residents can register a business, but there are specific considerations to take into account. It's crucial to understand the tax obligations, both in the U.S. and the resident's home country, as there may be tax treaties or double taxation agreements in place. Additionally, opening a U.S. bank account can be challenging, and non-residents may need to provide extra documentation or use services that specialize in helping international entrepreneurs. Consulting with a professional experienced in foreign ownership requirements is highly recommended to navigate these complexities effectively. What are the most common mistakes to avoid when registering a business? To avoid legal issues, make sure to thoroughly research the specific requirements for your state. Start by checking the availability of your business name to prevent conflicts and branding challenges. Keeping your personal and business finances separate will simplify accounting and tax reporting, helping to minimize confusion and potential audits. Also, seeking professional advice can provide you with valuable guidance. What is the best state to register my business? When choosing a state to register a business, Delaware and Nevada are top options. Delaware offers a strong legal framework and no state sales tax, while Nevada has no state corporate or personal income tax and strong privacy protections. Registering in your home state can be simpler if most business is conducted there. Evaluate tax implications and regulations, and consult with a legal or financial advisor for the best decision. Should I register my business online? Online registration offers speed and convenience, allowing you to complete the process from anywhere with time-saving features. However, it may lack the personalized support of traditional methods, which offers tailored assistance for complex needs. Traditional registration is often more time-consuming and less convenient, requiring physical visits. Decide based on your comfort level and business needs.

If you have a great podcast idea and want to bring your vision to life, you must learn how to record high-quality episodes that people will want to listen to. Once you’ve brainstormed episode topics, lined up guests and created a website , you’ll need to gather the necessary gear and software to start. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of how to record a podcast, as well as the equipment you’ll need for optimum sound quality. Starting a podcast? Use this podcast name generator to name it. How to record a podcast Find and plan your topic Determine the format Write a script or outline for each episode Purchase equipment Find a place to record Perfect your microphone techniques Pick a recording and editing software Hit record Edit your episode Export your episode 01. Find and plan your topic You may know what you want your podcast to be about generally (like a leadership podcast, for example), but you’ll need to break down your idea into smaller podcast topics to discuss in each episode. Research what might interest your listeners and what questions they’re asking. If you don’t know where to begin, our guide on how to start a podcast will direct you how to start from scratch. You can also read our in depth definition of what is a podcast . Beyond this, you’ll need to come up with a podcast name and may want to review some inspiring podcast website examples . 02. Determine the format Next, you’ll need to narrow your idea to a specific niche. This will not only help you find the right audience for your marketing strategy , but it will also help you pick the right equipment and editing software. For example, if you have a solo show, you’ll likely need just one mic. If you want to have a business podcast where you interview guests every episode, you’ll need to purchase two. 03. Write a script or outline for each episode Often, off-the-cuff conversations with guests or your cohost can turn into organic podcast magic as you dive into undirected topics. However, this is a skill that requires some experience to build up. For most, starting a podcast on the best foot means crafting a script or at least an outline. If you plan to have a structured storytelling podcast, such as an investigative journalism podcast, you may want to plan your entire script. Then, when it comes time to record, you’ll just need to read your script. However, if you have a co-host and want a more conversational podcast, like Wix's SERP's Up SEO Podcast , map out which topics or questions you want to address and when you’ll bring them up in the episode. That way, you’ll know what points to cover but will still have room for conversation. 04. Purchase equipment Depending on the podcast you want to create, your equipment needs may differ slightly. However, you should consider purchasing a few key equipment pieces before you begin recording: Microphone No matter what podcast you host, you’ll need a good microphone. However, with so many different options on the market for podcast hosts, how do you know which one to choose? Familiarize yourself with these different mics: Built-in microphone: Mobile devices and computers come with a built-in mic. That said, these microphones aren’t designed for recording podcasts, so don’t rely on them to record a whole series. You can use them to test episodes, but podcasters do not recommend them for full-time recording. USB microphone: A USB mic connects to a computer via a USB cable. Start here if you want to record right away without investing in expensive equipment. Just plug in your USB microphone, and it’ll be ready-to-use with recording software. XLR microphone: When you’re ready to take it up a notch from your USB mic, choose an XLR. Rather than connecting to your computer via USB, an XLR mic plugs into your computer and audio interface via its own cable or adapter. The high sound quality makes it worth the extra technical effort. Dynamic microphone: If you want something higher quality than a USB mic without a huge price tag, try a dynamic microphone. They aren’t highly sensitive mics, so you can use them no matter where you record your podcast. Condenser microphone: A condenser microphone is more sensitive than a dynamic mic, meaning it will pick up background noise. While the sensitivity means you’ll end up with clearer sound, this can cause problems if you record in a noisy setting. As a novice podcaster, you might want to start with a more versatile mic first, especially if you don’t have a professional studio setup. Headphones To make the podcast hosting experience as seamless as possible, you’ll want to invest in a pair of studio-grade headphones. Headphones allow you to hear exactly how you sound as you speak into the microphone, as well as any background noise. For example, if your audio sounds a bit muffled, perhaps you need to pull away from the microphone a bit. And if your audio is quiet and fading out, you may need to speak closer to the mic. Digital recorder You may want to consider a digital recorder for a few reasons: First, this equipment can be more reliable than a computer alone, as you record and store your audio files externally. Second, if you plan on having in-person guests or if you have a co-host, you can easily set up multiple microphones through a digital recorder. A computer or laptop may have limited entry ports for a USB mic, so having a digital recorder on hand will allow you to connect more XLR microphones. USB audio interface You can also use a USB audio interface, which acts as something in between a USB mic and a digital recorder. The device plugs directly into your computer via USB, and then you can plug in one or more XLR mics to it, depending on the model. They also improve your audio quality slightly, so this can be a good interim option if you don’t have a digital recorder. When shopping around for a USB audio interface, consider how many mic and headphone inputs you’ll need. Other equipment to consider Aside from the basic equipment you’ll need to record, these other essentials can help you get started and improve your sound quality: Microphone stand: This will hold your mic steady and keep your hands free to use your computer or flip through notes. Smartphone: While you shouldn’t use a smartphone as your permanent podcast setup, you can use one to start recording. You can find microphones that plug into your smartphone so you can record directly on your mobile device or use it when interviewing someone on the go. Soundproofing material: Foam panels or a foldable soundproof barrier can make a big difference in your sound quality by reducing echoes and reverberated sounds. Pop filter: Add a pop filter to your mic to muffle the sounds made when words with letters such as ‘p’ or ‘t’ pop in a recording. If you record at home and don’t have soundproofing material, this small fabric piece can make a noticeable difference. 05. Find a place to record Find a quiet place with sound-absorbing materials. If you don’t have soundproofing material or a recording studio, make sure you surround yourself with bookcases, clothes, couches and carpets. A walk-in closet can also suffice. 06. Perfect your microphone techniques Record the best sound quality by following these microphone best practices: Move away from your microphone when silent to keep from recording any unnecessary noises. Keep your microphone five to six inches away from your mouth when speaking. Tilt your mic at 45 degrees. This will capture your voice in its highest quality. 07. Pick a recording and editing software Audio recording software allows you to record live, edit audio files, splice sound clips and edit your recording speed—all from one tool. You will also use editing software to clean up your audio, cut segments, add in music and edit out silences. Well-known audio software includes Alitu, GarageBand, Audacity and Adobe Audition. 08. Hit record It’s time to press record on your chosen podcast recording software. It may be a good idea to do a few test-runs to ensure everything sounds clear and the software and equipment works. Once you’re ready for the real thing, hit record and start speaking according to your prepared script or outline. Don’t worry about speaking perfectly—you can edit out your hesitations and distractions. 09. Edit your episode Professionals recommend that you first edit your podcast for content, then distractions. You can also add compressions via settings to smooth out your voice and automate noise removal. If your episode includes music, set your bitrate to 192 kbps for a polished sound. If you only record voices, you can set it at 96 kbps. 10. Export your episode Follow your software’s instructions for exporting. Remember to add ID3 tags to your export so that your chosen hosting platform displays your episode’s correct data. The next step is then to think about promoting your podcast, you can learn more about how to do this in our guide to podcast advertising .

If you have a great podcast idea and want to bring your vision to life, you must learn how to record high-quality episodes that people will want to listen to. Once you’ve brainstormed episode topics, lined up guests and created a website , you’ll need to gather the necessary gear and software to start. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of how to record a podcast, as well as the equipment you’ll need for optimum sound quality. Starting a podcast? Use this podcast name generator to name it. How to record a podcast Find and plan your topic Determine the format Write a script or outline for each episode Purchase equipment Find a place to record Perfect your microphone techniques Pick a recording and editing software Hit record Edit your episode Export your episode 01. Find and plan your topic You may know what you want your podcast to be about generally (like a leadership podcast, for example), but you’ll need to break down your idea into smaller podcast topics to discuss in each episode. Research what might interest your listeners and what questions they’re asking. If you don’t know where to begin, our guide on how to start a podcast will direct you how to start from scratch. You can also read our in depth definition of what is a podcast . Beyond this, you’ll need to come up with a podcast name and may want to review some inspiring podcast website examples . 02. Determine the format Next, you’ll need to narrow your idea to a specific niche. This will not only help you find the right audience for your marketing strategy , but it will also help you pick the right equipment and editing software. For example, if you have a solo show, you’ll likely need just one mic. If you want to have a business podcast where you interview guests every episode, you’ll need to purchase two. 03. Write a script or outline for each episode Often, off-the-cuff conversations with guests or your cohost can turn into organic podcast magic as you dive into undirected topics. However, this is a skill that requires some experience to build up. For most, starting a podcast on the best foot means crafting a script or at least an outline. If you plan to have a structured storytelling podcast, such as an investigative journalism podcast, you may want to plan your entire script. Then, when it comes time to record, you’ll just need to read your script. However, if you have a co-host and want a more conversational podcast, like Wix's SERP's Up SEO Podcast , map out which topics or questions you want to address and when you’ll bring them up in the episode. That way, you’ll know what points to cover but will still have room for conversation. 04. Purchase equipment Depending on the podcast you want to create, your equipment needs may differ slightly. However, you should consider purchasing a few key equipment pieces before you begin recording: Microphone No matter what podcast you host, you’ll need a good microphone. However, with so many different options on the market for podcast hosts, how do you know which one to choose? Familiarize yourself with these different mics: Built-in microphone: Mobile devices and computers come with a built-in mic. That said, these microphones aren’t designed for recording podcasts, so don’t rely on them to record a whole series. You can use them to test episodes, but podcasters do not recommend them for full-time recording. USB microphone: A USB mic connects to a computer via a USB cable. Start here if you want to record right away without investing in expensive equipment. Just plug in your USB microphone, and it’ll be ready-to-use with recording software. XLR microphone: When you’re ready to take it up a notch from your USB mic, choose an XLR. Rather than connecting to your computer via USB, an XLR mic plugs into your computer and audio interface via its own cable or adapter. The high sound quality makes it worth the extra technical effort. Dynamic microphone: If you want something higher quality than a USB mic without a huge price tag, try a dynamic microphone. They aren’t highly sensitive mics, so you can use them no matter where you record your podcast. Condenser microphone: A condenser microphone is more sensitive than a dynamic mic, meaning it will pick up background noise. While the sensitivity means you’ll end up with clearer sound, this can cause problems if you record in a noisy setting. As a novice podcaster, you might want to start with a more versatile mic first, especially if you don’t have a professional studio setup. Headphones To make the podcast hosting experience as seamless as possible, you’ll want to invest in a pair of studio-grade headphones. Headphones allow you to hear exactly how you sound as you speak into the microphone, as well as any background noise. For example, if your audio sounds a bit muffled, perhaps you need to pull away from the microphone a bit. And if your audio is quiet and fading out, you may need to speak closer to the mic. Digital recorder You may want to consider a digital recorder for a few reasons: First, this equipment can be more reliable than a computer alone, as you record and store your audio files externally. Second, if you plan on having in-person guests or if you have a co-host, you can easily set up multiple microphones through a digital recorder. A computer or laptop may have limited entry ports for a USB mic, so having a digital recorder on hand will allow you to connect more XLR microphones. USB audio interface You can also use a USB audio interface, which acts as something in between a USB mic and a digital recorder. The device plugs directly into your computer via USB, and then you can plug in one or more XLR mics to it, depending on the model. They also improve your audio quality slightly, so this can be a good interim option if you don’t have a digital recorder. When shopping around for a USB audio interface, consider how many mic and headphone inputs you’ll need. Other equipment to consider Aside from the basic equipment you’ll need to record, these other essentials can help you get started and improve your sound quality: Microphone stand: This will hold your mic steady and keep your hands free to use your computer or flip through notes. Smartphone: While you shouldn’t use a smartphone as your permanent podcast setup, you can use one to start recording. You can find microphones that plug into your smartphone so you can record directly on your mobile device or use it when interviewing someone on the go. Soundproofing material: Foam panels or a foldable soundproof barrier can make a big difference in your sound quality by reducing echoes and reverberated sounds. Pop filter: Add a pop filter to your mic to muffle the sounds made when words with letters such as ‘p’ or ‘t’ pop in a recording. If you record at home and don’t have soundproofing material, this small fabric piece can make a noticeable difference. 05. Find a place to record Find a quiet place with sound-absorbing materials. If you don’t have soundproofing material or a recording studio, make sure you surround yourself with bookcases, clothes, couches and carpets. A walk-in closet can also suffice. 06. Perfect your microphone techniques Record the best sound quality by following these microphone best practices: Move away from your microphone when silent to keep from recording any unnecessary noises. Keep your microphone five to six inches away from your mouth when speaking. Tilt your mic at 45 degrees. This will capture your voice in its highest quality. 07. Pick a recording and editing software Audio recording software allows you to record live, edit audio files, splice sound clips and edit your recording speed—all from one tool. You will also use editing software to clean up your audio, cut segments, add in music and edit out silences. Well-known audio software includes Alitu, GarageBand, Audacity and Adobe Audition. 08. Hit record It’s time to press record on your chosen podcast recording software. It may be a good idea to do a few test-runs to ensure everything sounds clear and the software and equipment works. Once you’re ready for the real thing, hit record and start speaking according to your prepared script or outline. Don’t worry about speaking perfectly—you can edit out your hesitations and distractions. 09. Edit your episode Professionals recommend that you first edit your podcast for content, then distractions. You can also add compressions via settings to smooth out your voice and automate noise removal. If your episode includes music, set your bitrate to 192 kbps for a polished sound. If you only record voices, you can set it at 96 kbps. 10. Export your episode Follow your software’s instructions for exporting. Remember to add ID3 tags to your export so that your chosen hosting platform displays your episode’s correct data. The next step is then to think about promoting your podcast, you can learn more about how to do this in our guide to podcast advertising .

While your audio show may try to “speak for itself,” a podcast website can do a lot more for your growth. From getting found online to starting a newsletter following, a well-designed podcast website can act as a one-stop shop to promote your show. And whether you’re looking to create a website for your podcast or updating a current one, you’ll want to look at these successful podcast website examples for inspiration. This article will dive into our 13 favorite podcast website examples, all built on Wix using podcast website templates . You’ll find which website template best fits your podcast needs. Starting a podcast? Use this podcast name generator to name it. TL;DR: podcast website examples A podcast website does more than host episodes. It helps you grow your audience, build your brand and create a home for everything you do. This blog features standout podcast websites that get the details right, from clean layouts and audio players to guest bios and newsletter signups. Whether you're just starting your podcast or looking to build a more engaging site, these examples offer ideas for how to design with listeners in mind and keep them coming back for more. You'll also find tips on functionality, promotion and design choices that support long-term growth. How we selected the podcast website examples Selection criteria Why it matters Easy episode access Clear navigation and embedded players make listening straightforward Strong visual branding Consistent design that reflects the tone and style of the podcast Show and host info Builds credibility and connection with listeners Guest or topic highlights Spotlights key voices and content to spark interest Engagement tools Email signups, social links or comment sections help grow your community Mobile-friendly design Ensures a smooth listening experience on any device Clear calls to action Guides users to subscribe, follow, donate or contact Why create a podcast website? After you’ve started a podcast , you’ll want to build a podcast website for promotional efforts and strategically design it to amass traffic. While listeners may tune into a podcast for the first time via Apple Podcasts or Spotify, they can't engage with the hosts on these platforms. A podcast website lets you speak directly to your audience and helps you build an authentic brand following with them. Some key benefits to creating a podcast website include: Streamlining your marketing: If you run a YouTube channel with video podcasts or turn episodes into summary blog posts, your podcast website can house these different marketing strategies . Getting web traffic: 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine and marketers Edison Research found that 73% of U.S. podcast consumers discover podcasts through internet searches. Optimize your website with search engine keywords tied to specific podcast topics to help drive more traffic to your site. Monetizing your podcast: If you want to make money podcasting , a website will help you achieve that goal. While in-stream podcast advertising can drive steady revenue, your website can expand your options. For example, add a donation or subscription page to your website, offer premium and exclusive downloadable resources, or sell merchandise, coaching sessions or paid online courses. Engaging your audience: Create feedback loops with submission forms for episode ideas to nurture your target listeners and build community. You can also start a newsletter for episode release notifications. Best podcast website examples 01. SERP’s Up Wix’s SERP’s Up covers hot topics in the SEO industry. Upon landing on the podcast website, the top of the fold visibly showcases links to subscribe and listen to the show. Keep scrolling and you’ll find different episodes displayed in a sophisticated grid layout. The site’s cover art creates consistency without being repetitive. Why it’s a good podcast website example: Centrally placed podcast directory links to subscribe Consistent web design Black and white background that evokes professionalism and engages viewers 02. The Know with Nikki Spo The Know with Nikki Spo easily catches our attention, making the list of best podcast website examples. Her "Stay in The Know" email subscriber banner is punny and well placed. The sticky banner moves with you as you scroll. Her Past Guests page shows which type of individuals listeners can expect to hear. There’s also a submission form to become her next guest and be part of her podcast recording . Her website exemplifies how creating a blog can help cross promote podcast episodes. Why it’s a good podcast website example: Banner email subscriber form Past guests page with a contact form Active blog to help promote episodes 03. Skin the Surface Skin the Surface 's practical website is easy to navigate, giving a bird’s eye view of upcoming events and engaging their audience. The website translation feature, offering 13 languages, offers international inclusivity. Additionally, they’ve added Live Chat to streamline communication with visitors. Why it’s a good podcast website example: Podcast calendar Multi-language site Live chat 04. Sleep and Sanity The Sleep and Sanity Podcast is, "for the parent that craves structure and predictability but struggles to find either with their child's sleep or within parenthood at all." The podcast host knows just how critical parents find this topic. Many parents will pay for sleeping advice, such as consultation calls and private sleep coaching. The site spreads its CTAs across different pages and locations with various copy, colors and sizes to avoid sounding spammy or pushy. Why it’s a good podcast website example: Tailored to a niche audience Strategic monetization Visible diverse CTAs 05. NonMembers Only Host Mrs. Space Cadet showcases her podcast named NonMembers Only with a retro and easy-to-navigate design. On her partnerships, she explains: "I've had the privilege to partner with some amazing brands in the running industry and beyond. Whether the campaign goal is brand awareness, new product launches, or to increase sales, I use my creativity and knowledge of social media marketing to make it a success." (Adding a short blurb like this can help convince partners to work with you.) Why it’s a good podcast website example: Retro and minimal podcast page Work with me page Explanation of her brand partnerships value add 06. The Art of Home: A Podcast for Homemakers Unlike most of the other podcast website examples, The Art of Home has its RSS feed displayed immediately on the homepage, allowing listeners to dive right in and see the full gallery of diverse episodes. To improve feedback loops and build audience engagement, this podcast website example has an audio voicemail feature on their Contact Us page. Why it’s a good podcast website example: Episode gallery on the homepage Prompts with questions for feedback Voicemail response capability 07. The Mojo Podcast The Mojo Podcast falls under the category of business podcasts but does more than just discuss careers. They’ve designed their site to align their coaching services to their podcast. The page has three customer testimonials to build their social proof. Lastly, their blog educates and empower their audience. Why it’s a good podcast website example: Coaching services Meaningful customer testimonials Blog What should be on a podcast website The podcast website examples above all have their own unique web design and are powered by the Podcast Player . To take your podcast website one step further, embed these best practices into your site: RSS feeds: No matter which podcast hosting site you use, an RSS feed app automatically updates visitors upon release of a new episode. Email sign-up: Add an email subscriber form to collect addresses for your newsletter. Choose between a light-box element or pop-up to nurture leads with email campaigns. Social media links: Use your podcast website to enhance your social media marketing strategy. Visitors can follow you; good social content helps build credibility. Subscription links: Direct visitors to various podcast directories and hopefully improve your subscriber rate. Testimonials: Have you gotten any heartwarming testimonials for your podcast? Share it on your website and show new members just how beloved your show is. About page: Tell people more about yourself, how you got into the topic you cover and even add your photo.

Once you get beyond the stigma of it being “impossible” to be successful on YouTube, it can be both a challenging and rewarding endeavor, just like when you create a website . In the beginning, there will be a clear emphasis on on the “challenging” part, like getting a satisfactory number of views for your videos and building your subscriber list. While you should define what YouTube success means for yourself, many see it as the amount of subscribers a channel has, and this will be the biggest challenge. So while we might not be able to tell you what your niche will be when you start your own YouTube channel (Mini food baking? Emoji makeup styles?), we do know a thing or two about raising follower numbers. To start building your audience, follow these tips below to help you get more subscribers on YouTube. How to get more subscribers on YouTube Have no shame and ask Ignore the YouTube 'hacks' Advertise everywhere Engage with your community Reassess your channel's design Spend some time on your video thumbnails Put a greater emphasis on your SEO Curate playlists for your audience Keep their attention with CTAs Incentivize your audience Keep producing good quality content 01. Have no shame and ask Let’s get this one right out in the open first. At the end of your videos, don’t be afraid to ask viewers to like and subscribe. This is especially important if you're looking to make money on YouTube based on your number of fans. Sometimes viewers are simply in “YouTube” mode and aren’t thinking to engage with the videos they’re watching, they just want to watch. Reminding them of this solid they could do for you could be your ticket. Some people think that asking for subscribers and likes is desperate, but let’s just put things into perspective here: This is YouTube, which isn’t known to be an overly-tactful place. There’s nothing wrong with asking. Just because asking for “more” didn’t work in Oliver Twist doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Plus, it’s not uncommon to see well established channels still ask in their videos. 02. Ignore the YouTube “hacks” You know what you don’t have time for? Other people wasting your time. That said, if you believe you’ll get something valuable out of a video that’s titled “Secret YouTube Hack: How to Get 5k YouTube Subscribers in 5 Minutes,” you apparently have plenty of time to be wasted. Videos that promise something that sound too good to be true are too good to be true. I wish I didn’t have to spell this out, but sadly, I do. Plus, a lot of the videos end up being pranks at the end. You will grow your list by a combination of tactics and not one magic fix, so don’t listen to the siren song of false YouTube promises. 03. Advertise everywhere (cross-platform promotion) We get it, you like YouTube, but you should be always be pushing your channel to other platforms and social networks to get more exposure, and there are several ways to do this. Sharing is caring : Any and every time you publish a video on your channel, plan to publish a post with a link to said video on your other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Are you super lazy? Fine, you can set up IFTTT so that when you publish a public YouTube video, you can have a link posted from Facebook and a Tweet sent out telling everyone to check out your latest video. Another smart way to keep your YouTube channel at the forefront is to add a link to it in the profile of your other social networks. Create a stunning video site : Having a dedicated website for your YouTube videos not only gives your content a home away from home, but it allows you to control so much more. You aren’t confined to the layout of YouTube, allowing more of “you” to shine through from a design perspective. It’s also incredibly easy to sync your channel with Wix Video. You also have the ability to sell your videos to your viewers, which is something you can’t do directly from YouTube. Send newsletter to your subscribers : Don’t forget about your website subscribers when you post a new video on YouTube! Craft the perfect newsletter to tell your fans about your latest video and either post a link to your channel or, if you added Wix Video from the above tip, they can check it out on your website. 04. Engage with your community It’s vital that you engage with your community. They are the ones who are liking, subscribing, and telling others about your channel. Frankly, it really doesn’t matter what your goal is, whether you’re just getting started on YouTube, looking for more views, or more subscribers – treating your community with respect and regularly engaging with them will be paramount to your success. Not only does interacting with your audience on your videos help get your community buzzing about your content, but YouTube will reward you for the social hype. Plus, your fans will be happy to spread the love with likes and shares. 05. Reassess your channel’s design Not everyone was born with an eye for (YouTube) design. And that’s okay. You may have an “ideal audience” in mind for your content, but you should aim to appeal to as many people as you can, however you can. One thing to take note of is how your channel looks when someone lands on it. While the content you produce is ultimately what should get viewers to subscribe to your channel, in order to give your videos the glory they deserve, make sure your channel is eye-catching and appealing. Go over your channel art, profile icon, channel trailer and ask yourself how it could be improved to broaden its appeal. Ask a friend that won’t sugar coat it for you. This is obviously subjective, but getting the perspective of others can be invaluable to shaping how your channel is portrayed. As part of that make sure to consider the impact of your YouTube Channel name and how it conveys your design and branding. 06. Spend some time on your video thumbnails The power of a good video thumbnail on a YouTube video is surprisingly boundless, so you’ll want to make sure you’re spending a decent amount of time crafting it. With the bulk of your work confined to producing your actual video content, it could be tempting to think that investing time into a simple thumbnail is a waste. Nothing could be further from the truth. Thumbnails that are attention-grabbing get more attention. (It doesn’t get any more profound than that.) However you go about creating your thumbnails, be sure that they each carry a unique style that you can apply to all of your video thumbnails. This type of consistency looks great on your channel and adds a sense of professionalism. Tip : From a neuromarketing perspective, it’s smart to use a face in your thumbnail, as we are naturally more drawn to them. Of course, if it doesn’t make sense regarding the content of your video, then don’t fret. You can go for a more descriptive thumbnail. 07. Put a greater emphasis on your SEO Discoverability is crucial for any channel, especially newer ones, so if you aren’t obsessive about your YouTube video SEO, that should change. Crafting a solid title and description is a job of its own so while this is markedly the most boring part of the process, it holds the potential of determining how well your video will be found, so it’s nothing to take lightly. You can increase your chances of making an SEO-friendly title by doing research on your keywords and deciding whether you’d like to chase the more popular (and competitive) keywords, or the more specific long-tail keywords. It’s more than just the title, though! You should also make sure your video description is properly filled out with the appropriate links and that they are in line with the tags you used on your videos. Don’t skimp on your tags – make sure they’re relevant. Check out our guide in case you need to brush up on your YouTube SEO skills . 08. Curate playlists for your audience If a viewer stumbles upon one of your videos through a search, make it easy for them to continue to watch similar videos by compiling a playlist you’ve created for just this occasion to automatically offer up more content. Not only does this get your channel more view time, but you’ll also save your audience from the dreaded YouTube rabbit hole. You know what I’m talking about. 09. Keep their attention with CTAs The attention span of just about anyone on YouTube is admittedly abysmal, which is why you need to intrigue viewers with your content to keep them interested. If they’re going to be distracted in any way, it should be with one of your CTAs. You can add links to your other videos that the viewer may find relevant, or even a CTA telling them to like and subscribe. 10. Incentivize your audience Just like asking for subscribers, incentivizing people to subscribe can be seen as a “shady” way to up your numbers, but when done right, it can certainly work. Holding a contest that requires someone to subscribe to your channel in order to enter is basically a surefire way to get subscribers. As long as what you’re giving away is worth entering a contest for, and your channel is discoverable enough for people to know how to enter, then let the games begin. If the latter proves to be an issue, you could perhaps make it a short-term contest and hold it during a YouTube live stream . Importantly, make sure that any and all legalities are upheld where you live. 11. Continue to produce quality content This one may sound like it’s laughably obvious, but it’s very relevant. Just because you’ve “found your groove” when it comes to making YouTube videos does not mean that you’re producing quality content. In fact, your “groove” could actually just be “autopilot.” This is true regardless of what video platform you use. Sit down with your channel and watch your videos from different periods of time. Even though you’ve painstakingly edited the videos and can quote them all, try to watch the videos with fresh eyes and take notes of what you think worked in one video versus another. Preferably, ask people who would be considered to be your target audience or friends who haven’t seen all of your videos yet (but really what kind of friends are they?). Learning from your mistakes will always remain one of your most valuable assets and the drive for continually evolving in your content will help you to be a successful YouTuber in the long run. In addition to a strong focus on quality content, you can always look to your past videos and check your stats in the YouTube analytics section of your account. This can allow you to identify past trends of what worked and what didn’t. It’s a very powerful tool that shouldn’t be ignored.

It’s not a matter of if you should be advertising your business, but how you should advertise it. Even the most common aspect of your brand, like when you build your own website , is essentially an ad that lives on the Internet 24/7. That said, for the most part, people aren’t on your website for hours on end. Where do people spend hours at a time, specifically in terms of Internet usage? YouTube. YouTube is one of the most popular video outlets in existence, and it offers its own advertising platform, allowing you to get in front of your audience in ways your website simply can’t. YouTube advertising can be tricky for small businesses, which can lead to wasting your precious dollars earned if you don’t know what to look out for. To alleviate this, we’re going to show you how to get started with the platform and run your own campaigns from end to end. Why advertise on YouTube? Advertising on YouTube can be a strategic and effective way for businesses to reach and engage with their target audience. Here are the top 5 reasons why businesses choose to advertise on YouTube: Massive user base: YouTube boasts billions of users globally, presenting an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to reach a vast and diverse audience. Advertising on YouTube allows businesses to tap into this massive user base and extend their brand visibility to millions of potential customers. Visual engagement: Video content on YouTube is highly engaging, providing businesses with a dynamic and visually appealing platform to showcase their products or services. Video ads can capture attention more effectively than static ads, fostering a deeper connection with the audience. Precise targeting options: YouTube's robust targeting options enable businesses to reach their ideal audience with precision. Advertisers can tailor their campaigns based on demographics, interests, behaviors and more. This targeted approach ensures that ads are shown to the most relevant viewers, maximizing the impact of the advertising investment. Versatile ad formats: YouTube offers a variety of ad formats, allowing businesses to align their advertising strategy with specific marketing objectives. Whether aiming for brand awareness, engagement or conversions, advertisers can choose from skippable ads, non-skippable ads, display ads and more to suit their campaign goals. Detailed analytics: YouTube provides comprehensive analytics and performance metrics, offering valuable insights into the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Advertisers can track key metrics such as views, click-through rates and impressions. This data empowers businesses to refine and optimize their ad strategies for better results and a higher return on investment. The different YouTube ad video formats Before you jump headfirst into a YouTube marketing campaign, you should learn about the options that are available for you to take advantage of. While there are many options for making money on YouTube , video ads are the most popular ad format for the video-centric platform. Don’t worry, though. We’ll have more information about non-video ad formats below. Here’s a rundown of all the different video formats and ways to advertise on YouTube: TrueView Ads : TrueView ads are more than likely the format that you’re most familiar with. They come in multiple variations: In-stream : The most common type of TrueView ad, which can appear in the beginning, middle, or end of a YouTube video. These videos can be skipped after five seconds of the ad has played and they’re accompanied by a companion banner ad on the right hand side of the screen on desktop. Video Discovery Ads : These video ads appear in YouTube search results and next to related videos. These types of ads are unobtrusive and relevant to the user’s search query. For the above options, advertisers only pay for TrueView ads when users watch for at least 30 seconds, watch an entire short video, or interact with an ad in some way, such as clicking on a call-to-action. However, there’s another TrueView format that does things a little differently. TrueView for Reach : If your primary goal is ad reach and not necessarily ad views, then TrueView for Reach is something you’ll want to consider. These ads are optimized for a wide reach across large audiences and are charged on a CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) basis. Other YouTube ad video formats: Non-Skippable video ads: Probably the most maligned ad format. These 15-20 second ads cannot be skipped and must be viewed before the YouTube video plays. These ads can also appear in the middle or after videos as well. Bumper ads: Bumper ads are another common video ad format. They’re 'unskippable' six-second ads that must be viewed before a YouTube video plays. Since YouTube is the world’s largest site for hosting and consuming video content, we will primarily be focusing on video ads in this tutorial, but don’t worry, we’ll have additional information on non-video formats further down. How to set up your first YouTube advertising campaign Ready? Here are all the vital steps you need to take in order to successfully advertise on YouTube: Start your YouTube channel Create your Google Adwords account Link Adwords to YouTube Choose your campaign goals and types Set up your campaign Define the people you want to reach Upload your marketing video Save and submit your ad 01. Start your YouTube channel Before you can get started advertising on the platform, you’ll first need to start your YouTube channel for your business. Sure, it’s technically an easy process to actually create the account, but there are many aspects that need to be addressed. From getting the correct art resolution to your intro video, we have the perfect step-by-step guide for you on how to start a YouTube channel . You'll need to consider things like your content niche and your Youtube channel name . 02. Create your Google Adwords account This process is going to be a little confusing for some, and it’s a bit counter-intuitive. In order to create a Google Adwords account, you will essentially be forced to create a campaign that you may never use - and certainly not for the purposes of this article, anyway. What the setup process is attempting to do is helping you to familiarize yourself with Google Ads. Still, it’s forcing its intent on you when you already have your own, so just push through and you will then be able to delete the ad from the dashboard. Sign into an existing or create a new Gmail account . Follow the steps to create your first campaign, including: Advertising goal: Get more calls, physical location visits, website visits, etc. Advertising area: Where most of your customers reside. Product or service details. During the setup, you’ll be asked to create your first ad. Again, this is just a part of the initial configuration and you won’t have to go through with it. You’ll be able to add your own graphics here, but given that you will most likely not be using this ad, feel free to skip along. What you’re really looking for is the main Google Adwords dashboard, which looks like this: Google Adwords Campaign Dashboard Seeing something different on your dashboard? You may have the older dashboard view. You can find out how to switch between the new and previous Google Ads dashboards in just a couple of clicks. 03. Link AdWords to YouTube After your Adwords account is created, you must then link it to your YouTube one before you can begin running video campaigns. The process is very straightforward and shouldn’t take you more than a minute or two. Sign into your YouTube channel. Click your profile icon at the top right corner of the page. Select ‘Creator Studio’. On the left, select ‘Channel’, then click ‘Advanced’. Click ‘Link a Google Ads Account’ under ‘Google Ads Account Linking’. Follow the instructions and then click ‘Finish’. *After this setup is complete, the owner of the Google Adwords account (likely you) will need to approve the request to successfully link the YouTube channel to Adwords. Seeing something different on your YouTube account? You can follow the instructions for different versions of YouTube here . Now it’s time to get started with creating your very own video campaign. There are several steps to the process but it primarily contains choosing your goal, your audience, your format, and your budget. Let’s begin: 04. Choose your campaign goals and types Primary goals of Adwords campaigns The first question is an obvious one. To start your campaign, you will first need to choose a primary goal. The options available are easy enough to understand, though some will not offer video ads in the section below. For this tutorial, we’re going to choose ‘Brand Awareness and Reach’, but we encourage you to view all of the options you have available to you. A description of each goal that allows video advertising and what they’re for is best given by Adwords itself: Sales : Drive sales online, in app, by phone, or in store. Leads : Get leads and other conversions by encouraging customers to take action. Website traffic : Get the right people to visit your website. Product and brand consideration : Encourage people to explore your products or services. Brand awareness and reach : Reach a broad audience and build awareness. Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance : Use any available campaign type and construct a campaign step-by-step without a goal's recommendations. Available goals and types that allow for video advertising on YouTube and subtypes for goals when the selected type of campaign is set to video. Selecting another type other than video will yield different results. Next, you’ll be asked to select your campaign type. Your campaign type determines how and where your customers see your ads. As mentioned above, depending on what goal you choose, different options will yield in the campaign type section. Some options will have four and some will have fewer. This article is focusing on video advertising with YouTube, so ‘video’ should be selected - but if you’re going for a different ad format, adapt your selection accordingly. Up next is the campaign subtype. The options here will also be different depending on the goal and campaign type you’ve chosen. For all intensive purposes, choosing ‘Brand Awareness and Reach’ for your goal and then ‘Video’ for your type will yield more familiar ad options for the subtype, like ‘skippable in-stream ads’, ‘bumper ads’, and ‘non-skippable in-stream ads’. Keep in mind that the type and subtype you choose will affect your bidding strategy, as some options only allow for specific strategies. 05. Set up your campaign Primary categories of an Adwords Campaign Name : The following page starts easy enough. Simply name the campaign to your liking. This will only be seen by you and whoever else may have access to manage the campaigns, so feel free to call it whatever you want. Of course, this is the beginning of your foray into YouTube advertising, so you should probably start with your best foot forward and provide a structure for your campaign title. This will also make it quicker and easier to find them later down the line. When creating a name, make sure that the title is appropriate and describes the campaign well. Budget: After you name the campaign, you’ll be asked to set up the budget. Here, you can choose how much money you’d like to invest. You can select a daily amount of money to spend or total amount for the entire campaign. If you’re new to this, and we assume you are, it’s best to start with a low daily budget. This will ensure that you’re not overspending on a campaign that’s not optimized or produces none of the results you’re looking to achieve. Date: Now, the most self-explanatory part of setting up a campaign with Google AdWords: The date. This gives you the option to choose whether you want to have the campaign go live as soon as it’s been approved, or if you’d like to schedule it for some time in the future. Networks, language, and location: Following down the funnel, you’ll be asked where you want your video ad to be displayed. Keep in mind that the networks can change according to your goal type. Your options are YouTube Search Results, YouTube videos, and video partners on the Display Network. For the most part, you’ll probably only want to choose one of the first two, though YouTube Search Results is confined to Discovery ads only. The option for video partners on the Display Network is not recommended mostly due to the fact that you won’t actually know where your ad is running. Moving along, you’ll then need to choose your language, which should be easy enough. Then choose a location you’d like your campaign to run in. You can go very broad and market to multiple countries, or as limited to just a single city. You can also exclude specific locations here as well. Content exclusions: There’s a lot of content on YouTube and not all of it is going to be aligned with your industry or message. While the control on this is rather limited, you can exclude specific types of videos so your ad doesn’t show up on them. This section is broken down a few times, starting with ‘Inventory type’. There are three different inventory types that consist of Expanded inventory, Standard inventory, and Limited inventory. As the names suggest, the Expanded inventory is the most lenient on profanity, sexually suggestive, or violent content where Limited is the least. You can further drill into specific types of content that you’d like to opt out of. Lastly, you may exclude content that has a specific TV rating, like TV-MA or TV-T, along with different types of videos like live streams, embedded videos, and games. Additional settings: Below the content exclusion section is a small link that simply says ‘Additional settings’. Here lies the options for device targeting, frequency capping, and ad scheduling. Device targeting: This allows you to choose what devices your ad will be displayed on, like computers, tablets, mobile devices, and TVs. Frequency capping: Frequency capping shouldn’t be tucked away like the way it is. This allows you to limit the number of impressions or views from the same user. Not using this could result in continually showing your ad to someone who is not interested, which in turn is a waste of money for you. Ad scheduling: While you’ve already scheduled the day you want your campaign to go live, the ‘Ad Scheduling’ section allows you to drill in a bit further, allowing for a fully customized schedule. You can set up multiple times within a day for the campaign to go active. 06. Define the people you want to reach Essentially the most important part of your campaign, your Ad Group is a “group” of people with a specific set of demographics and personal interests, along with target keywords you define for them. Below is a rundown of what you can expect to find in the Ad Group section, along with some helpful tips to see how the choices here affect how and where your ad is displayed. Much like your campaign, you may want to reuse the Ad Group you create, so you should name it. After you’ve named your group, select your demographics , which include age, gender, parental status, and household income. Now, to keep things on the simple side for your first video campaign, we suggest you choose either an audience or a topic . Of course, you can dig in and choose both or multiples of both, but it will essentially complicate who and what videos your ads will display on. That’s why we encourage to choose one or the other in the beginning to get your feet wet and get more advanced as you go forward. Audience : Your audience is (obviously) who your ads will be shown to. This section can be made simple or highly elaborate by adding detailed demographics and interests. Your target audience can be as simple as “book loves” or as elaborate as some who is married, is currently in college, is married, and has an interest in books and gaming. The topics category allows you to get very specific. Topics : Topics specifically pertain to the types of videos your ads will show on. With essentially endless forms of content on YouTube, this section can also get fairly elaborate as well. This means anyone who views a video of your selected topic may see your ad. While both audiences and topics can be highly detailed within their own sections, they can work well together. As we mentioned above, it will make things a bit more complicated for the newcomer, but it’s also okay to choose one audience type and one topic to narrow your Ad Group down. Understanding the relationships between your Ad Group choices When adding details about your ad group, as mentioned above, it may seem like a fairly straightforward process. It is and it isn’t. We’ve provided some examples below to show you how your choices in the Ad Group section affect who your ad is shown to and what types of videos it will run on. To best illustrate the relationships between Demographics, Audiences, Topics, and Placements, see the examples below. The following example details how an ad would be displayed if you’ve chosen one topic and one audience type. Example 1 : Let's say you set your categories as such: Demographics - males 18-25 Topic - video games Audience - Website builder. The result of these selections would have your ad shown to 18-25 year old males that are interested in website builders and watching videos about video games. The following example details how an ad would display if multiple topics are chosen. Example 2 : Let's say you have set your categories as such: Demographics - males 18-25 Topic - video games, website builder. The result of these selections would have your ad shown to 18-25 year old males either watching videos about website builders or video games. The following example details how an ad would display if multiple audiences are chosen Example 3 : Let’s say your categories are as such: Demographics - 18-25 males Audience - video games, website builder. The result of these selections would have your ad shown on any video to 18-25 year old males who are interested in video games or website builders. With the examples above, you can see how quickly choosing multiple audiences and topics can become a murky situation. It’s completely okay to go the simple route on your first video campaign. Practice will only allow you to become more confident going forward. 07. Upload your marketing video AdWords shows you how your ad will look like on both mobile and desktop. The moment is finally here - it’s time to add your video creative. This should be as easy as copying the URL of your video and pasting it if you’ve already uploaded it to YouTube. If you’ve yet to upload your video and need some YouTube 101 along the way, we have a handy guide on how to upload your video to YouTube . Your selected ad type will determine how much of it is going to be viewed before the option to dismiss it, unless you’ve chosen a six-second bumper ad or a non-skippable ad format. This will most likely be five seconds for TrueView ads. For these skippable ads, it’s best to send a concise and straightforward message at the beginning. This way, someone who may be already readying their mouse to skip the ad will still get a gist for what you’re all about. After you’ve uploaded your video, there are a few things you can tweak for how it’s displayed. You’ll see a view for how your ad will look on both desktop and mobile on the right panel and you can add a URL and call to action text here as well. This is a vital piece that should not be ignored. For in-stream ads, you’ll also be asked if you’d like to upload a photo as a companion banner that will appear to the right side of the video for viewers on desktops. Foregoing this option will result in the banner image becoming that of your channel’s banner image. 08. Save and submit your ad After you’ve uploaded your video, added your call-to-action, and add a banner for your ad, simply click the ‘Save and continue’ option. Now, take a breath. You’re done creating your first video ad campaign! Notes on YouTube’s approval policy Your ad must be approved to ensure it checks out against AdWords policies. It will then automatically go live either when you’ve scheduled it or if you’ve chosen to have it launched right after it’s approved. The approval process is in place to ensure that an ad is safe and appropriate. The ad itself, the keywords used, and the landing pages linked to the ad are all reviewed to ensure they adhere to the policies of the platform. Existing campaigns that are edited must also go through the approval process once more to check that the changes pass. Usually the review process can take anywhere between a few hours to one business day. More complex ads take longer to review, but they are reviewed within the order they are received. The non-video YouTube ads formats As mentioned above, video ads aren't the only way you can promote your business on YouTube. If you’re not ready to make your own films to advertise on the video giant, take a look at the following formats to start out with: Sponsored card ads : Sponsor cards are exactly what they sound like. Small card-shaped images will appear on the side of a video before they slide away into the corner. This allows the viewer to know where to access them again if they want to. They’re displayed alongside relevant videos or display products mentioned in the video so you can purchase them yourself if you want to. They can be accessed again by clicking the icon that constantly shows at the top right hand corner of the video. Overlay ads : Another common ad format. That’s a small banner that can be closed at the bottom portion of a video you’re watching. The official specs (resolution) of Overlay ads are 468x60 or 728x90 pixels. Display ads: While a handful of the ads above are also considered Display ads, the “official” description is an ad that appears to the right hand side of the video player of the video and above the video suggestions list. The official specs (resolution) of these ads are 300x250 or 300x60 pixels. 10 tips to optimize your YouTube ad campaigns You have now mastered the technical process of launching your YouTube advertising campaigns. There are still some things you can do to make the most out of every penny you spend on the platform: 01. Measure the success of your ads After you’ve created your ad, you’ll want to know whether it’s doing good or bad. There are several key performance metrics that can be used to measure how an ad is doing, like views, watch time, engagements, and so forth. You can use the primary goal of the ad to check if the metrics produce satisfactory results, but you have a wealth of knowledge that you can use to improve future campaigns available to you. Above all, keep in mind that your ultimate key metric will usually be the new customers you bring to your business, so ensure that the campaign is aligned with this goal. 02. Refine your audience If you find yourself not reaching the right audience, you may want to go back and refine your Ad Group or create a slightly different one to see if your click or view rates improve. You can drill very far down to find a very specific audience, including demographics, household income, and personal interests. On the flip side, getting hyper specific can lead to increased competition, which can increase your cost per view. 03. Avoid creative fatigue Even if you’ve perfectly targeted your audience, if they see the same ad too often, it will likely lose its effectiveness and possibly become annoying for the user, even if it’s relevant to them. This is called creative fatigue and it can best be avoided by having multiple video ads that you can swap one out for another. This can also help improve your view rate. 04. Refine your creative if necessary If your ad isn’t as effective as you expected it to be even after you’ve made changes to your audience, you may want to look to your video creative next. Something as simple as shortening the ad, changing the intro, or removing the call to action can help the ad’s effectiveness. 05. Add the Google Ads Conversion pixel to your site If your ads lead to your business website, adding a conversion pixel can provide a wealth of information. Adding this tracking tag to your Wix site will allow you to see whether a click on your ad leads to purchases, downloads, or any of your other goals. 06. Experiment with multiple ad formats While it’s understandable that someone fresh out of their first video campaign wouldn’t want to rush into something else, you should! This will only enable you to become more familiar with the platform. It’s also a great opportunity to see if specific types of video ads work better for you than others. Perhaps Discovery video ads perform better than your Bumper ads? You’ll never know until you give out multiple formats and find out for yourself. 07. Don’t be afraid to get weird Remember, this is YouTube. This is a platform where you can fall into a rabbit hole of the most bizarre videos and come out of it a different person, for better or worse. The point is that people come to YouTube with the expectation of learning something or being entertained, so don’t be afraid to try to make your video ads do both. Show off the weird and funny side of your brand, as these are ads that will be remembered. 08. Incentivize the right people If someone isn’t interested in your ad, they’re going to skip it. That’ll probably happen a lot, so get used to it. That said, someone genuinely interested in your product or service that watches your ad to completely still may need an extra push to take the plunge and perform the click over. This is why you can provide a special offer later on towards your video, far away from the 5 seconds that go by before you can skip the ad. 09. Consider adding captions Not only do captions help those hard of hearing, but also people who don’t want to have audio where they are but still watch a video. (Think about being on a bus.) Providing your own transcription of your ad can be more helpful than you may think and could even improve your SEO ranking for the video. 10. Get advanced As someone new to YouTube Advertising, you may steer clear of the advanced options, but you shouldn’t! Features like frequency capping will limit the number of times a viewer sees your particular ad, which can help expose your ad to new people. This combined with the scheduling feature that allows you to set the specific times your ad shows can be a highly effective way to get your ad in front of new eyes. How much do YouTube ads cost? The cost of YouTube ads can vary widely based on several factors, and advertisers have flexibility in setting their budgets. The key factors influencing the cost of YouTube ads include: Ad format: Different ad formats on YouTube come with varying costs. For example, TrueView ads, which are skippable video ads, typically operate on a cost-per-view (CPV) basis, where advertisers pay when a viewer watches at least 30 seconds of the ad or engages with it. Non-skippable ads may have a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) pricing model. Bidding strategy: YouTube ads operate on an auction-based system. Advertisers can choose their bidding strategy, such as maximum CPV or maximum CPM bids. The bid amount, along with the relevance and quality of the ad, influences whether the ad gets displayed and how often. Targeting options: The specificity of your target audience influences costs. Highly targeted campaigns may have a higher cost because they are reaching a more defined and potentially competitive audience. Broad targeting may result in lower costs but might be less focused. Ad placement: The placement of your ad matters. In-stream ads that appear before, during or after other videos might have different costs compared to video discovery ads that appear in YouTube search results or next to related videos. Industry and seasonality: The industry you operate in can impact ad costs. Competitive industries may have higher costs due to increased demand for ad space. Additionally, seasonality can affect costs, with certain times of the year being more competitive for advertisers. Geographic targeting: Targeting specific regions or countries can affect costs. Advertising in regions with higher demand or larger audiences may result in higher costs per view or impression. Ad quality: YouTube rewards high-quality, relevant ads with better visibility and potentially lower costs. Advertisers with engaging content and high click-through rates may see more favorable pricing. It's important for advertisers to set a daily or campaign budget to control spending. Advertisers are charged when viewers interact with the ad (e.g., by watching a certain portion of it, clicking on it or taking another desired action). While there is no fixed cost for YouTube ads, advertisers have control over their budgets and can adjust them based on their advertising goals and financial constraints.

Whether you’re just starting to build a business website , or you’re a seasoned owner, you’re likely stressing out about inflation and a potential recession. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, 88% of small business owners share your concerns. The best way to get through this crisis is to first grasp the true nature of the problem, then make a plan for dealing with it. This guide will help you do just that. What is inflation? On the surface, inflation seems simple: It occurs when an increase in prices surpasses the value of money, which means $1 will buy you less as time goes on. But the more you dive into inflation, you discover economists often argue about what causes it. The value of money is always in flux, so inflation (or deflation) is always occurring. It’s only a problem when consumer demand for goods, services and real estate outpaces the supply. Inflation can occur when government policies increase the amount of money in circulation, lower taxes or decrease interest rates. Because those policies give consumers more disposable income, more people (or more dollars) chase the same number of goods. Inflation can also occur outside of government intervention, such as when supply chain disruptions decrease the amount of goods available. What is causing the current spike in inflation? The pandemic created the perfect storm: Just about every single variable that can cause inflation came into play during 2020. Because most businesses shut down and infection-related lockdowns disrupted those that didn’t, production plummeted , unemployment skyrocketed and spending slowed to a crawl. And even as countries recover, the aftershocks are preventing the supply chain from catching up to its usual clip. Global efforts such as government stimulus delayed the impacts of the storm, but inflation is finally catching up because of some of the following factors: Erratic consumer demand Spending slowed during the beginning of the pandemic, not only because of high unemployment and a degradation of consumer confidence but also because people either couldn’t or didn’t need to spend money in the way they usually do. They didn’t need to buy gas as frequently, couldn’t travel or go to restaurants and didn’t want or need new clothing. Government policy Considering that a worldwide economic slowdown in 2019 was already nudging countries into recessions, it’s miraculous that the global economy didn’t spontaneously combust. Instead, it rebounded. Governments around the world used stimulus packages —which included financial aid, reduced taxes, lowered interest rates and debt suspensions—to pull their countries out of recession and prevent another Great Depression. The US recession lasted all of two months , making it the shortest one on record. Supply chain disruptions The economy restarted almost as abruptly and unevenly as it shut down had consequences. Simply put, the supply still hasn’t caught up with the demand and likely won’t anytime soon. The global supply chain is still in shambles: Labor shortages, factory shutdowns and port congestion are delaying production and shipping. The more delayed things get, the more expensive it is to keep businesses running. Prices in just about every industry will continue to rise until the supply chain untangles itself. Global conflict The Russian invasion of Ukraine has severely restricted the supply of grains, gas and metals. Those restrictions have further disrupted the global supply chain and contributed to increases in gas and food costs. Is the inflation spike going to lead to a recession? Although consumer sentiment and business optimism are at historically low levels, employment numbers and consumer spending are still strong. Executive director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses Research Center, Holly Wade, says that the Federal Reserve is doing everything it can (such as raising interest rates) to get inflation under control without negatively impacting the economy, but a recession is virtually inevitable. “With trying to deal with these inflation pressures, the hope is that the other side of this won’t be an economic recession that’s painful but something mild that most everybody can navigate through,” she explained. Wade expects the recession to hit in the first half of next year. How does inflation affect small businesses? Because labor and shipping costs are skyrocketing, running a business in any industry is a lot more expensive than it was a few years ago. Because of that, businesses will have to push up their prices. Although consumer demand hasn’t slowed yet, the law of supply and demand says that it will eventually go down. According to one Digital.com survey, 65% of small business owners worry they will have to shut down permanently if inflation continues at the current rate. But Wade thinks it is unlikely that the situation will get as dire as that. Evaluations by the Fed indicate that COVID didn’t cause anywhere near as many permanent business closures in the first year of the pandemic as experts expected. Plus, Wade believes that a spike of business formations in the past two years has likely canceled out the elevated levels of closures. “While people were laid off from their regular jobs, many of them saw opportunities to try out their ideas in the marketplace,” she told the Wix Blog. “We'll see how that works out as far as the survival of these businesses in two to four years, but [inflation] doesn't seem to be impacting them as far as having to close.” Still, small businesses should prepare for the following challenges within the next year or so: Increased operating costs Materials, labor, shipping and utilities are much more expensive than they were a few years ago. These added costs will continue to shrink your net profit until you either reduce the costs or increase your prices. Decreased consumer spending It's not a small business myth that inflation usually results in consumers spending less money. After 2008’s Great Recession, consumer spending took years to rebound. In the summer of 2022, consumer spending didn’t slow, despite inflation increasing costs per household by more than $500 per month. “Wages have been increasing and folks are feeling fairly confident with their jobs, so they're willing to pay for those higher prices,” said Wade. “How long that lasts remains to be seen.” The difference this time around is that the US has been at full employment —meaning everyone who can and wants to be working has a job—since May, and wages are growing significantly faster than in previous years because there is so much competition for workers. Conversely, the employment rate didn’t rebound after the Great Recession until seven years later, and wage gains for the average worker were meager compared to pre-crash years. How can small business owners manage inflation? Here are six strategies that Wade says can help you protect your business against inflation and even improve its resiliency against future small business challenges : 01. Perform regular price adjustments Even in the best of times, a set-it-and-forget-it approach to pricing can be harmful to your business. With the inflation rate creeping up faster than it has in decades, continual price optimization can be a valuable tool for addressing the strain. That basically means you need to assess your prices frequently and regularly make slight adjustments as part of your evolving business development strategy . If you have yet to adjust your pricing since this bout of inflation began, you’re going to need to do a complete overhaul. While you may worry that price increases may push loyal customers away, Wade says most consumers recognize that businesses can only absorb higher input costs for so long before it jeopardizes the business. “This is an expected part of the economy right now,” she explained. “Consumers still have a lot of cushions, so they're willing to pay for the goods and services at the higher cost right now." To blunt the impact, you can speak directly to your customers by putting a notice on your business website or use your email marketing campaign to speak directly to your regulars about why you’re raising the prices. They likely will appreciate your transparency and sympathize—after all, they probably share the same concerns as you. 02. Take a closer look at your bookkeeping Meticulous records of your finances are your greatest weapon for figuring out how to maximize your profits. Bookkeeping is particularly challenging during economic downturns, so it’s best to rely on a professional. Wade recommends hiring an accountant who either specializes in your industry or is well-versed in the challenges of your local area. They will be more equipped to lower your tax liability and determine if inconsistencies point to a larger issue. 03. Keep your labor costs lean Currently, there are over 10 million job openings in the US but only around 6 million unemployed workers . In response, many companies have increased compensation and incentives to hire. If labor costs are stretching your budget, consider investing in business software that automates repetitive work so that you can maximize productivity. Automation can even have the added benefit of increasing employee satisfaction and, consequently, reducing turnover. The Wix Automations dashboard has dozens of options for streamlining your digital business. There are tools that can help with task management, customer retention and data collection. If the pre-made options don’t meet your needs, you can use the DIY feature to tailor automations to your business. 04. Streamline business operations While diversification may have helped many businesses survive the pandemic, it can be a riskier play when dealing with inflation. While a new service or product may help you generate more revenue, you need resources—such as labor and materials—to grow a business. “It’s frustrating for a lot of small business owners who see an opportunity to expand and just don’t have the resources right now to do it,” said Wade. Because you have fewer resources to work with, it may make more sense to focus on efficiency rather than business growth . Focus on the aspects of your business that have the largest profit margins or proved to be more immune to unpredictability. Work on refining those aspects so that you can prioritize new ventures when the economy levels out. 05. Diversify your supply chain Relying on one supplier is often the more cost-effective choice, but it can leave your business vulnerable to disruptions and economic shocks. To reduce risk and build up your supply chain resiliency , partner with a few other suppliers. "If businesses are able to navigate a few options, that's always helpful so that if something hugely disruptive happens, they can quickly transition to another supplier," said Wade. 06. Network with other small business owners You don’t have to navigate these challenges on your own. “For a small business owner, it can be a very isolating, overwhelming proposition to do it yourself in this type of environment,” said Wade. “Talking it through with somebody who’s experiencing the same kinds of challenges is often very helpful.” A support system can help you strategize and offer solutions you might not have tried. Talking to people who relate to your struggles and your passion for work can help you manage stress. “The local Chamber of Commerce and the local industry association are often great places to network and discuss what tactics folks are using,” said Wade. If those options aren’t available or the idea makes you uncomfortable, there are plenty of online forums that serve the same purpose. Read Also: How to start a business

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” - John C. Maxwell Similar to the way creating a business website can do wonders for a business’s image, daily habits can change your life for the better. That is, by improving your ability to succeed, your mood and your health. Like most things in life, daily habits require discipline and commitment. According to a recent study, it takes 18+ days to form a new habit . Ready to go on this journey with full power? Then you won’t want to miss the advice offered below. Here we’ve listed 20 daily habits of successful people that can help you power your productivity: Wake up early Do a brief digital detox Start your day with calming music Have a morning workout routine Eat a healthy breakfast Meditate Keep a daily journal Practice gratitude Choose 3 goals to prioritize daily Read up on your industry Consume motivational content Surround yourself with optimistic people Block out time in your calendar Pencil in time to relax Be more health conscious Move your body throughout the day Keep your space organized and clean Be social more often Take time for self-care Sleep long enough 01. Wake up early A Harvard Business Review study found that “people whose performance peaks in the morning are better positioned for career success.” Starting your day out early allows you to devote more of it to your performance goals, and have more time for a successful routine. This can be a trip to the gym, a daily meditation, a mindful breakfast, or another one of the mentioned daily habits of successful people below. 02. Do a brief digital detox For most of us, the first thing we do when we wake up is look at our phones. A few missed calls or texts, an Instagram feed scroll, and then we’re onto our work emails. How does that make you feel? You’ve barely taken a few breaths and you’re already thinking about work or experiencing a mixture of jealousy, FOMO, and the works. Allowing yourself to wait at least 30 minutes after you’ve woken up before checking your phone will help you ease into the day and choose for yourself how you want to feel. That is, rather than how your social media friends or coworkers make you feel. By using an old-fashioned alarm clock in place of your smartphone just imagine the unlimited possibilities you’ll be able to start your day out with. 03. Start your day with calming music Unlike the scene from the film Office Space where Michael Bolton is rapping on his way to work, music should put you into a soothing or productive mood. Use it as a way to wake up, ease into your day with some mindless, tranquilizing sounds, and see if your mood starts to improve. We’re sure it will immediately with the right mix! 04. Have a morning workout routine To keep your mind active, you’ll need to keep your body active too. The morning is the ultimate time to wake up your muscles, either through some stretching, cardio, or a combination of these. Plus, you might end up ditching that morning cup of coffee when you see how energized this makes you feel. 05. Eat a healthy breakfast Breakfast is one of the most important meals of your day. This is the optimal time to consume the most calories too, as you’ll need to stay energized throughout your day. The essential include healthy carbs, proteins, and fats. So make it a priority to not skip this vital meal. 06. Meditate Meditation is the practice of training your attention and awareness and calming your mind by drawing your focus away from thoughts that cloud your judgement. Even just 10 to 15 minutes each morning can have a huge impact on your day. Like a digital detox, it allows you to step away from the busyness and complexity of life in order to tackle your day with much more ease. 07. Keep a daily journal Keeping a journal can easily become a productive habit. It can allow you to slow down and reflect on your day, set up goals for yourself, and grow into a more successful person. One example we’ve tried is ‘morning pages,’ a task from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It involves emptying your mind of conscious morning thoughts in three handwritten pages in order to clear it of cluttered thinking and start your day with focus and clarity. 08. Practice gratitude It’s no secret that happy people are more successful people. And according to a Harvard Medical School study on positive psychology, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness . How do you do it? You can write your graces in a journal, say them aloud, pray, meditate, or choose your own path. There are many ways to do this, and none of them are wrong. 09. Choose three goals to prioritize daily Oftentimes our to-do lists are often hefty and we end our days feeling unaccomplished, as we’ve never made it to the end with a completed one. If that’s the case for you, try reframing this mentality by just focusing on three of those tasks each day. Then, tackle these items first. If other tasks come up before you’ve had the chance to complete these, know that sometimes it’s absolutely okay to just say “no.” You only have so much time in a day and you need to focus on getting ahead, rather than dealing with distractions. Consider delegating those less vital tasks to someone else who is able to help in order to improve your productivity. 10. Read up on your industry Whether you choose to set up a Google alert for particular keywords, subscribe to a handful of your favorite newsletters, or turn your favorite blog, it’s important to stay in the know. This will allow you to keep up with current and major themes, such as marketing trends, graphic design trends and photography trends. 11. Consume motivational content Frequently we are so wrapped up in our daily to-dos that we are far from future focused. Yet, the most successful people (from small business owners to CEOs of major companies) are always envisioning their dreams and aspirations coming to life. It’s fun, it’s fulfilling, and therefore definitely worth doing, and of course, a key ingredient of entrepreneurship (for more, see how to become an entrepreneur ). If you aren’t sure what those are for yourself, consider listening to some motivational podcasts, reading inspirational blogs or other types of encouraging content. 12. Surround yourself with optimistic people We’ve all heard a version of the saying, “you are a combination of the people you surround yourself with the most.” It is in fact true! It’s known that people impact each others’ moods. If you spend your day complaining about your workload with your coworkers, you’re not going to feel good about yourself. If your closest companions are genuinely happy and excited, this will certainly rub off on you. And when you’re at your best, it can only heighten your chances of being successful at work and in the other parts of your life. 13. Block out “fake meetings” in your calendar Set aside time in your calendar to stay busy, or to focus on specific tasks. This will ensure that no one schedules a meeting with you during those hours. It will also allow you to have time to actually get your work done, rather than answer a boat load of emails and attend meetings all day. On the same note, try to make sure that when you host or attend them, you run effective meetings that value everybody's time and input. 14. Pencil in time to relax Of course it’s important to be productive, but you should also allow your brain and body to have time to recharge. Consider setting up relaxation moments as little rewards throughout your day. For example, try focusing for one hour, then taking five minutes to read an inspiring article or go for a short walk and grab water. This will prevent the burnout and enable you to think clearer throughout your day. Whether your stress is coming from the pressures of starting a business , or running one in the day to day - making time for yourself is important. 15. Be more health conscious Healthy living has a huge impact on your day-to-day life, from your ability to focus to your level of overall energy to whether or not you're able to perform at your best. Beyond your food choices, health also has to do with your sleep schedule, your stress level and so much more. If you aren’t sure you know how to take action, consider working with a health coach, reading up on the latest health trends, or even just drinking an adequate amount of water each day and working out. 16. Move your body throughout the day So maybe you’ve found that you simply don’t have the time to workout before or after work. That’s still no excuse to get moving. Actually, taking five minutes here and there throughout your day for brisk walks or stretching sessions will make you more productive the moment you come back. You can even walk during phone meetings if you can’t find any other moment away from your work. Not only will this make you more successful, but this is one of the many ways to destress while you work. 17. Keep your space organized and clean A clean space coincides with a clean mind. From your office desk to your home, you’re more likely to feel productive and level headed if you aren’t sorting through the clutter and messes. Each day, make time to do your dishes, wipe your dusty keyboard and organize your space and to do list. This only takes a few minutes, and it’s guaranteed to jet set your productivity. In addition, it’s worthwhile to have a weekly habit of doing a deep clean of your space too. 18. Be social more often Taking the time to grab coffee or lunch with coworkers, going out of your way to attend work-based networking events, or chatting with a friend you haven’t talked to in a while can do wonders for both your mood and overall success. Whether the topics surround work or fun, this is far from “wasted time” with office chatter like you may think and helps contribute to a positive company culture. For one, making friends will allow you to trust others, enjoy your job more and, if needed, have a support system to help you handle overwhelming tasks. And on the other side, our world works in a way where more often than not opportunities arise from who we know, over what we’re capable of. 19. Make time for self-care Whether it’s a face mask, a cup of chamomile tea, taking a few deep breaths, or booking the occasional massage, self-care is extremely important to your health. You owe it to your overall well-being to take time for you and love yourself. It can be something as short as five minutes per day where you treat yourself too - but let’s be honest, the more the merrier. 20. Sleep long enough Among the daily habits of successful people, this is one of the most important ones. Sleep is the healthiest thing we can do for ourselves. Without enough sleep, not only will you feel the burnout, but you’ll continue to work slower and slower. Imagine the impact this will have on your ability to be productive. Sleep helps us reset like nothing else. Most adults require a healthy dose of 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Habits to avoid to be a successful person Developing successful habits and avoiding counterproductive ones is crucial for achieving your goals and living a fulfilling life. Here are some habits to avoid to increase your chances of success: Procrastination:  Putting off tasks until the last minute leads to stress, poor performance and missed opportunities. Instead, develop a habit of tackling important tasks early and consistently. Negative self-talk:  Engaging in negative self-talk can erode your confidence and hinder your progress. Challenge negative thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations that reinforce your strengths and capabilities. Seeking perfection:  Striving for perfection can lead to frustration and paralysis. Instead, focus on making consistent progress and learning from your mistakes. Embrace imperfection as a part of the growth process. Fear of failure:  Fear of failure can hold you back from taking risks and pursuing your dreams. Embrace failure as an opportunity for learning and improvement. View setbacks as stepping stones towards success. Lack of planning:  Without proper planning, you're more likely to get lost and make unproductive choices. Set clear goals, develop a plan to achieve them and break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Comparing yourself to others:  Comparing yourself to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and discouragement. Focus on your own journey and celebrate your accomplishments, regardless of what others are doing. Multitasking:  While it may seem efficient, multitasking often leads to decreased productivity and increased errors. Focus on one task at a time and give it your full attention. Lack of sleep:  Adequate sleep is essential for physical and mental well-being. Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night to enhance your focus, creativity and overall functioning. Unhealthy diet:  A poor diet can negatively impact your energy levels, focus and overall health. Make nutritious choices and avoid excessive consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks. Lack of exercise:  Regular physical activity is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. Which habit do successful people have in common the most? One of the most common habits shared by successful people is a consistent focus on personal growth and continuous learning. They embrace curiosity, seek out new knowledge and experiences and aren't afraid to step outside their comfort zones. This could mean reading books, attending workshops, taking online courses or seeking mentors to expand their expertise. They understand that growth is an ongoing journe and actively invest in themselves to unlock their full potential. It's not about achieving overnight success but about embracing a lifelong journey of learning and improvement.

It goes without saying that if you’re going to start a business , you need to give it a name. A really cool and catchy name, at that. This post will help you find the perfect name for your company. You’ll learn where some of the best company names come from, tips for picking the right name and 100+ creative business name ideas  to get you started. Need a little nudge? Try Wix’s free business name generator or these guides to small business name ideas or the best AI business name generators . What’s the secret behind the best company names? The best company names don’t come about by drawing a name out of a hat. A lot of thought needs to be put into crafting the name. As you begin brainstorming the best company names for your establishment, keep the following factors in mind: Simplicity Short, simple business names are easier for people to recall. If you can’t avoid a longer name, consider giving it a user-friendly acronym as well. For example, most people know the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as ASPCA . Originality and uniqueness Pick a name that can stand on its own two feet. Avoid names that are easy to confuse with another business’ or are too generic. Availability Check that your desired name isn’t already registered in your state or trademarked. Keyword optimization Think of keywords that represent your brand’s core values and personality. You don’t necessarily need to add any of these words to your business name, but they can act as a springboard for your brainstorming. Take Tinder, for example. Its founders knew that fire would be an important symbol in their branding and messaging. The word “fire” doesn’t appear in the company name but inspired the name they chose. Evergreen-ness The choices you make for your business’s branding need to have long-lasting staying power. So, it’s generally not a good idea to base your name on temporary trends or fads. Instead, choose a name that’s future-proof and able to grow with your business. Memorability Make sure that your name stands out, both now and in the future. One option is to inject humor into your name. Alternatively, use idioms, alliteration, power words and/or onomatopoeia to increase its memorability factor. Spelling You want people to be able to recall the spelling of your name when they go to look up your business online or suggest it to others. To that end, choose a name that’s easy to spell. That goes for real words as well as made-up ones like Instagram. Pronunciation The easier a brand name is to pronounce, the easier it’ll be for them to say it out loud (and for others to remember, too). This can sometimes be an issue when creating a business name from foreign words. For instance, Fage may be a well-known yogurt brand now, but not everyone is confident in how to pronounce it. (FYI, it’s pronounced “fa-yeh.”) Meaning The meaning behind your company name should be clear and make sense. It also shouldn't be offensive, should be culturally sensitive and represent your brand values. The origins of 20 cool, iconic company names Wondering how the most iconic companies came up with their names? Read on to see how today’s industry giants came up with their now-famous monikers. 01. Verizon The word “Verizon” has two roots. “Ver” comes from the Latin veritas , meaning “truth.” “Izon” comes from the English word “horizon.” Verizon wasn’t a random word that the owners cooked up—rather the company spent $300 million to create the brand name and the marketing around it. “Verizon” was just one of 8,500 possible names considered. 02. Reddit According to Reddit’s FAQs page , the name has a simple origin. It’s a misspelling of the words “read it.” As in, “I read it on Reddit.” As it turns out, the Latin reddit has a relevant meaning: “to submit for consideration or approval.” This connection between the Latin verb and the online discussion platform is a total fluke though. 03. Netflix Netflix’s name began with a whiteboard and a mission to combine one internet-related word with one movie-related word. The final result put together “net,” a shortened form of internet and “flix,” a colloquial version of the word “films”—a much catchier portmanteau than others in the running (TakeTwo and NowShowing, to name a few). 04. The North Face Although the idea behind The North Face originated on a beach, the business is named after the coldest and most difficult-to-climb side of a mountain. The name was meant to attract hiking, mountaineering and outdoor enthusiasts who are on the hunt for high-performance climbing and backpacking gear. 05. Spotify Daniel Ek, cofounder of Spotify, went on Quora to tell the origin story of the brand name. As he and cofounder Martin Lorentzon were spitballing names, Ek misheard a name as Spotify. He quickly googled it and found that it was available as a domain name—and voila, Spotify was born. (The afterconstruction, according to Ek, is to say that Spotify stems from “spot” and “identify.”) 06. Wix The North Face isn’t the only business concept that began on a beach. Wix’s three co-founders were on a beach when they came up with the idea of a no-code, no-cost platform that would allow anyone to build a business website . The goal was to think of a name that started with a W and was easy to remember, consistent with their mission to build a platform that’s easy to use and supports creative expression. 07. Sephora If you’re familiar with the Greek language, then you probably have a good idea of where Sephora comes from. The Greek word sephos means “beauty.” The company’s name also draws inspiration from Zipporah, the wife of Moses who was known for her beauty. In Greek, her name is transliterated as Sepphōra. 08. Squatty Potty Squatty Potty might not be a universal household staple, but the company has made tens of millions of dollars on this effective bathroom appliance. The creators originally toyed around with different names. “The Health Step” was one. “The Stool Stool” was another. “The S@#$ Shelf” was an even cruder one. In the end, they named it the Squatty Potty, a reference to the hole-in-the-ground toilets used in China. 09. Airbnb When Airbnb first started out, both the concept and name were different. The owners came up with the website for Airbed & Breakfast as a way to help out-of-towners book space (i.e., sleeping on an air mattress) in someone’s room. The business concept evolved to enable users to rent out entire apartments, homes and hotel rooms. Airbed & Breakfast became known as Airbnb from that point forward. 10. Dr Pepper The founder of Dr Pepper , Wade Morrison, was not a physician. However, he knew a Dr. Charles Pepper in real life. He was the father of a girl that he once loved. 11. Slack Many have speculated about the origins of the name Slack . That’s because it’s a project management term for the amount of time a task can be delayed without causing issues. Cofounder Stewart Butterfield, however, says that it’s an acronym for searchable log of all conversation and knowledge. 12. Etsy Etsy might have a cute-sounding name, but that wasn’t why cofounder Rob Kalin chose the moniker . Because this was going to be a platform unlike any other, he wanted the brand name to be a nonsensical word. He came up with that nonsensical word from real Italian words. While watching the movie 8½ , he misheard someone say “et si” (the actual phrase is e si ). In Italian, it means “oh, yes.” 13. IKEA Although the IKEA brand is known for its Scandinavian-inspired product names, the company name doesn’t come from any of these languages. According to the company website , IKEA is an acronym for Ingvar Kamprad (the founder’s name) Elmtaryd (the farm that Kamprad grew up on) and Agunnaryd (the village near where Kamprad lived). 14. College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk & Moving If you’ve ever seen one of the massive moving trucks around your town before, you may have wondered if the company really is staffed by a bunch of hunky college kids. A blog post on the company site from 2013 explains what the H.U.N.K.S acronym actually stands for honest, uniformed, nice, knowledgeable students. 15. Mazda While some believe that “Mazda” (formally called “Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.”) was inspired by its founder Jujiro Matsuda’s name, that’s only partially true. The company name also has a mythical origin: Ahura Mazda is the god of harmony, intelligence and wisdom celebrated by early West Asian civilizations. 16. Craigslist Craigslist was founded by Craig Newmark, and the original concept for Craigslist was an email list that would help Newmark’s friends learn about what was going on around San Francisco. This all goes to show that sometimes the best company names have the simplest of origins. 17. Mattel The name Mattel may not look like a familiar word. However, it is, in fact, a portmanteau stemming from two well-known names: Harold “ Matt ” Matson and El liot Handler, cofounders of Mattel. 18. Tinder Tinder was originally going to be called “Matchbox,” according to Tinder cofounder Jonathan Badeen . Jonathan and his team had even designed the logo and branding around the name, incorporating fire-related imagery as an abstract concept for “finding a spark.” But the founders ultimately pivoted to “Tinder”—a name that maintained the fire element but wasn’t as commonly used. 19. Starbucks Starbucks’ founders weren’t as concerned with choosing a cool-sounding business name as they were with finding one that represented their brand well. They needed a name that tapped into a sense of adventure, had a connection to the Pacific Northwest and related to the seafaring origins of the early coffee traders. As the company website explains , there was an overlap between two of their main sources of inspiration: “Starbo,” the name of a mining camp on Mt. Rainier—and “Starbuck,” the name of Pequod’s first mate in the novel Moby-Dick . 20. Panera Bread Panera Bread originally began as a single bakery called the St. Louis Bread Company. After five years of major growth, the company was acquired by Au Bon Pain. To make the brand more marketable on a national scale, the business was renamed “Panera Bread .” Panera in Latin means “breadbasket.” Get inspired: 105 catchy, cool and creative company names As demonstrated above, some of the most iconic names weren’t created by huge marketing teams with equally massive budgets. They were, rather, the invention of a few creative minds sitting together in a room. Whether you’re about to launch a new business endeavor or looking to rebrand a current one, you can easily do the same. Rather than start completely from scratch, comb through these lists of great company names. You’ll find a good mix of inspiration here, from real company names to ones generated using Wix’s free business name generator. App company names Calm GoodRx IFTTT Skype WhatsApp Puzzles Shack (puzzles and games app) Tripper (road trip planner) Check out Wix’s app name generator . Artistic business names BLICK Childish Gambino Electric Cinema Huemor White Cube Nature in Color (photography studio) Fire Talent (talent agency) Check out Wix’s artist name generator . Beauty business names Byrdie Lume MiniLuxe SHISEIDO Supercuts The Cuteness (beauty salon) Elemental Beauty (natural hair products) Check out Wix’s beauty business name generator . Blog and media names Apartment Therapy BuzzFeed Flipboard The Stranger TechCrunch Freelance Connection (blog about freelancing) Miami Food Dude (local food blogger) Check out Wix’s blog name generator . Boutique business names EnCreme LOVESTITCH Mukti Organics pHformula Recycled Karma Silky Curves (lingerie boutique shop) The Marry Bride (wedding boutique) Check out Wix’s boutique name generator or learn more from this guide to boutique business name ideas. Clothing and fashion business names FatFace GUCCI Osh Kosh B’gosh Too Faced UNIQLO Surf Comber (beachside clothing shop) Smuggler Shoes (footwear reseller) Check out Wix’s clothing and fashion brand name generator . Furniture company names Allform Anthropologie Arhaus DreamCloud Tuft & Needle The Small-Time Furniture Store (furniture for kids’ rooms) Real Home Office (office furniture shop) Check out Wix’s furniture store name generator . Jewelry business names Blue Nile BVLGARI Catbird Local Eclectic Olive & Piper Watertight Watches (sports watch manufacturer) Silver Bakery (custom-made jewelry designer) Check out Wix’s jewelry business name generator . Podcast names Dr. Death Fat Mascara Lore This American Life WTF With Marc Maron Keto & I (podcast about journey with Keto diet) Eternal Widow (podcast about the black widow serial killer) Check out Wix’s podcast name generator . Restaurant names Dunkin’ Donuts Little Caesars Sugar Factory The Melting Pot Whataburger The Athens (Greek restaurant) Lobster Nook (seafood food truck) Check out Wix’s restaurant name generator or be inspired by this guide to restaurant names . Small business names Front Porch Pickings HOTWORX Long Dog Fat Cat Naked Bar Soap Co. Social Llama Remarkable Candle (local candle maker) Air Yoga (yoga studio) Check out Wix’s small business name generator . Store names ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Chewy Pep Boys Trader Joe’s Wawa Bookmarked (online book store) Pure Grocery (organic grocery store) Check out Wix’s store name generator and store names. Technology company names Acorns Fitbit Google Lyft Toast A Eye (AI startup) Cool Code (web development tutorials) Check out Wix’s tech company name generator . Travel company names Booking.com Carnival Cruise Line Intrepid Travel Virgin Atlantic YOTEL Joyful Italy (tour operator) The Pack Vacation Rentals (dog-friendly rentals) Check out Wix’s travel agency name generator . YouTube channel names Bad Lip Reading Cocomelon First We Feast PewDiePie The Nerdwriter Moody Kale (DIY cooking channel) Slick Workout Gear (unboxing channel) Check out Wix’s YouTube channel name generator . 5 tips for coming up with the best company name Before you make a business website , both your company and its matching domain need a name. Here are five tips to keep in mind. Example of a query you can run on Wix's business name generator. 01. Do your research Before you start thinking of names, make sure you have a good understanding of the market you’re about to enter. Doing an analysis of the competitive landscape can give you a good idea of what sorts of company names are best. For instance, does your target audience appreciate a sense of humor when naming a company? If you take a look at local beauty salons, you’re apt to find a lot of puns in their business names. See what’s going on in your particular market and if you can spot any trends. Also, look for concepts and keywords that the competition has failed to capitalize on. Choosing a name that has untapped potential could be a great move for your business. 02. Play around with different options There are so many ways to construct a business name. For example: Straightforward name vs. a playful or catchy name One-word name vs. a name with multiple words Full name vs. acronym Real words vs. made-up words Collective brand name vs. person’s name As you generate business name options, experiment with different styles. You may find that an unexpected one suits your brand’s style best. Or, you may find that one stands out more effectively when displayed side-by-side with your competitors’ names. Before you move onto the next step, confirm that the company names that you’re considering are available. Check that they’re available as a domain name, plus aren’t registered or trademarked by another business. You can check your state’s business registry and the USPTO’s trademark database , respectively. 03. Get feedback What you think is a cool company name might fall flat with your target audience. The best time to find out if that’s the case is before you’ve spent money on registering your business name and generating your branding. Before you officially settle on one name, come up with a number of options. Then run them by people you trust—co-founders, team members, family, friends, old colleagues, etc. It’s also a good idea to connect with potential users on social media, or by hosting focus groups and user interviews. This way, you can give your target audience various options to look at and learn their preferences. 04. Claim your business name Once you have a winning name, it’s time to claim it. There are a number of steps to consider when you go to register a business name . Register your business. Each state has its own unique processes and requirements, but at minimum, you’ll need to decide which type of business entity you want to establish. From there, you can file the right paperwork and pay any necessary fees to get your business registered. (Note: if you want to operate under a name that’s different from your legal name, you’ll have to file for a DBA separately.) Buy the domain name. You can get a domain name for your business’s website through your website builder or a third-party hosting service. The sooner you can snag up the domain that matches your business name, the better. Get it trademarked. Trademarking your name will allow you to protect your business’s title and branding from being copied and exploited by others. Look up the trademark office for your country to register your business name. Create social media accounts. Once all the legal naming is done and your website’s domain name is official, get your business online using social media. The handles you use on these platforms should be identical to your domain name and business name in order to strengthen brand recognition. 05. Create a logo to match The best company names have beautiful branding to match. So, last but not least, you’ll have to spend time creating your own logo for your new company name. Your logo design should include the business name—either the full name or a shortened but still recognizable version of it. It should additionally have colors, fonts and layouts that align with your business’s values, purpose and goals. Looking for specific business name ideas? Band names Restaurant names Craft business name ideas Boutique business name ideas Small business name ideas Real estate business name ideas Marketing business names Food truck business name ideas Trucking business names

These days, companies don’t hire unless they’re sure. That’s why having a referral—someone from the inside vouching for you—has become the gold standard. But referrals are a luxury very few can afford. If you’re new, switching careers, or freelancing, you’re often on your own. But this doesn't mean you're out of options. If a referral builds trust through someone else’s word, an online portfolio builds it through your own.  In fact, 82% of employers  believe that a professional portfolio helps applicants stand out. Over the years, I’ve seen that statistic hold up again and again. As a CMO, I’ve reviewed more portfolios than I can count. Some were forgettable, a few were exceptional. But most lacked that extra layer of context or clarity that builds trust.  So, in today’s job market where trust is everything, how can you create a portfolio that gets you hired? Looking to land your next role? Learn how to make a portfolio for a job  that gets noticed. My tips for creating an online portfolio that gets you noticed Include tailored case studies Build credibility through self-initiated work Create interest with unsolicited pitches Earn trust by sharing your point of view Use transparency to earn credibility Use testimonials to prove you can deliver Make sure your portfolio is seen 01. Include tailored case studies I’ve seen too many portfolios that look like galleries. A few polished screenshots, a sentence or two about what they did, and they move on. That’s fine if you're just showing off visuals. But if you're trying to prove that you can solve real problems (problems worth paying for), you need more. A good case study should reveal your decision-making. Here's how:  Start with the problem:  What wasn’t working? What challenge did the client, user or team face? Frame it clearly and simply. For example: “The site wasn’t converting,” or “New users kept dropping off after the first session.”  Show your process: What did you look at? What did you question, test or analyze? This is where you let them see how you approached the task. Lay out your solution:  What did you actually do, and why? What tradeoffs did you consider? You need to show that your decisions were grounded in logic. Present the result:  What changed? What has improved? If you can quantify the results, even better. For example: “Increased conversions by 22%,” or “Helped the client land a $500K contract.” I'd also advise you to tailor your portfolio to the specific role. If you’re applying for a UX role and the job description mentions user flows and accessibility, don’t make them dig through a case study about branding. Lead with the work that speaks directly to what they care about. Related reading: How to build a website Types of websites (with templates) Best portfolio websites 02. Build credibility through self-initiated work If you felt a bit let down by my first tip (maybe because you’re just starting out and don’t have many projects to turn into detailed case studies), here’s the good news: some of the strongest portfolio pieces I’ve seen were self-initiated. Sometimes, the most compelling work you can show is the kind you make on your own—not to land a specific job, but to sharpen your skills or explore new ideas. For example, you might:  Redesign the site or brand of a nonprofit you admire. Do it as an exercise or offer it directly. Smaller organizations rarely get high-quality UX or design attention. A well-executed redesign can, in some cases, even open the door to paid work. Improve something that frustrates you. If a product you use is confusing, clunky or just plain outdated, reimagine it. You could improve the UX, streamline the flow or make it more accessible. This shows that you can spot issues before they become problems for users. Prototype a tool or feature you wish existed. What’s missing? What would make the experience smoother, faster or more useful? Build that and document your thinking. Good work speaks for itself. If it’s well-crafted and solves a real problem, no one’s going to care whether it came from a paying client or your own initiative. 03. Create interest with unsolicited pitches  If there’s a company you’d love to work with, don’t just send them a cold email with a link to your portfolio. That’s what everyone else does. Instead, build something for them  first. This project doesn’t have to be perfect or groundbreaking. It just has to be thoughtful and show that you understand their business, their product and where you might fit in. Start by doing your research . If a company has posted a job ad, read it carefully and look for clues about their needs. What are they hiring for? What skills do they emphasize? Where might they be falling short? If there’s no job ad, look into their product, their messaging or even their competitors and try to spot gaps, pain points or missed opportunities. That’s what you should build around. A few examples for inspiration: If you’re a product designer , you might mock up a fix for a small UX issue in a company’s app. If you’re a brand designer,  you could create a simplified logo system or rethink a company’s packaging hierarchy. If you’re a copywriter , you might rewrite a clunky onboarding email or tighten up the messaging on a company’s pricing page. This approach works because it lowers the risk on the company’s side. You’re not just asking to be considered for a role based on potential. You’re giving them something tangible to react to. And that alone makes you memorable. Very few people do this, and even fewer do it well. Just don’t forget the obvious: call attention to the work. The simplest way is mention it clearly in your email, explain what you made and why, then include a direct link. That’s often all it takes to make someone curious enough to click and explore the rest of your portfolio. Read also: Writing portfolio examples 04. Earn trust by sharing your point of view Your portfolio doesn’t have to be all case studies and client work. When everyone’s projects start to look the same, it’s the extra pieces like essays, insights or original thinking that can tip the scale in your favor. In my experience, people tend to forget that showing off skills isn’t the only way to build trust. Judgment matters too. Sharing your point of view helps others see how you think and what kind of mind they’d be bringing on. There are a few ways to do this: Write a short essay or industry take. The key here is to choose a topic you actually have thoughts on. Maybe it’s a trend you’re skeptical of, a common mistake you keep seeing or something you wish more people understood. It doesn’t have to be a full-on academic essay. Just keep it short, clear and opinionated. Spot patterns and analyze trends. Is something shifting in your field? Are people solving problems differently than they used to? When you can speak to these shifts, it shows that you’re paying attention. It also tells clients or employers that you understand what’s working right now and that you’re able to offer relevant, up-to-date solutions. You don’t need to publish essays every week. Just one or two sharp pieces can add depth to your professional portfolio , spark intrigue and often give hiring managers something to ask about in the interview. Showcase your skills in style. Create an online portfolio  with Wix. 05. Use transparency to earn credibility The whole point of a professional portfolio is to show your best work and make everything look intentional and flawless. In this context, my next tip might sound counterproductive, but I believe that there's some value in letting people see the messy parts of your process as well.  Being transparent about the wrong turns your projects have taken (the decisions you made, the iterations, the things you tried and rejected) shows your thinking and ability to adapt when things don’t go according to plan. Here are a few examples that come to my mind:  Share early wireframes, sketches or rough prototypes Include a few directions you explored but ultimately rejected, and explain why Add notes about what worked, what didn’t and how you adjusted Record a short walkthrough of your Figma file or editing timeline to highlight key decisions This is especially useful if you’re earlier in your career. You may not have dozens of client projects yet, but you can  show that your work is deliberate and that you know how to think through a problem and adapt as you go. 06. Use testimonials to prove you can deliver I’d argue that testimonials are even more convincing than a referral, simply because referrals often come from a friend or someone in your network who’s putting in a good word. A testimonial usually comes from someone who actually worked with you and still wants to tell others you’re worth it. That’s a different kind of trust, built not on who you know but on what you’ve done. So where do you get your testimonials? First, you need to find someone who's willing to be your reference. You can ask: Past clients or employers who were happy with your work Mentors or collaborators who’ve seen how you operate People you helped through volunteer or unpaid projects You don’t need a long letter of recommendation . A few honest sentences about what you did, how you worked and what stood out is more than enough. And don’t overthink where to put them. You can either set up a separate page titled “Testimonials,” or you can just drop a short quote into a case study. 07. Make sure your portfolio is seen Everything we’ve talked about so far only matters if someone actually sees  your online portfolio. That sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people treat it like an afterthought. You build all this proof of what you can do, then forget to give it a clear path to the people who are supposed to care. You simply can't afford to let your portfolio gather dust in a forgotten link, especially not when it might be the only thing speaking for you. Understand that the people reviewing your application are moving fast. They're skimming resumes, clicking through tabs, juggling deadlines. If your portfolio isn't immediately visible and easy to open, it won't do you any favors. Start with the simple things: Add the link to your resume, cover letter, email signature (especially if you're doing outreach) and wherever else someone might find you.  Make sure your resume and portfolio tell the same story. Start by checking that your key projects, roles and skills line up across both. Use your resume to highlight the what  and your portfolio to show the how . If you still need to build your resume  or give it a refresh, tools like Kickresume and Zety make it easy to create something that looks professional and communicates the right details clearly. If you’re using a platform like Wix to create your portfolio website , take the time to set it up properly. A lot of people will be looking at your portfolio on their phone, so make sure it works on mobile. Keep the navigation clean and simple. If you're sharing your resume at events or applying to jobs where people might print it out , a QR code is worth the extra two minutes. It lowers friction. All someone needs to do is point their phone, and they're inside your portfolio in seconds. No guessing, no mistyped links. It’s no secret that a lot of headhunting happens on LinkedIn , so make sure your portfolio is clearly visible in both your bio and your activity. You don’t need to post about it every week, but it should show up near the top of your recent posts. And when you do share something, skip the usual “I’m proud to announce” tone—just talk about what you explored, fixed or created.

GIFs are often the default tool of web humor, alongside memes and viral videos. Once considered juvenile and unprofessional, GIFs are now a fully accepted - and often essential - tool of social media and marketing strategies . Furthermore, they are immediately eye-catching and easily shareable across multiple social networks. Whether you’re already a social media influencer or are simply looking to animate your profiles’ personality, animated GIFs can add value to your brand and show off your character. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about GIFs and how to use them effectively on social media. Complete your online presence when you create a website . What is a GIF? A GIF (Graphical Interchange Format) is an image format invented in 1987 by Steve Wilhite , an American computer scientist who was looking for a way to animate images in the smallest file size. In short, GIFs are a series of images or soundless videos that will loop continuously and doesn’t require anyone to press play. This repetition makes GIFs feel immediately familiar, like the beat of a song. How do you pronounce GIF? This has been a topic of debate for many years. Is it pronounced with a hard G (as in the word "gift") or a soft G (as in the word "jiffy")? Steve Wilhite (the creator of the GIF) said that he intended the word to be pronounced with a soft G . But by the time he made his declaration, the hard G pronunciation was also widely accepted. Ultimately, the pronunciation of GIF is a matter of personal preference - the Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations of GIF . What’s the difference between memes and GIFs? Memes and GIFs are both types of digital media that can be used to express ideas and emotions. However, there are some key differences between the two formats. While memes can also be videos, they are typically text-based. In contrast, GIFs are always image-based. Memes are usually used to express humor or to share cultural references, while GIFs are used for a variety of purposes, including humor, communication and marketing. Memes are more likely to be shared on social media, while GIFs are more likely to be embedded when creating a website or blog posts. Why are GIFs popular? The popularity of GIFs has surged in recent years thanks to the rise of social media, messaging apps and meme culture. They are a great way to add humor and visual interest to your communication, and a well-chosen GIF will help you transmit much more than a text message or even a static emoji. Here are some additional reasons why GIFs are popular: They are more expressive. A GIF can capture a moment in time, but it can also convey emotion and movement. This makes them a more powerful tool for communication than still images. They are more shareable. GIFs are smaller and easier to load than videos, which makes them more likely to be shared on social media and other platforms. They are more versatile. You can use GIFs for a wider range of purposes than memes, from expressing your emotions to sharing reactions and telling stories. They are fun to use. Aside from using GIFs to communicate a wide range of emotions, from humor to sadness to anger, you can also share cultural references and just generally add a touch of personality to your online interactions. How to use GIFs? Using GIFs is a fun and easy way to add personality and humor to your digital communication. Here's a breakdown of how to use them effectively: Messaging: Add GIFs to enhance your texts, emails or direct messages. Most messaging platforms allow direct GIF insertion or searching via keyboard shortcuts. Social media: Share GIFs on your timelines or comments to make your posts more engaging and interactive. Presentations and documents: Slide decks and even reports can benefit from well-placed GIFs to break up text and add visual interest. Websites and blogs: Embed GIFs on your website or blog to highlight specific sections or inject humor into your content. Who is using GIFs on social media? GIFs used to be popular only on sites like Tumblr, Buzzfeed and Reddit, but most online platforms have since jumped on the bandwagon. In July 2015, Facebook introduced a GIF search engine to Messenger, while a similar search engine was rolled out to Twitter in February 2016. In the following year, over 100 million GIFs were shared across Twitter alone. Taking this into consideration, it’s time to start taking this image format seriously as an effective social media marketing tool. In the past, using GIFs in corporate communication might have been considered unprofessional. However, the prevalence of remote work has changed the way we communicate in the workplace. With fewer opportunities for face-to-face interaction, sending GIFs on apps like Slack has become a popular way to connect with coworkers, translate tone and nuance and add your personality to the conversation. Why should I use GIFs on social media? Brands who share authentic and engaging content can create a close relationship with their audience, and the right GIF can be the perfect way to make this connection. The short, looping aspect of this format provides a perfect snack for the attention span of today’s consumers. The average file is 2-5 seconds in length, which makes them perfect for grabbing the eight-seconds of attention you are given, as your followers scroll through their social feeds. How else can GIFs add value to your business? Increased engagement : GIFs are a great way to increase engagement with your audience. They are more likely to be noticed and shared than static images, and they can help to break up the monotony of text-based content. Improved brand awareness: You can use GIFs to make your brand more memorable and relatable. Use them to showcase your products or services in a fun and engaging way. Improved customer service : Improve your customer service by providing quick and easy answers to common questions with GIFs. You can even use them to apologize for minor errors or to thank customers for their business. How to use GIFs on social media? These animated wonders bring a dose of youthful entertainment to your social media presence . GIFs will not only keep your audience engaged, but they'll also keep your brand from appearing too serious. Whether your goal is to build brand awareness, develop a brand personality or create more viral content, here are a few tips on how to use GIFS on social media: Show off your products GIFs are a great way to show off your products in a visually appealing and engaging way. Because they’re dynamic, you can highlight the features of your product in action and show off details that static photos can’t capture. You can also demonstrate how to use your product, especially if it’s difficult to use. Gamify your posts One way to use GIFs to increase your social media engagement is through gamification , which is to apply game-like elements to non-game contexts. By making your audience feel as though they are participating in a game rather than a regular social media post, you’ll make it fun for someone to respond or participate. You can gamify your posts by creating interactive GIFs with buttons or prompts, or through challenges for your audience. For instance, you could create a GIF that shows a series of steps that your audience has to follow to complete a contest. To make this even more fun, reward winners with something, like a coupon or a badge. This will encourage your audience to interact more on your posts and participate in future challenges. Provide visual instructions GIFs are a great way to instruct your audience in how-to’s, step-by-step tutorials or recipes. Since they loop, your audience can watch as many times as they need to fully understand each of the steps to follow. Go viral with relatable content GIFs are easy to relate to, which also translates to shareability on social media. Every social network now prioritizes visual content in the news feed, so people are more likely to notice your content and share it. As an example, if you're a travel brand, you could share a GIF of a funny or relatable travel experience. This could range from getting lost in a foreign city to trying to communicate with someone who doesn't speak their language. The relatability and humor of these kinds of GIFs can help your content go viral and reach a wider audience. Learn more: How to design social media graphics . Animate your data Animating your data is a great way to make your data more digestible and visually appealing. Make use of GIFs to add some color and motion to normally-dull statistics. If you want to show how your data has changed over time, you could post a GIF of a line graph that shows the growth of your company’s sales, or a pie chart that shows the breakdown of your customer demographics. Provide a sneak peek Want to build excitement for a future product or an upcoming announcement? GIFs are perfect for a bite-sized teaser. For example, you can create a GIF of the product you are about to launch, moving from a close-up on one of its features to someone using it for the first time. Share content that makes you smile GIFs, much like other social posts, don’t always have to be about conversion or sales. We suggest you share some cool stuff sometimes just to entertain your audience. This is a good practice to stay connected with your visitors and boost engagement. Reply to your followers If you want to come across as approachable, positive and direct, GIFs are the perfect way to reply to your followers. If you ever run out of words or emojis, GIFs offer an excellent way to reply to any comment, post or Tweet. For example, if someone asks you a question about your product, you could reply with a GIF that shows a helpful or informative answer, from a short explanation to a demonstration that answers the question. How to make a GIF? You don’t have to be a tech wizard to create your own GIFs. Not only is it simple to make GIFs, but it can be a fun and creative outlet, too. You can quickly learn how to make a GIF by uploading your images and videos to any of these online tools: Giphy : Giphy is one of the most popular GIF creator tools, with a user-friendly interface and a wide variety of features to get you started. Ezgif : Ezgif allows you to create GIFs from images, videos or even your webcam. You can also add text, captions and filters to your GIFs. Makeagif : Makeagif is another free online GIF creator with a built-in editor that allows you to crop, resize and adjust the speed of your GIFs. Gifmaker .me : Gifmaker.me is specifically designed for creating GIFs from videos that you have uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo , differentiating it from the other tools available. On the move? If you’d like to make GIFs on your mobile device, we suggest Giphy Cam. This app, available for iPhone and web , will allow you to record a GIF with your phone’s camera. Once recorded, you can add effects, filters, stickers and text. Here are some tips for creating GIFs: Use high-quality images or videos. The better the quality of your source material, the better your GIF will look. Keep your GIFs short and to the point. Most GIFs should be no longer than a few seconds. Use a consistent frame rate. This will help your GIF look smooth and professional. Add text or captions to your GIFs. Adding captions often help add context or humor. Experiment with different filters and effects. Make sure your GIFs are unique and eye-catching with filters and special effects, but don’t go overboard either. Where to find GIFs? There’s no shortage of places to find GIFs. There are numerous websites where you can find the exact GIF you are looking for: Giphy : Giphy is one of the most popular GIF hosting sites, with a huge library of GIFs. You can search for GIFs by keyword, category or even by the mood you're feeling. For example, if you're looking for a GIF to express happiness, you could search for "happy GIFs" or "smile G I Fs." Tenor : Tenor is another popular GIF hosting site, with a similar interface to Giphy. Tumblr GIFs : Tumblr is a blogging platform known for its GIF culture. You can find a wide variety of GIFs on Tumblr, including reaction GIFs, funny GIFs and GIFs of your favorite TV shows and movies. Imgur GIFs : Imgur is a popular image hosting site, but it also has a large selection of GIFs. You can search for GIFs by keyword, category or even by the subreddit they were posted in. Reddit GIF subreddit s: Reddit has a number of subreddits dedicated to GIFs, including r/gifs, r/reactiongifs and r/animalgifs. You can find a wide variety of GIFs on these subreddits, and you can also submit your own GIFs to share with the community. Here are some tips for finding GIFs: Use specific keywords when searching. The more specific your keywords are, the more likely you are to find the GIF you're looking for. Use filters to narrow down your search results. For example, you can filter by category, mood or file size. Look for GIFs on social media. Many social media platforms have built-in GIF search tools, so you can easily find GIFs that are relevant to your interests. Create your own GIFs. If you can't find the perfect GIF, you can create your own using a GIF creator website or app. How to post GIFs on social media? Now that you better understand this phenomenon, you can take the social media marketing tips we provided and get creative. Most platforms offer native search tools that allow you to find GIFs that are already available. However, if you want to upload your own, you can do so in the following ways: Upload to Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest Animated GIFs work fine as a direct image upload from any device to Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. To add your GIF, simply upload your image as you would any other image. Share on Twitter For a GIF to play online on Twitter, simply place the link at the end of your tweet as the last links in the tweet are previewed. Once posted, the GIF will be animated on Twitter. Share on Facebook For a GIF to play in the News Feed or on your profile, the GIF link must be the first link in the post. Once the GIF is previewed in the post, you can remove the URL. Why not use GIFs? GIFs are a popular form of digital media, but there are some reasons why you might not want to use them. Here are a few of the disadvantages of using GIFs: Slow loading times: GIFs often have larger file sizes compared to other image formats, such as JPEG or PNG, due to their support for animation and multiple frames. Consequently, they can take longer to load, especially for visitors with slower internet connections or mobile devices. This can result in a frustrating user experience and higher bounce rates. Potential for outdated content: GIFs that are trendy and popular today may not have the same appeal in the future. The fast-paced nature of internet culture and evolving trends can render GIFs outdated over time. Relying heavily on GIFs without considering their longevity may lead to the need for frequent updates or replacements. Risk of overuse: While GIFs can be engaging and visually appealing, using them excessively or inappropriately can lead to diminishing returns. When overused, GIFs can become distracting, annoying or even overwhelming to visitors. It's important to strike a balance and use them selectively to maintain a positive user experience. Negative impact on website performance: Incorporating multiple or large GIFs on a webpage can significantly impact its performance. Slow page load times resulting from heavy GIF usage can frustrate visitors and adversely affect search engine rankings. Optimizing website performance is essential for retaining users and maximizing conversions. Accessibility concerns: GIFs may present accessibility challenges for individuals with visual impairments or other disabilities. Screen readers may struggle to interpret or describe the content of GIFs effectively, limiting the inclusivity of your website. It's crucial to consider alternative options or provide textual descriptions for the content conveyed through GIFs.