Journal
Notes from the atelier.
Plain-language pieces on websites, SEO, and the quiet machinery that runs your studio. Written for makers who'd rather be making.
- Ads4 min read
Do Instagram ads work for artists and makers?
It depends far more on what you sell than on how good the work is. Why editions, multiples and repeatable products can carry paid ads while one-off commissions usually cannot, and what to do instead if you are in the second group.
Read → - Ads4 min read
How long should a Facebook or Instagram video ad be?
There is no magic number, and chasing one misses the point. Why the first three seconds carry almost all the weight, a four part structure that works, and when a long video beats a short one.
Read → - Ads5 min read
How to advertise on Instagram: a campaign built from scratch
A complete worked example, from an empty account to a running campaign. Invented brand, real process: the offer, the tracking, the creative, the settings that matter and the ones that do not, and what to do in the first fortnight.
Read → - SEO3 min read
How to get more Google reviews for your business (without begging)
A working system for Australian small businesses: when to ask, exactly what to say, the review link shortcut, what never to do, and how to reply so the next customer trusts you.
Read → - Ads4 min read
Do Instagram ads actually work for a small business?
An honest answer, including when it is no. What has to be true about your margin, your product and your website before Instagram or Facebook ads are worth your money, and the three reasons small businesses lose money on them.
Read → - Ads5 min read
How many ads should you run on Meta?
More than you think, and the reason is technical. How Meta's Andromeda retrieval system picks ads, why creative volume now beats audience targeting, and how to tell when your ads are genuinely worn out rather than just new.
Read → - Ads4 min read
How much do Instagram and Facebook ads cost in Australia?
The two separate numbers people confuse, why nobody can quote you a cost per sale honestly before seeing your shop, and how to work out your own daily budget from your margin instead of copying someone else's.
Read → - Ads4 min read
Which Instagram ad should you run first?
The three temperatures of an audience explained without the jargon, and why a small brand should almost always start at the warm end: the ad that asks for the sale, not the one that builds awareness.
Read → - E-commerce3 min read
Shopify vs Etsy in Australia: which one for your handmade shop? (2026)
An honest comparison of Shopify and Etsy for Australian makers: fees, ownership, traffic, and when each one actually makes sense. Including the answer most blogs skip: use both, in the right order.
Read → - Back office3 min read
Tutorial: stop contact form spam without punishing real customers
A practical walkthrough for small businesses and makers: why bots hit your forms, the built-in Shopify fix, double opt-in for newsletters, and the invisible honeypot trick for custom forms.
Read → - Shopify3 min read
Is Shopify worth it for a small business?
An honest verdict for Melbourne small businesses. When Shopify is the right call, when Square, Squarespace or Big Cartel beat it, and the real question to ask before you commit to the monthly fee.
Read → - SEO3 min read
How to get your business on Google Maps (Melbourne, 2026)
A step-by-step guide for Melbourne small businesses to appear on Google Maps and in the local pack. Claiming, verifying and optimising your Google Business Profile, plus the reviews and details that actually move you up.
Read → - Back office3 min read
Tutorial: get every Shopify order into a Google Sheet, automatically
A step-by-step walkthrough for makers: connect Shopify to Google Sheets with Make.com so every order lands in one spreadsheet on its own. Free tier, no code, about 30 minutes.
Read → - Shopify3 min read
How much does Shopify cost in Australia? (2026)
The full cost of running a Shopify store in Australia: the monthly plans, transaction and card fees, apps, theme, and what it costs to have someone build it. The real total, not just the sticker price.
Read → - Web design3 min read
Does my small business actually need a website in 2026?
An honest answer for Melbourne small business owners. When a website earns its cost, when a Google Business Profile and Instagram are genuinely enough, and the version of having a site that actually pays for itself.
Read → - SEO4 min read
Why is my website not showing up on Google?
A plain-English diagnostic for Melbourne small businesses. The eight real reasons a site does not show up on Google, how to tell which one is yours, and what to fix first. Includes the Shopify and Squarespace specifics.
Read → - Web design6 min read
How much does a website cost in Melbourne? (2026, honest version)
A plain-English breakdown of what a website actually costs in Melbourne and Australia in 2026: real price ranges by type, what moves the number, the ongoing costs nobody mentions, and how to not overpay.
Read → - Back office4 min read
Admin automation for Melbourne artists: a plain-English guide
How solo artists and makers in Melbourne automate the admin behind the studio: the tools, what to fix first, and how a workflow is scoped.
Read → - Back office4 min read
Notion automations for artists: the setups that actually save studio time
How independent artists use Notion as the back-office hub: inquiries, orders, invoicing, content planning. The automations worth wiring up, and the ones that aren't.
Read → - SEO3 min read
The four SEO pillars, without the marketing-speak
SEO sounds like a religion. It is not. Four boxes to check, in order, in plain language, for artists who have a website but not a marketing team.
Read → - SEO3 min read
Google Business Profile for Melbourne artists: do you need it?
The cheapest local SEO win you can claim. When GBP matters for an artist, when it doesn't, and the 20-minute setup.
Read → - Back office3 min read
Stop copying invoices: small automations every solo artist can set up
Three automations that pay for themselves in admin time. The tools I use, the trade-offs, and when it's worth outsourcing the setup.
Read → - Web design4 min read
Squarespace, Shopify, or custom: which one fits your work?
An honest comparison. When Squarespace is enough. When Shopify wins. When a custom build earns its cost. No referral codes, no hidden bias.
Read → - Back office4 min read
Starting a newsletter when you'd rather be making
The minimum viable newsletter for an indie artist. Platforms, format, growth, and the perfectionism trap that kills most artist newsletters in the first three issues.
Read → - Web design3 min read
What makes a website good (for an artist, anyway)
There are two definitions of "good website". One is what designers mean. The other is what an indie artist actually needs. The five things that matter, and the four that don't.
Read → - SEO4 min read
Why nobody finds your portfolio on Google
Six common reasons your beautiful site isn't showing up in search, and the 10-minute diagnostic to know which one is yours.
Read → - Web design4 min read
Do indie artists actually need a website in 2026?
A direct answer to a question I hear often. When a website matters for an independent artist in Melbourne, when Instagram is still enough, and the version of "having a site" that actually pays for itself.
Read →