add images & formatting to store basics section

Author: TC-MO

sources/academy/platform/get_most_of_actors/store_basics/actor_success_stories.md

@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 ---
 title: Actor success stories
-description: placeholder
+description: Learn about Actor success stories.
 sidebar_position: 5
 category: apify platform
 slug: /get-most-of-actors/store-basics/actor-succes-stories
 ---
 
-_Web scraping freelance financial freedom with microworlds._ Discover how Caleb David, founder of `microworlds`, achieved financial freedom through freelance web scraping. His journey showcases how mastering the craft with tools like Crawlee and creating a Twitter scraper transformed his career. See the full story [here](https://blog.apify.com/web-scraping-freelance-financial-freedom/) and learn from his success.
+_Web scraping freelance financial freedom with microworlds._
+
+Discover how Caleb David, founder of `microworlds`, achieved financial freedom through freelance web scraping. His journey showcases how mastering the craft with tools like Crawlee and creating a Twitter scraper transformed his career. See the full story [here](https://blog.apify.com/web-scraping-freelance-financial-freedom/) and learn from his success.
 
 https://apify.com/microworlds
 
-_Web scraping for freelance success – insights from Tugkan._ In this success story, our first community dev Tugkan shares how his journey into freelancing via Apify changed his life. Learn about his process, challenges, and how his paid Actors have brought him financial rewards and freedom. Check out his story [here](https://apify.com/success-stories/paid-actor-journey-apify-freelancer-tugkan) for inspiration.
+_Web scraping for freelance success – insights from Tugkan._
+
+In this success story, our first community dev Tugkan shares how his journey into freelancing via Apify changed his life. Learn about his process, challenges, and how his paid Actors have brought him financial rewards and freedom. Check out his story [here](https://apify.com/success-stories/paid-actor-journey-apify-freelancer-tugkan) for inspiration.
 
 https://apify.com/epctex
 

sources/academy/platform/get_most_of_actors/store_basics/how_actor_monetization_works.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: How Actor monetization works
-description: Turn your web scrapers into income by publishing them on the Apify Store. Discover how to share your tools and explore monetization options to earn from your automation expertise.
+description: Discover how to share your tools and explore monetization options to earn from your automation expertise.
 sidebar_position: 3
 category: apify platform
 slug: /get-most-of-actors/store-basics/how-actor-monetization-works
@@ -23,19 +23,19 @@ Monetizing your Actor on the Apify platform involves several key steps:
 
 ## Monetization models
 
-<!-- TODO Screenshot -->
+### Rental pricing model
 
-### 1. Rental pricing model
+![rental model example](images/rental-model.png)
 
 - _How it works_: you offer a free trial period and set a monthly fee. Users on Apify paid plans can continue using the Actor after the trial. You earn 80% of the monthly rental fees.
 - _Example_: you set a 7-day free trial and $30/month rental. If 3 users start using your Actor:
   - 1st user on a paid plan pays $30 after the trial (you earn $24).
   - 2nd user starts their trial but pays next month.
   - 3rd user on a free plan finishes the trial without upgrading to a paid plan and can’t use the Actor further.
 
-### 2. Pay-per-result pricing model
+### Pay-per-result pricing model
 
-<!-- TODO Screenshot -->
+![pay per result model example](images/ppr-model.png)
 
 - _How it works_: you charge users based on the number of results your Actor generates. You earn 80% of the revenue minus platform costs.
 - _Cost breakdown_:
@@ -46,11 +46,9 @@ Monetizing your Actor on the Apify platform involves several key steps:
   - Dataset storage: $1 per 1,000 GB-hours
 - _Example_: you set a $1 per 1,000 results price. Two users generate 50,000 and 20,000 results, paying $50 and $20, respectively. If platform costs are $5 and $2, your profit is $49.
 
----
-
 ## Setting up monetization
 
-1. _Go to your Actor page_: navigate to the Publication tab and open the Monetization section.
+1. _Go to your Actor page_: navigate to the **Publication** tab and open the **Monetization** section.
 2. _Fill in billing details_: set up your payment details for payouts.
 3. _Choose your pricing model_: use the monetization wizard to select your model and set fees.
 
@@ -63,64 +61,62 @@ Adjustments to monetization settings take 14 days to take effect and can be made
 - _Track profit_: review payout invoices and statistics in Apify Console (**Monitoring** tab).
 - _Promote your Actor_: optimize your Actor’s description for SEO, share on social media, and consider creating tutorials or articles to attract users.
 
----
-
 ## Marketing tips for defining the price for your Actor
 
 It's up to you to set the pricing, of course. It can be as high or low as you wish, you can even make your Actor free. But if you're generally aiming for a successful, popular Actor, here are a few directions:
 
-### 1. Do market research outside Apify Store
+### Do market research outside Apify Store
 
 The easiest way to understand your tool's value is to look around. Are there similar tools on the market? What do they offer, and how much do they charge? What added value does your tool provide compared to theirs? What features can your tool borrow from theirs for the future?
 
 Try competitor tools yourself (to assess the value and the quality they provide), check their SEO (to see how much traffic they get), and note ballpark figures. Think about what your Actor can do that competitors might be missing.
 
 Also, remember that your Actor is a package deal with the Apify platform. So all the platform's features automatically transfer onto your Actor and its value. Scheduling, monitoring runs, ways of exporting data, proxies, and integrations can all add value to your Actor (on top of its own functionalities). Be sure to factor this into your tool's value proposition and communicate that to the potential user.
 
-### 2. Do research in Apify Store
+### Do research in Apify Store
 
 Apify Store is like any other marketplace, so take a look at your competition there. Are you the first in your lane, or are there other similar tools? What makes yours stand out? Remember, your README is your first impression — communicate your tool's benefits clearly and offer something unique. Competing with other developers is great, but collaborations can drive even better results 😉
 
-Learn more about what makes a good readme here: [How to create an Actor README]
+Learn more about what makes a good readme here: [How to create an Actor README](/academy/get-most-of-actors/actor-basics/how-to-create-an-actor-readme)
 
-### 3. Rental or pay-per-result (PPR)?
+### Rental or pay-per-result (PPR)
 
 Rental pricing is technically easier: you set the rental fee, and the user covers their CU usage. So all you have to define is how much you want to charge the users. With pay-per-result, you’ll need to include both CU usage and your margin. So you have to calculate how much the average run is going to cost for the user + define how much you want to charge them.
 
 To figure out the average cost per run for users, just run a few test runs and look at the statistics in the Actor [**Analytics**](https://console.apify.com/actors?tab=analytics) tab.
 
 From an average user's perspective, pay-per-result is often easier to grasp — $25 for a thousand pages, $5 for a thousand videos, $1 for a thousand images, etc. It gives users a clearer idea of what they’re paying for and allows them to estimate faster. But rental pricing has its fans, too — if your tool provides high value, users will come.
 
-### 4. Adapt when needed
+### Adapt when needed
 
 Don’t be afraid to experiment with pricing, especially at the start. You can monitor your results in the dashboard and adjust if necessary.
 
 Keep an eye on SEO as well. If you monitor the volume of the keywords your Actor is targeting as well as how well your Actor's page is ranking for those keywords, you can estimate the number of people who actually end up trying your tool (a.k.a conversion rate). If your keywords are getting volume, but conversions are lower than expected, it might point to a few issues It could be due to your pricing, a verbose README, or complex input. If users are bouncing right away, it makes sense to check out your pricing and your closest competitors to see where adjustments might help.
 
+### Summary & a basic plan
 
-_Summary and a basic plan_: pick a pricing model, run some tests, and calculate your preliminary costs (**Analytics** tab in Console).
+Pick a pricing model, run some tests, and calculate your preliminary costs (**Analytics** tab in Console).
 
 Then check your costs against similar solutions in the Store and the market (try Google search or other marketplaces), and set a price that gives you some margin.
 
 It’s also normal to adjust pricing as you get more demand. For context, most prices in the Store range between $1-$10 per 1,000 results.
 
-<!-- TODO Screenshot -->
+Example of useful pricing estimates from the **Analytics** tab:
+
+![example of pricing estimates in analytics tab](images/analytisc-example.png)
 
-Example of useful pricing estimates from the **Analytics** tab
+:::tip
 
 📫 Don't forget to set an email sequence to warn and remind your users about the pricing changes. Learn more about emailing your users here:  [Emails to Actor users]
 
+:::
+
 ## Resources
 
 - Learn about [incentives behind monetization](https://apify.com/partners/actor-developers)
-
 - Detailed guide to [setting up monetization models](https://docs.apify.com/academy/get-most-of-actors/monetizing-your-actor)
-
 - Guide to [publishing Actors](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/publishing)
-
 - Watch our webinar on how to [build, publish and monetize Actors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nxStxC1BJM)
-
 - Read a blog post from our CEO on the [reasoning behind monetizing Actors](https://blog.apify.com/make-regular-passive-income-developing-web-automation-actors-b0392278d085/)
-
 - Learn about the [Creator plan](https://apify.com/pricing/creator-plan), which allows you to create and freely test your own Actors for $1
 

sources/academy/platform/get_most_of_actors/store_basics/how_store_works.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: How Apify Store works
-description: Explore the Apify Store, a dynamic marketplace with over 2,000 Actors, many built by developers like you. Learn how to create and publish your own Actor, and join a growing community of innovators in web automation.
+description: Learn how to create and publish your own Actor, and join a growing community of innovators in web automation.
 sidebar_position: 1
 category: apify platform
 slug: /get-most-of-actors/store-basics/how-store-works
@@ -18,15 +18,15 @@ The term "Actor" is used because, like human actors, these programs follow a scr
 
 ## What is Apify Store
 
-[Apify Store](https://apify.com/store) is a public library of Actors that is constantly growing and evolving. It's basically a publicly visible (and searchable) part of the Apify platform. With over 2,000 Actors currently available, most of them are created and maintained by the community. Actors that consistently perform well remain in Apify Store, while those reported as malfunctioning or under maintenance are eventually removed. This ensures that the tools in our ecosystem are reliable, effective, and competitive.
+[Apify Store](https://apify.com/store) is a public library of Actors that is constantly growing and evolving. It's basically a publicly visible (and searchable) part of the Apify platform. With over 3,000 Actors currently available, most of them are created and maintained by the community. Actors that consistently perform well remain in Apify Store, while those reported as malfunctioning or under maintenance are eventually removed. This ensures that the tools in our ecosystem are reliable, effective, and competitive.
 
 ### Types of Actors
 
-- _Web scraping Actors_: for instance, [Twitter (X) Scraper] extracts data from Twitter.
-- _Automation Actors_: for example, [Content Checker] monitors website content for changes and emails you once a change occurs.
-- _Bundles_: chains of multiple Actors united by a common data point or target website. For example, [Restaurant Review Aggregator] can scrape reviews from six platforms at once.
+- _Web scraping Actors_: for instance, [Twitter (X) Scraper](https://apify.com/apidojo/twitter-user-scraper) extracts data from Twitter.
+- _Automation Actors_: for example, [Content Checker](https://apify.com/jakubbalada/content-checker) monitors website content for changes and emails you once a change occurs.
+- _Bundles_: chains of multiple Actors united by a common data point or target website. For example, [Restaurant Review Aggregator](https://apify.com/tri_angle/restaurant-review-aggregator) can scrape reviews from six platforms at once.
 
-Learn more about bundles here: [Actor bundles]
+Learn more about bundles here: [Actor bundles](/academy/get-most-of-actors/product-optimization/actor-bundles)
 
 ## Public and private Actors
 
@@ -39,11 +39,11 @@ Actors in Apify Store can be public or private:
 
 You can monetize your Actors using three different pricing models:
 
-1. Pay for usage: charge based on how much the Actor is used.
-2. Pay per result: the price is based on the number of results produced, with the first few free.
-3. Monthly billing: set a fixed monthly rate for using the Actor.
+- Pay for usage: charge based on how much the Actor is used.
+- Pay per result: the price is based on the number of results produced, with the first few free.
+- Monthly billing: set a fixed monthly rate for using the Actor.
 
-For detailed information on which pricing model might work for your Actor, refer to [How Actor monetization works].
+For detailed information on which pricing model might work for your Actor, refer to [How Actor monetization works](/academy/get-most-of-actors/store-basics/how-actor-monetization-works).
 
 ## Actor ownership in Store
 
@@ -58,20 +58,23 @@ When it comes to managing Actors on Apify, it’s important that every potential
 
 ### Community-maintained Actors
 
-✨ Features and functionality: offers a broader range of use cases and features, often tailored to specific needs. Great for exploring unique or niche applications.
+✨ _Features and functionality_: offers a broader range of use cases and features, often tailored to specific needs. Great for exploring unique or niche applications.
 
-🧑‍💻 Ownership: created and maintained by independent developers like you.
+🧑‍💻 _Ownership_: created and maintained by independent developers like you.
 
-🛠 Maintenance: you’re responsible for all updates, bug fixes, and ongoing maintenance. Apify hosts your Actor but does not manage its code.
+🛠 _Maintenance_: you’re responsible for all updates, bug fixes, and ongoing maintenance. Apify hosts your Actor but does not manage its code.
 
-👷‍♀️ Reliability and testing: it’s up to you to ensure your Actor’s reliability and performance.
+👷‍♀️ _Reliability and testing_: it’s up to you to ensure your Actor’s reliability and performance.
 
-☝️ Support and Issues: Apify does not provide direct support for Community-maintained Actors. You must manage issues through the Issues tab, where you handle user queries and problems yourself.
+☝️ _Support and Issues_: Apify does not provide direct support for Community-maintained Actors. You must manage issues through the Issues tab, where you handle user queries and problems yourself.
 
-✍️ Documentation: you’re responsible for creating and maintaining documentation for your Actor. Make sure it’s clear and helpful for users.
+✍️ _Documentation_: you’re responsible for creating and maintaining documentation for your Actor. Make sure it’s clear and helpful for users.
 
+:::tip
 
-📚 Pro tip: for the best results, ensure your Actor is well-documented and thoroughly tested. Engage with users through the Issues tab to address any problems promptly. By maintaining high standards and being proactive, you’ll enhance your Actor’s reputation and usability in Apify Store.
+For the best results, ensure your Actor is well-documented and thoroughly tested. Engage with users through the Issues tab to address any problems promptly. By maintaining high standards and being proactive, you’ll enhance your Actor’s reputation and usability in Apify Store.
+
+:::
 
 ## Importance of Actor testing and reliability
 
@@ -100,7 +103,7 @@ Learn more about how to handle the [Issues tab]
 
 ### Getting featured in Apify Store
 
-Actors that perform reliably and efficiently may be featured in the [**Apify picks](https://apify.com/store/collections/apify_picks)** section or the **Featured developers** section of Apify Store. The purpose of this is to highlight them for users seeking top-quality tools.
+Actors that perform reliably and efficiently may be featured in the [Apify picks](https://apify.com/store/collections/apify_picks) section or the **Featured developers** section of Apify Store. The purpose of this is to highlight them for users seeking top-quality tools.
 
 ## Resources