Bright Oak: The Story Behind The Name
Behind every brand is a story. This article is a window into how Bright Oak got started, how we came up with our name, and what has made us successful.
Recent journal entries
Our blog will cover a wide range of topics such as the latest SEO or PPC updates and strategies, email marketing automation, web design trends, new web development technology and various other tips and tricks to help you broaden your knowledge in this ever-changing digital world.
It Really Happened: How I Ended Up At Wrigley Field For Game 3 Of The World Series
I’ve been a Cubs fan my whole life. Growing up in southern Illinois, I spent countless hours each summer watching the Cubs on WGN. All baseball fans have a team that you consider to be “your team” from when you were growing up. Don Zimmer and the 1989 Cubs were my team. But as many of … Continued
Google Reveals How You Can Improve Your Local Ranking
Search engine optimization has become a field crammed with myths and theories. Google rarely shares its secrets, so SEO professionals are required to develop their own best practices in order to rank in local search. Until recently, local ranking influences were just another Google enigma, but the search giant has at last revealed its secrets.
Pinterest – The Perfect Tool for Homebuilders
Pinterest has tapped into an interesting and creative way to facilitate online communication and marketing. A Pinterest user “pins” images from the web that resonate with them onto their themed “board”, which then can be “repined” by other users thus adding it to their own boards. Popular photos can go viral, getting pinned thousands of times.
The Ultimate Schema Write-up for Custom Home Builders
As you might have noticed, Schema can be a lot of extra work - it's probably the sole reason why so few websites implement it. However, as SEO specialists it's something we should all be taking advantage of. Schema.org even says, “the more content you mark up, the better.” As you become more familiar with the vast array of available properties...
Google Rolls Out Search Updates to Improve Search Experience
Google has recently been announcing new features to improve the overall quality of every Internet search. It started last month when they announced the mobile friendly Google algorithm, which gives all mobile friendly sites higher rankings in their searches in order to give every user the best experience.
New Mobile Friendly Google Algorithm Update: Provide A Mobile User Experience Or Move Aside
Google has stated: "Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices."
“Harness The Power of PPC and SEO for Insane Landing Page Results” Webinar Wrap-Up
Spot the easy wins - by using Google Webmaster Tools, you can identify keywords that are converting well but have few impressions. People are liking what they see when they do see it, so this would be a great keywords to start targeting with PPC to help bring your brand to more viewers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): What We Learned In 2014
One of Internet marketing’s important questions is whether it makes sense to put a marketing budget toward search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), or both? You’ll find a mix of opinions on the issue. Some feel that adding PPC when a site is already ranking well organically creates unnecessary expensive cannibalism—paying for clicks that would have come for free through an organic ranking. Others believe in a synergistic effect that PPC has on organic traffic. So what is the right answer?
Top 3 SEO Tips For Franchises
With most traditional franchise operations, the idea was simple. Don't reinvent the wheel. Instead, use a tested and proven business model and rely on the franchisor to handle advertising at the national level. Your only requirement was to put up the capital and cross your fingers. However, the internet changed advertising as we knew it.
Penguin 2.0 And The New Local SEO Strategy
Just as the dust seemed to be settling following Google's original Penguin update, which rolled out about a year ago, the search engine giant has unleashed a major sequel. Penguin 2.0, which is also being called Penguin 4, debuted on May 22. Due to the fact that it's still in its infancy, its far-reaching implications remain unclear. Still, a few things are apparent. This update seeks to drive home the fact that Google is out for sites that use black-hat SEO techniques. Like its predecessor, Penguin 2.0 is especially touchy about backlinks. Most importantly of all, it appears to have had a huge impact on local search results already.