Bluestem Media Blog

slack review by bluestem media web design team

We’ve Used Slack for 6+ Years: Here’s Our Short Review [Pros/Cons]

November 12, 2024

We were not paid by Slack to write this review. All opinions are our own and are based on experience with the product. We hope it helps other agencies when selecting a communication/messaging platform to use in their business. Bluestem Media has used Slack as our primary communication tool as a web design agency for…

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Instructions on How to Embed Custom Maps with Marked Counties and Cities Using MyGoogleMaps

September 11, 2024

MyGoogleMaps (Or Google MyMaps) is an excellent tool for building and embedding maps on your website. It’s fairly simple to operate, especially if you use pre-existing resources to help build paths (like city or county boundaries). This is a quick guide to get you started on creating custom maps with marked cities and county boundaries.…

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free digital marketing tools

3 Free Digital Marketing Tools You Can Start Using Today

April 26, 2024

Digital marketing costs add up when you run a business or organization. If you are using a new paid tool for every task, your subscription costs blow up (we’ve seen some clients spend hundreds or thousands of dollars per month!!). If you can find a free tool that completes a task well, it’s worth bookmarking…

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copyright infringement contact form email scam

“Infringing on Copyright-Protected Images” Contact Form Email Scam

March 19, 2024

We’ve started receiving emails like the one pictured below, so I thought I would take the time to remind you to delete – and NOT click the link. The emails that I received were through our contact form on our website, but they could come through another source. At first glance, it appears to be…

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Manufacturing and distribution SEO hacks

4 Manufacturing & Distribution Local SEO Hacks You Can Use Today [2024]

January 7, 2024

Summary of Contents What is Local SEO? Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy businesses use to improve their online visibility in ‘local searches’. A local search involves either (a) a search engine user searching with “local intent” or (b) a search engine user adding a geolocation keyword to their query (“[keyword]” + “Akron,…

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Google is Deleting Old Accounts – Here’s How You Can Keep Yours

December 11, 2023

Google is set to start removing “inactive” accounts starting this month, December 2023. You may want to keep all of your Google accounts, so this is a quick guide on what you need to do to save your profiles.  Why is Google doing this?  Google’s stated reason for tightening its “inactivity policy” is security. They…

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Are Mobile-Friendly Websites *Actually* Still Important in 2024?

December 1, 2023

If you’ve spent more than 20 seconds researching website design ideas or search engine optimization (SEO) tips, you’ve probably stumbled across quite a few blogs and articles talking about the importance of “mobile-friendliness” and “responsive design”.  The gist of the prevailing theory over the last 8-10 years: (a) more and more users are visiting websites…

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bluestem media tenth anniversary

10th Anniversary of Bluestem Media

October 13, 2023

Bluestem Media is celebrating ten years of business this October.  Bluestem Media LLC was formed on October 13, 2013, in Minnesota. Formerly known as “EW Web Design”, Bluestem Media was started as a full-time venture by Eric Wiinanen to provide web design services to clients in the Fargo-Moorhead area. In 2019, the business was relocated…

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Manufacturing website updates

5 Updates You Need to Make to your Manufacturing Website in 2022

September 8, 2022

The world is moving faster today than even two or three years ago. Expectations are extremely high for every position in the workforce, from a forklift driver to a project manager to a product engineer. As we prepare to say goodbye to 2021, it’s worth looking at updating your company’s website to stay current with…

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Why a Great Website Builds Trust with Your Customer - two men shaking hands

A Great Website Builds Trust with Your Customer

October 19, 2018

As a business owner, one of your primary goals is to build trust with your clients. This is the foundation of any industry, from sales to plumbing. If a client does not trust your brand image or sales process – you are likely to lose that sale. Building Trust Online Trust leads to relationship, relationship leads…

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