How to Measure Websites in 2026
March 4, 2026
A few weeks ago, I got a question from a client that I haven’t heard in a while: “Can you measure a website?” It made
A few weeks ago, I got a question from a client that I haven’t heard in a while: “Can you measure a website?” It made
It’s a question we never thought we’d have to ask. But with Google’s recent announcements about AI Mode, SEO experts around the world are wondering
While we might have a tough time keeping up with latest fashion trends (seriously, why is low-rise back in style?), we’re experts when it comes
As the generations that grew up with Smart House, SmarterChild, and Ask Jeeves, you could say we were into AI way before it was cool.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization for the uninitiated, is a form of dark magic that only a chosen few marketers are able to harness. Kidding,
At this point, Google Ads is pretty much synonymous with “online advertising”—and for good reason. While other digital options might be more effective depending on
As marketers, our goal is to help companies grow their business. That means using our expertise and kickass tactics to get you where you need
TikTok has emerged as a cultural phenomenon, captivating millions with its short-form videos and viral trends. But now, it’s not just about viral dances and
Welcome to another enlightening and entertaining edition of 8THIRTYFOUR musings or ravings, take your pick. We love marketing, but we have some serious pet peeves.
There are a lot of ways to build websites, and everyone you ask will have their favorite. If there’s one thing we digital nerds are
We work with a wide variety of clients – from construction companies, and finance to gay resorts. We are known for our website process, development
The future of marketing is always evolving, just look at AI – we’re all trying to figure out these robots and how to use them
You’ve written the copy, identified your keywords, and set your budget…but now Google’s asking you what bidding strategy you’d like to choose. Huh? No one
If there’s one thing we get asked all the time, it’s “how long will it take until my brand/website/product shows up on the first page
There’s a lot to know about digital. Like, a lot. And let’s be honest, it’s like super confusing unless you’re nerds like us. At the
Here it is—the blog you’ve all been waiting for. It’s finally time to talk about weird cartoon monkeys and yet another acronym. That’s right. We’re
No one appreciated you when you were first invented in 1994, in fact until we hit a global pandemic barely anyone knew who you were.
When we say, “Google,” what comes to mind? For most people, it’s the good ol’ search console, or maybe for you Android users, it’s your
A few years ago, SEO was a niche term—the sort of thing pretentious assholes inserted into their sentences to make themselves feel important without ever
Would you believe we consulted Rolling Stone for this blog? We did. Everyone wants to unravel the mystery of Gen Z, totaling some 68 million
The end of the first quarter can mean only one thing…reporting time! Part of our proven process is reporting quarterly to our clients on the
We are overachievers, which is why we didn’t narrow this down to three. We see soooo many businesses ignore their Google Business Profile. Google is
Welcome to part deux of Email Marketing Best Practices, read the first here and let us remind you to NEVER BUY AN EMAIL LIST. You
This blog isn’t about crafting the perfect email, or developing an enticing subject line, nope this blog is about the most important aspect of email
HubSpot’s 2022 Social Media Trends report makes it clear we are in the age of the consumer and they want personalized content, faster services, better
There seems to be some confusion on the “geos,” as we like to call them. Geofencing and geotargeting are often used interchangeably and it’s confusing
One of our more popular blogs (it really wasn’t) we’ve ever written was on website plugins and our recommended go-tos to improve your site’s functionality
Do you even exist if you don’t have a website? The answer is no, which is why we are writing another blog on website trends
We really hate being described as “small” or “boutique,” as it often disparages the work we do for our clients, not to mention ourselves. After
If you come at us with pink power tools or some antiquated housewife advertising, you are practically guaranteeing we won’t buy your product. Assuming women
Sometimes we feel like a broken record, but this point deserves to be made again and again and again. We set out to be a
This is our third time writing this blog on the age-old question, “what is the difference between marketing, public relations, and advertising?” You guys sure
We promise this blog will be interesting, albeit it’s title. In the ever-evolving and highly stressful world of public relations, practitioners are often asked “how
Since you’ve arrived here, you may already have a good grasp of what marketing automation is. If not, check out part one of this blog.
We don’t usually accept guest blogs, cause who really wants to hear from anyone that isn’t us? When we do make an exception, it’s because
First thing’s first. If you missed part 1 of this blog, check it out here. Good to go? Okay. Preparing for a new year is
2021 is here, and we ask that everyone be real quiet. Tiptoe into it. No “Happy New Year.” Avoid any hoopla or celebrations. We all
We’re all working towards great SEO and a high domain authority, aren’t we? There are so many ways to get there, but a lot of
We recently had Josh Byler on the Happy Hour Hustle podcast. For those of you that don’t know, Josh is married to Kim. If you
Influencer marketing can be a great tactic when companies want to grow brand awareness and sales. If you had told us influencer marketing would be
Digital speak often sounds like a foreign language. Sometimes we’re not even sure what we’re talking about. To help you better wrap your brain around
The world of digital marketing is confusing to most of us common folks, to say the least. You’ll hear words like funnel, metics, conversion, A/B
Did you know over 2 billion users visit YouTube each month? Every day, people watch over a billion hours of video and generate billions of
Do you know your customers? Like really, really know them? Are you in the know with their interests, challenges, goals, family make up, financial standing,
If you are reading this blog near other people without a mask, stop what you are doing and put on the damn mask. We can
We’re bringing it back to the basics with Google Ads. Whether you’re a seasoned Google Ads professional looking for a refresher or a newbie who
Public relations and digital are in a long-term, committed, and extremely healthy relationship (It’s Facebook official). To put it in perspective, they are a
When it comes to social media, there always seems to be a new and upcoming platform out there that everyone, even your grandma is trying
With the 4th of July tomorrow, it seems appropriate to talk about holidays and your marketing. Although, if we’re being honest, we’d rather be floating
We get it. 2020 sucks. It’s not the first time we’ve said it, and it’s not gonna be the last. While the past few months
The past few months have been rough on a lot of business’ bottom lines. More than likely, you’ve taken a hit revenue wise and are
Our integrated communications process is the stuff of legends. People have been talking about it for a decade. It’s even been written about in our
This blog is a two-parter, the first was published in December….then COVID happened and we pivoted, which is exactly what your marketing and communications should
With the amount of wild and crazy things happening in the world, you may have missed the launch of WordPress 5.4. Honestly? We can’t blame
Think about the last shitty article you read. We don’t know for sure, but we’re willing to bet it was one of those pieces that
At 8THIRTYFOUR, we’ve always been proud to be in the advertising, marketing, and public relations industries. In fact, it’s sort of what we think about
Hey. Stop scrolling on Facebook for like one second and listen up. Social media is a great way to reach your audience and show off
Digital is kind of our thing. It ties into our differentiators – data, people, ideas. It’s an effective strategy for pretty much every client. Digital
Want a sneak peek behind the curtain? Not that curtain, get your head out of the gutter! Well, when it comes to blog topics, our
Your website is arguably one of the most important assets to your business. It serves as a first impression. Plus, if it’s functioning how it’s
Hey, look at you, blog reader. There’s about a 60% chance you came from organic search and a 30% chance you came from a social
What’s the first thing you do when waking up? Grab your phone. After you browse all the social networks, you open your email and scroll
Digital Marketing combines analytics, creative, and messaging into an art. We all know that when artists collaborate, awesome things happen. So, here are some digital
When we say integrated communications is our jam, we really, really mean it. Our client, BCVision, is an initiative of the Battle Creek Community Foundation.
It’s 2019, which means that there are over 1.9 billion websites on the internet. 1.9 billion! If you’re bad with numbers, that’s a lot…a whole
Words are hard. For some reason, our brains don’t always love translating thoughts into written language, and that can get pretty frustrating. Good storytelling is
You’re so vain, you probably think this blog is about you. Don’t you? Don’t you? Take a second to remember the last time you were
If you opened your personal email right now, we bet you’d immediately be face-to-face with about a hundred newsletters. How many emails do you have
Edit: This post is great, but the new version is even better. First off, if you are a college student who found this blog while
Here at 8THIRTYFOUR, we LOVE what we do. We truly enjoy our work, and we enjoy the people we work with. We don’t work with
That’s right. We’re continuing our rant from earlier in the week. Avoid these digital marketing mistakes or just call us and we’ll take care of
Digital. Data. Conversions. These are some of our favorite words here at 8THIRTYFOUR (so are “dogs,” “wine,” and “heels,” but those aren’t as applicable to
We’re not exaggerating when we say, “digital marketing is everywhere.” It’s at the center of everything you do, whether you know it or not. How
Let’s face it: people are lazy. We don’t want to have to work hard to get information. No, people just want to grunt at an
The world is a hectic place nowadays, isn’t it? It’s hard to focus on just about anything, especially anything remotely important. It seems like no
Video content is on the rise, and the team at 8THIRTYFOUR can definitely get behind this trend. Utilizing video is a great way to educate
Things are always changing in the world of social media. It takes a lot of attention to detail to sift through all of the monotony
You did everything right. You set your goals, you decided what you wanted to achieve in the new year, and you began implementing tactics to
Once upon a time, public relations and marketing teams operated in different worlds and didn’t often connect or collaborate. While that approach used to make
2018 is almost over! That means it’s time to take a look back on the great and terrible marketing campaigns we saw this year. During
Have you ever read a lengthy report, strategy, or article, and at its conclusion, thought, “What did I just read? What did that even say?!”
The digital space is a robust and ever-evolving resource for companies who are seeking to reach their clients. In a space that’s constantly changing, it’s
Facebook ads allow for some of the most specific and effective targeting in the digital space. This has been the case for quite some time,
For many, the end of the year is marked with dates that bring together friends and family to celebrate religious observances and holidays. This special
We get it – you’re busy, and spending time sorting through thousands of data points about your website isn’t too high on your priority list
Picture your Facebook or Instagram newsfeed. What do you see? Let us guess: photos & videos. Of course, if you want to look good, you
We’ve been covering Google’s rebranding efforts with Google Ads this summer, and all of the changes they’ve introduced along with it. Today’s insight from our
Short answer? Hell no. Facebook has engrained itself so deeply in the roots of modern society. Name another brand so universally known and used. Go
We love acronyms! BRB. PPC. GDPR. LRD (AKA Long Road Distillers, here in GR). But, one of our favorites is SEO. Today we are proud
Finding the right candidates for a job opening is tricky, to say the least. Often, in working with companies on marketing strategies, we discover that
You may or may not have heard about this thing called a Google Partner. Fun fact: only 3% of firms in the US are official
In typical fashion, Facebook is shaking things up again! This time, your company’s Page may be getting a facelift. Last week, Facebook announced a series
Reddit promotes itself as the “Front Page of the Internet” and once you learn to maneuver it, you can see why. It offers varied content
The 8THIRTYFOUR team is known for being bold, creative and always ready to take on a challenge. That is why Miller Johnson, a well-known law
No matter the business, more and more customers are turning to the digital space to find products and services that they need. The manufacturing industry
Social media moves fast. Real fast. On top of that, algorithms are now structured in a way that significantly hinders the impact of your organic
Machine Learning, Transparency, New Campaigns, and What It All Means If you’ve read our past blog, you know that Google is ditching AdWords and bringing
AdWords, Google’s platform that has been serving you ads for the last 18 years, is being replaced. Google announced last week that over the course
Your website is an investment, and one of the most visible and critical investments in your marketing strategy. Like most communications tools, how much you
Digital marketing is so crucial for nonprofits. The digital space can directly and effectively support goals around volunteer recruitment, membership outreach, fundraising initiatives, and so
YES! We love acronyms. WTH. BRB. CTA. TLC. VIP. You’ve probably heard of one of our digital team’s particular favorites: UX. But do you know
Google had their annual conference this past week, and they made some big announcements that will affect businesses in the coming years. Here are the
We’ve talked plenty on the recent Facebook data scandal, but what about Instagram? Well, since Facebook owns Instagram, the scandal has impacted that platform as well.
Facebook’s annual developer conferences showcases their latest changes and gives a glimpse into what is next for the social media giant. The 2018 conference was
It’s no secret that we love digital marketing and the power it yields to businesses in generating leads and demonstrating ROI. However, if you’re not
At 8THIRTYFOUR, everything we do is driven by data. If you’re one of our avid blog readers, you’ve probably read this line a handful of
Your website is one of the most important lead generation tools that you have at your disposal, but it only works if your customers can
Facebook may be going through a rough patch right now, and despite some big names leaving the platform, it’s unlikely that this current scandal will
Manufacturing has stood the test of time, from the industrial revolution to robots and artificial intelligence. The industry has literally shaped America, and provided millions
What’s going on with Facebook, and who is Cambridge Analytica? You know Facebook – that blue F, used by over 2 billion people around the
Social media continues to be a huge communications opportunity for companies of all sizes and industries. Making the most of any social channel requires that
My name is Alex, and I’m the Digital Associate here at 8THIRTYFOUR. I have two passions in life: coffee and digital marketing. These two passions
We originally posted this blog on February 21, 2018. Things have changed since then (shocker), so we updated it on August 26, 2025. Everyone
Facebook is returning to its roots. And while this might mean a breath of fresh air for users, it will present challenges for businesses and
***This article was originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal We are calling 2018 the year of digital marketing. Businesses that have a strong
At 8THIRTYFOUR, we love data. We really love data. How else are you supposed to know which digital marketing efforts work and which don’t? We
The Devastating Impact of Today’s Ruling Today, the FCC voted to repeal Obama’s net neutrality regulations. You’ve probably noticed that people aren’t happy. We are
Recently, we talked about LinkedIn and what you should NOT be doing on the professional networking site. While a ton of people use it (over
Question: Are you going to read an article listing the average temperature around the world for the last one hundred years? Probably not. But you
Does the following scenario sound familiar? You craft a witty Facebook post for your business page, add a few funny emojis, giggle to yourself the
Last week, we shared some of the tools that keep us on top of our social media game. They were tools that help us manage
If you’re not willing to pay for it, you better work for it. Getting noticed on Facebook as a brand seems to get more and
An Overview of LinkedIn Advertising Options Odds are you’ve received a sweet advertising credit from advertising on LinkedIn a try. There are a few different types
Today we throw it back to a blog from Kim Bode herself about how simple blog writing is and all the benefits it will bring
Ever Wonder Where the Heck Did That Image or Content Came From? How many times have you posted a link to share on your social
Online Marketing Tools, SEO/SEM & WordPress Plugins (oh my!) The web design & development team here at 834 is always looking into handy new tools
Writing is hard, even for those who have to do it on a daily basis. A lot goes into creating really great writing, whether it’s
Some call it the proven method for the digital age, we call it ‘The measurable.’ All of us refer to it as Inbound Marketing. So
Social media has taken over the world. If you don’t believe us, try spending an entire day without checking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You could
View the updated 2019 version of Marketing vs Advertising vs Public Relations. At 834 | Integrated Communications, clients rely on our ability to provide
It’s Thursday, so we are throwing it back a year and rebirthing one of our most famous blogs, Life on the Interwebs: Creating Digital Relationships.
If you’re in a company that sells products or services to other businesses you might think that your approach to Public Relations and Marketing is
We talk a lot about blogging here at 834, and there are many benefits of blogging. We create content for many of our clients, and ourselves,
When surfing the web, it seems to be filled with an abundance of blogs and silly cat videos. While funny videos of cats may take
Can you help us with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? What about Google Algorithm Changes, what do we need to know? How can our website get to
Content is important. You obviously understand this as you are reading an amazing blog on how to get started (and stay motivated). Here’s a few tips for
The fourth Friday is officially up for grabs at 834. Thus, Fourth Friday Free-for-All. You will hear from anyone and everyone — the guy that
Try getting the attention of your friend sitting across the room typing away on their mobile device. You’ll need all the luck in the world
Some call it the proven method for the digital age, we call it’ The measurable’. All of us refer to it as, Inbound Marketing. So