Blog
Marketing insights, platform updates, and practical strategies to help small businesses grow smarter in the digital age.
Blog
Marketing insights, platform updates, and practical strategies to help small businesses grow smarter in the digital age.
Keep up to date on all the trending news with 616mg
Welcome to the 616 Marketing Group blog, your go-to destination for insightful industry trends, expert tips, and creative inspiration. Our blog is your gateway to staying ahead in today’s dynamic marketing landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer seeking fresh insights or a budding entrepreneur looking to unlock the secrets of success, our blog is here to guide you every step of the way.
Meta Lead Ads Now Support Appointment Booking
Marketing News Meta Lead Ads Now Support Appointment Booking By Stephen Geldersma Creative Director, 616 Marketing Group Rockford, MI Meta has introduced embedded appointment booking for Facebook Lead Ads, and this is a practical update for small service-based...
WordPress 7.0 “Armstrong” Released
WordPress 7.0 has officially been released, and it is one of the more meaningful WordPress updates we have seen in a while. The official release, named WordPress 7.0 “Armstrong”, went live on May 20, 2026. This update brings a refreshed admin experience, new design...
WordPress 6.9.4 Release
If you run your website on WordPress, staying current is not optional anymore. It is part of keeping your site secure, fast, and reliable. Latest stable version of WordPress 6.9.4 was release March 11, 2026. This is a security release, and WordPress specifically...
Marketing News [October 2025] Biggest Trends for Small Business Growth
Sales & Support | Mon - Fri 8:00am - 6:00pm (ET)Helpdesk Login | Create Support Ticket | Contact (616) 965-6972 | Request a QuoteDiscover how AI advancements are reshaping digital marketing landscapes, offering unprecedented opportunities for growth...
New Google Ads Transparency Rules: What & Why It Matters
As part of Google’s ongoing push for ad transparency and accountability, advertisers will start seeing some notable changes in how their ad payer information is displayed - especially if you’re an agency or manage clients' accounts. These updates will roll out in...
Super Bowl LIX Ads Showed Us the Future – and It’s Equal Parts AI and Nostalgia
If you caught the Super Bowl this year, chances are the commercials stuck with you just as much as the game itself. And for good reason – the ads during Super Bowl LIX took a noticeably different direction. Less politics, more personality. Less controversy, more...
US Banned TikTok – Alternatives & Affect on Small Businesses / Creators
TikTok Status Update – May 1, 2025 TikTok is still live in the U.S., but the clock is ticking. In April 2024, federal legislation was passed requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban. The original deadline to divest was January 19, 2025, but no sale...
Google Business Updates to Double Verification
Google may now require some businesses to verify their identity with an additional method. Due to the increasing amount of fraudulent Google Business profiles (Google’s business Listing, formerly called “Google My Business”), Google updated its help documents to...
Importance of WordPress Website Updates
Does your Wordpress website need content or plugin updates, but you are too busy to get them completed? When the first lockdowns were put into place in 2020, were you able to make your customers aware of updates to your business operational hours? With...
Is Facebook Down? Is Instagram Down?
Update: 5:30 PM ET 10/04/2021It appears DNS fixes have been implemented, and Facebook is back online for the majority of users as of 5:30 PM ET. Updated: 02:45 PM ET 10/04/2021It was looking like services were possibly being restored with a rapid decline in...
Should I Pay US Domain Authority’s Website Listing? [Scam or a Legit Invoice?]
Update: 09/30/2021 - This post is a public service announcement about 3rd parties sending solicitation mailers that look like real invoices. 616 Marketing Group LLC does not send out these types of solicitations and is not associated with these companies. Many of...
Take advantage of ‘available near me’ searches up over 100% vs. last year
Methods to help your business drive local sales. By Stephen Geldersma, on December 11, 2020 Regardless of the high growth of e-commerce in combination with state lockdowns and a recent Black Friday weekend, many consumers continue to shop locally offline. This is...
MIOSHA Emergency Rules (10-15-2020 Update)
October 15, 2020 - Starting from yesterday to be in effect for 6 months; the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity released a COVID-19 Announcement regarding MIOSHA Emergency Rules.These MIOSHA emergency rules help to clarify employers'...
Fix For Broken Website After Updating to WordPress 5.5
Another reason why managed web hosting can save you from downtime and frustration. The new WordPress 5.5 release is affecting thousands of websites suffering from major Javascript errors. It's not really the fault with WordPress - rather forced compatibility issues...
Google My Business Purge of 2020
Was your Google My Business listing recently suspended or shut down? Over the weekend of 2/14/20 - 2/16/20 Google put in place a massive crack down on spam listings and fake addresses. Unfortunately, despite those good intentions we are seeing chatter online that...
Google Updates NoFollow Links & Introduces 2 New Link Attributes
September 10, 2019 Update to NoFollow Links In the past, when a website links out to another website (external link), oftentimes these websites would add an attribute to the link called ‘Nofollow’ meta tag. This attribute would tell search engines not to ‘follow’...
5 Reasons to Use Wireframes in Web Design
Building a website should be a more in-depth process than placing simple content into some template. It’s certainly possible, but like building a home, if you want quality results with an end goal in mind, you shouldn’t start building without a blueprint. “Oh, we...
Google’s Custom Search mobile layout gets an update
April 25, 2019 - Google's Custom Search has been updated with a new layout. This update includes a redesign of the search box and refinements such as increasing the size of thumbnails and simplified the pagination feature. This refreshed look is mostly affecting...
Google My Business Increases Offers Visibility
March 4, 2019 - Google announced it has changed how they display offers in Google local listings with a dedicated area in the local panel. Display up to 10 offers from your business with Google Posts in Google My Business. Everyone loves a good offer. Boost the...
Google My Business: Improved GMB App Features
Google My Business (GMB) is extending its capabilities from a local directory tool into becoming a customer relationship management and “engagement” platform. The update to the GMB app offers improved customer visibility and additional capabilities down the road...
Our Accolades
Award-Winning Web Designs and Marketing Strategies
616 Marketing Group is a team of experts in various areas such as web design, branding, SEO, and digital marketing. Our company is backed by a plethora of awards that we’ve accumulated over the years, but we never rest on our laurels. Our team consistently innovates and improves to achieve new heights for our clients, both present and future. Whether it’s designing a website or implementing a digital marketing campaign, we strive to deliver exceptional results that exceed our clients’ expectations.