Happy Halloween! (1)

Happy Halloween from Redwood Creative!

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Leaves are falling and owls are hooting into the night- it’s the spookiest time of the year! Happy Halloween from all of us at Redwood Creative. We’ve conjured up a few good movies for everyone to watch, and summoned a few activity ideas. Also, if you didn’t know the history of Halloween, now you will.

The History of Halloween

Dating back 2,000 years ago, the Celtic people (the first people of Ireland and the UK) would celebrate Samhain every October 31. This festival would mark the end of summer, days of harvest, and have some fun before the dreary winter struck. Most importantly, at Samhain, the Celts would light a bonfire and dress in disguise to ward off spirits. Then, when Christianity began to take over in 700 AD, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saint’s Day. Therefore, October 31 became All Hallow’s Eve, then Halloween. Jack-o-lanterns have a Celtic origin too, although Americans popularized using pumpkins to carve the faces that would come to life by candle.

Scary Movies & Halloween Night Ideas

If you haven’t watched all the classic horror films, sit down with a hot apple cider and see why people are always dying to see these movies. Afterwards, lighten up the mood with these activity ideas.

  •  It. A classic movie adaption by horror novelist Stephen King about a mad shape-shifting clown that defies time. The original adaption was a miniseries (1990) starring Tim Curry, while Bill Skårsgard brings the evil clown back to life in It Chapters 1 & 2. 
  • The Orphanage (2007). Not to be confused with The Orphan, this little-less known Spanish film and it is full of secrecy & suspense. It’s about a mother who moves with her son into an empty house that was once the orphanage she grew up in. It has a sad yet heart-warming ending.
  • Hereditary (2018). This one’s got it all: ghosts/demons, gore, jump scares, and psychological mind twists. You’ll be terrified to hear anyone click their tongue again afterwards.

If you need to lighten up the mood afterwards, try making this fall-inspired alcohol-free sangria, with notes of apple for that warm autumn feel. Or, if you’re ready to eat something other than candy, try out these Halloween dinner recipes.

 

Witching you all a very happy Halloween! We hope it’s full of your favorite candy, jack-o-lanterns, and awesome costumes. Be safe and watch out for the boogeyman!

 

Interested in marketing tips? Contact Redwood Creative today!

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What is SEO?

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Without SEO, your audience will never be able to find your website. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is what determines if your page will be on the first or 10th page in Google search results. By perfecting your website and effective advertising, more traffic will come to you. The more your website sees interaction, the better your SEO will be. There are several factors that contribute to optimal search results.

How Does Search Engine Optimization Work?

There are four different types of search: local, image, video, and voice. Search engines send out little bots to go through websites and categorize them into indexes. Then, the search engines will list the sites in each index according to ratings, website quality and configuration, and traffic. Search algorithms will tie what is put into the search engine and retrieve articles with most keywords. In return, the websites with best loading times and link slugs will pop up first. Search engines also consider the device being used, and will bring sites that are mobile-friendly up on mobile browsers.

How To Be a SEO Guru

The most important thing to get your site to the top is effective wording in your headline/title. Use common keyphrases. Authentication is important too. Such as, making sure your website is updated with relevant content and contact information. Also, the image types you use matter. Compressing and using image alt tags will help format images to fit on small phone screens. Lastly, readability is a factor as well.

 

 

Most know what SEO is, but not everyone knows how it works and how to use it to their advantage. By mastering search engine optimization, you can optimize your business. You can consult marketing professionals, such as Redwood Creative, to find all the possibilities of using search engines to your advantage.  Read more about SEO here.

 

Interested in marketing tips? Contact Redwood Creative today!

 

Autumn Equinox Day

Happy Autumn Equinox Day!

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to fall! As the days get shorter, harvest days and holiday spirit gets nearer. Football is starting back up and 100 degree days are gone. Summer will be missed, but it’ll be back before we know it. Now, we’re getting ready for (safe) bonfires and making s’mores over the campfire. In this blog, we’ve put together some fall cheer and tips on how to help you conserve energy in the upcoming cooler months. But first, what is the significance of an autumn equinox?

Autumnal Equinox

It’s just as how the sun is directly at the highest point in the sky on summer solstice day, making it the longest day of the year. Today, on September 22, the sun is directly over the Equator, so day and night are exactly the same amount of time. Now, days will get shorter as the sun moves further away from us. Farmers will start to harvest just ripe produce around this time before the first freeze blankets over their crops. Animals will begin preparing for winter months either by gathering food for hibernation or migrating south to seek warmer weather. Click here to read more on the history of the first day of fall.

 

So, what are some things you can do to get into the fall spirit? We suggest going out for hikes. Not only will the walk be good for you, but it’ll be a great way to see all the changing leaves. Or, go to a state park in your area and have a nice BBQ/picnic, and camping. In order to have COVID-safe football nights, try moving your watch party outside, or online through virtual group conferences. Pumpkin patches may still be open to the public area: support your local farmer by going to a patch. You may be able to catch a hayride or find your way through a corn maze! For indoor fall festivities, decorate your own fall/Halloween wreath. Or, roast pumpkin seeds in the oven for fall snacking, and your house will smell amazing!

Being Environmentally Friendly in Cooler Months

The best part of September and October is being able to turn off the air and open your windows. Letting the outside air freshen up your home could help you save money and electricity/gas. The open windows will illuminate your home, eliminating the need to turn lights on. Use the comfortable weather to your advantage to help save on electricity. It may seem costly to turn your air back on, but only if you’re trying to heat/cool your home a lot. Find out how so here. Also, when it comes to leaves falling on your yard, it is actually better to “leaf” it alone. Raking could tear up your grass. Instead, try mulching the leaves into the grass, helping enrich your soil. Or, just leave as is- the leaves will protect your grass in cold weather, and are beneficial to critters that rely on leaves to build their habitat.

 

 

 

Appreciate the eventful weather and all the beautiful sights that nature has to offer. Enjoy the feel of crisp air in the morning, as well as all the delicious treats that come with fall. We hope you have a great autumn season!

 

Interested in marketing tips? Contact Redwood Creative today!

 

 

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Indicators of a Spam vs. Legitimate Website

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The Internet is a helpful resource for many things in our daily lives. We research, online shop, job hunt, and more. Due to our growing dependency on the Internet, it is important to be able to tell when a site looks fishy or if it’s safe to go ahead. If you venture into a spam site, you could accidentally download a virus and/or invite hackers into your system. It’s rare for smartphones to contract a virus, but it is possible. Also, hackers could steal your identity and personal information. To protect yourself, your family, and your computer/smart device, inform yourself on how to not fall into a spam site’s trap.

A bad website looks… bad.

An example of a spam website

If it looks suspicious, trust your feelings. The number one indicator of a bad website is if it’s littered with ads. A few ads on a page is fine, but if you fall into a sea of ads, X out immediately. Most likely, all of the “ads” are fake and actually contain a virus that will activate if you click on it. This also applies to pop-up ads claiming that you’ve won a free iPhone. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Spam ads are often flashy and exaggerated, such as shaking around. It is important that you close out the website, not just the ad. Even trying to close just the ad can result in damage.

Spam sites will also contain links leading to nowhere, will look outdated, and overall, looks inconsistent. Even little mistakes such as typos could be a red flag. They can pose as any type of website: movie/ TV streaming site, online clothing store, articles, ect. The page will look somewhat barren (aside from all the ads) and disorganized. If there’s no credibility, such as lack of contact info and incorrect facts, indicates an unreliable site.

A good site provides service and information, not viruses.

A legitimate company wants to form a trustful relationship with their website visitors, especially if there’s money involved. A good company will want to continuously receive your support, so they won’t scam you. You can be reassured that it’s a safe site if it looks clean and organized, and provides credibility. The most sure sign is the padlock HTTPS accompanying the URL. If there’s a link for you to report anything wrong, that’s a great sign that the site only has the best intentions.

 

There’s a grey area of poorly designed sites that are still safe and spam sites that appear to be good enough. Use your best judgement and be safe than sorry. When in doubt, try searching for reviews and ratings with Google Safe Browsing Transparency Report.

 

Interested in finding out more? Contact Redwood Creative today!