Digital Natives. Small Business Focused. Minnesota-Based.
Blue Ox Websites & Marketing is based in Minnesota, with remote employees across Central Minnesota and the Twin Cities. We love helping small businesses, startups, and nonprofits get found online so they can spend less time worrying about their website or marketing and more time serving customers.
We’re dedicated to strengthening our local economies and communities, which calls for resilient businesses. Most of our team members stay with us for 8 years or more, not just because we build great websites, but also because we value learning, teamwork, remote work, and family.
What Drives Blue Ox
Mission
We build innovative websites and honest marketing strategies to help small businesses and nonprofits grow—and make a bigger impact in communities.
Vision
We’re here to grow alongside local small businesses and nonprofits, building lasting partnerships that help communities thrive.
Guiding Values
Creativity: Custom solutions, not cookie-cutter.
Reliability: We show up and follow through.
Approachability: No jargon, no gatekeeping.
Community: We grow with the businesses and nonprofits we support.
Remote First
At Blue Ox, we prioritize flexibility and choice while focusing on making meaningful connections with our coworkers and clients. While we’re primarily virtual and WFH, our teams meet in person a few times per year to celebrate accomplishments and brainstorm big, new ideas.
Benefits & Perks
Flexible PTO & Company Holidays
Prioritized work-life balance, with flexible PTO and 23-25 observed days off.
Family Planning
Paid family and medical leave, including for adoption.
Employer-Matching 401K
50-100% retirement matching.
Perks & Stipends
Monthly internet and equipment allowances to support remote work.
Learning & Development
Mentorship from senior team members, conferences, certifications, and online learning opportunities.
And More!
Meet the Blue Ox Team
Meet the team! We’re a small, local crew of real people who care about helping businesses succeed online.
Employees
Logan Gruber
ReFounder / Marketing Director
Base: Sauk Centre, Minnesota
Tenure: 2016
Katie Carlson
Designer / Developer
Base: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Tenure: 2015
Kelsey Meyer
Designer / Developer
Base: St. Joseph, Minnesota
Tenure: 2017
Jonathan Gamble
Writer / SEO
Base: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Tenure: 2024
Zeineb Kadhkadhi
Social Media / Designer
Base: St. Cloud State University
Tenure: 2018
Jen Gruber
Social Media / Designer
Base: Sauk Centre, Minnesota
Tenure: 2024
Careers At Blue Ox
Application
3 Creative Ways To Get More Positive Online Reviews
/in Reviews, SEOThe goal of any business should be to get more positive online reviews.
Online reviews drive consumers to visit your website or brick-and-mortar location, creating more opportunities to create loyal customers. In a recent survey by BrightLocal, 57% of consumers visit a local business’ website after reading online reviews and another 15% call the business directly.
Here at Cohlab, we have our own online reputation management tool which helps businesses like yours get more positive online reviews and display them. For only $75, you can have the peace of mind that you are gaining and monitoring those testimonials while also driving additional customers to your website.
Let’s look at 3 creative ways our tool helps you get more positive online reviews.
1. Ask For Reviews
Why should you ask customers for reviews? Research by Emarketer shows that if asked directly, 20% more users will post a testimonial as compared to not asking at all!
Asking is a powerful tool, and our online reputation management allows you to automate asking so you don’t have to think about it. Once a customer’s information is in the tool, it will send them an email asking them to review your business, and will remind them periodically if they have not done it yet.
2. Make Reviewing Easy
Our tool guides your customers through the process, making it easy. Through a link in their email they are taken to a page where they can choose where to leave a testimonial. They can choose from any set of websites you would like including Facebook, Google, Yelp, Fandango, YellowPages, etc.
3. Solve Negative Reviews Before They Are Posted
Research has shown 70% of customers who post negative reviews do so only in the hope the business will respond, so it is a huge advantage that Cohlab’s online reputation management tool allows you to see negative testimonials before they are posted online.
This allows you to contact the customer privately, solve their problem, and possibly leverage them into a positive review instead!
Are You Ready To Get More Positive Reviews?
Click the button below to start gaining positive reviews and monitoring your brand across more than 50 review sites.
How Does Your Business Compare?
Use our free Review Scan to generate an instant reputation report and see how your business currently appears on local review sites.
“Cohlaboration” With Cohlab
At Cohlab, we have worked closely with many businesses to help them achieve great success in their online review management efforts. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and provide Cohlaborative digital marketing solutions to meet your company’s needs.
3 Creative Ways To Get More Positive Online Reviews
/in Reviews, SEOThe goal of any business should be to get more positive online reviews.
Online reviews drive consumers to visit your website or brick-and-mortar location, creating more opportunities to create loyal customers. In a recent survey by BrightLocal, 57% of consumers visit a local business’ website after reading online reviews and another 15% call the business directly.
Here at Cohlab, we have our own online reputation management tool which helps businesses like yours get more positive online reviews and display them. For only $75, you can have the peace of mind that you are gaining and monitoring those testimonials while also driving additional customers to your website.
Let’s look at 3 creative ways our tool helps you get more positive online reviews.
1. Ask For Reviews
Why should you ask customers for reviews? Research by Emarketer shows that if asked directly, 20% more users will post a testimonial as compared to not asking at all!
Asking is a powerful tool, and our online reputation management allows you to automate asking so you don’t have to think about it. Once a customer’s information is in the tool, it will send them an email asking them to review your business, and will remind them periodically if they have not done it yet.
2. Make Reviewing Easy
Our tool guides your customers through the process, making it easy. Through a link in their email they are taken to a page where they can choose where to leave a testimonial. They can choose from any set of websites you would like including Facebook, Google, Yelp, Fandango, YellowPages, etc.
3. Solve Negative Reviews Before They Are Posted
Research has shown 70% of customers who post negative reviews do so only in the hope the business will respond, so it is a huge advantage that Cohlab’s online reputation management tool allows you to see negative testimonials before they are posted online.
This allows you to contact the customer privately, solve their problem, and possibly leverage them into a positive review instead!
Are You Ready To Get More Positive Reviews?
Click the button below to start gaining positive reviews and monitoring your brand across more than 50 review sites.
How Does Your Business Compare?
Use our free Review Scan to generate an instant reputation report and see how your business currently appears on local review sites.
“Cohlaboration” With Cohlab
At Cohlab, we have worked closely with many businesses to help them achieve great success in their online review management efforts. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and provide Cohlaborative digital marketing solutions to meet your company’s needs.
3 Bold Lies: You Get What You Pay For With SEO Prices
/in SEO, Web DesignWhen you are unfamiliar with search engine optimization (SEO), the pricing structure can seem arbitrary. Even though it can be difficult to understand without experience, be wary of firms who seem to promise something which doesn’t quite seem right or possible at all, or at least given their SEO prices, because you get what you pay for. Let’s go over 3 bold lies told about SEO ‘black hat’ firms tell to watch out for.
1. “We Can Make Your Website Rank #1 On Google.”
What a load of hooey! No honest SEO firm can guarantee your website will rank #1 on any search engine, no matter the price. Google’s webmaster guidelines state very clearly to be wary of firms and consulting agencies which guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
While everyone would love to rank first, it is simply never guaranteed and never should be. In fact, reputable companies will admit outright they can’t guarantee results.
2. “We Can Fix Your SEO In 1 Month.”
The Internet is a living, breathing beast. Change is constant, with websites moving up and down in search engine rankings as users find value in their information or layout.
SEO requires constant monitoring and adjustments to strategy based on Google’s ever-changing algorithms as well as the changing needs of your customers. A firm’s first obligation is to make your online presence useful to customers and second to improve your alignment with Google’s algorithm. Search engine optimization does not happen in a vacuum; your competitors are also constantly working and improving which can place them above you in search results if you don’t keep up.
One month is a completely unrealistic timeframe to work on an SEO campaign for two reasons: 1. If you stop working on it after 1 month, you will fall behind; and, 2. One month is simply not enough time to have any sort of impact. Most work done needs 3-6 months before results can be seen. No amount of money can create long-lasting, effective search engine rankings in 1 month.
You need a firm who can work with your company for the foreseeable future and make recommendations and improvements as you go.
3. “We Use Foreign Contractors To Save You Money.”
While this one might not technically be a lie, it is still a terrible tactic for a good search engine optimization firm to pursue.
Yes, using foreign workers may save money in the short-run, but the quality is going to be much lower. Google’s rules change quickly and are intricate. Experience in the field as well as a strong grasp of the language surrounding SEO are paramount to executing a strategy.
You get what you pay for, and often outdated tactics will get your website penalized in the rankings by Google.
You Get What You Pay For With SEO Prices
When hiring a firm, do your homework. The second you hear one of these lies, or feel their SEO prices don’t match their promises, it’s time to start looking at other options.
Always be sure to check out a firm’s website and reviews to make sure they can do the things you are looking for.
Cohlab Digital Marketing has great reviews and tons of information about search engine optimization. If you’d like to learn about our pricing, let us know.