Burkan Bur
With over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and agency work, I’ve led projects for major clients like Amazon, Hilton, Doordash, OWN, SC Johnson, Sharp Healthcare, Intel, American Express, and Experian.
As the Managing Director and Head of SEO at The Ad Firm, my role involves leading client relationships, managing project deliverables, and expanding accounts to provide an exceptional customer experience. I’m responsible for setting strategic direction in various aspects of digital marketing, including SEO, content marketing, digital PR, social networking, and keeping up with the latest trends and algorithm changes.
What I like most about my role
I love collaborating with businesses to help them achieve their sales goals. My role allows me to work closely with my team, focusing on mentoring, training, and running a department that promotes efficiency and value. I enjoy the challenge of communicating complex strategies to technical teams and executives alike, ensuring that everyone is aligned toward our common goals.
Additionally, I take pride in effectively bridging communication between technical development teams and top-level executives, including CMOs and CEOs, which is crucial for cohesive strategy and execution across all levels.
Past Work Experience
Starting my career as a programmer and developer, I have a unique perspective combining technical expertise and strategic acumen. I hold an MBA from Bilgi University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Istanbul, and proud to have started and taught the first-ever SEO and analytics courses at UCSD.Â
My extensive experience includes leading and developing teams. I’ve been in this industry since the early days of Internet marketing, witnessing its evolution and the emergence of new trends firsthand.
Certifications:
- Business Management in Marketing, UCSD
- Web Development, UCSD
- Project Management, UCSD
- Google AdWords certification, Google
- Google Analytics certification, Google
- Advanced Search Engine Strategies, Search Engine Workshops
Hobbies outside work
Outside of my professional life, I’m an avid world traveler, martial artist, basketball player, and dancer. These activities not only keep me physically active but also foster a sense of creativity and balance in my life.
Articles Written by Burkan Bur
Local SEO for Gyms and Fitness Studios: Competing With National Chains Locally
National gym chains have big ad budgets, recognizable names, and websites with years of authority behind them. When someone searches “gym near me,” it’s easy to assume those brands will always take the top spots.
Image SEO for AI Search: File Names, Captions, and Structured Data That Get You Found
To help AI search and traditional search engines find and understand your images, give each image a descriptive file name, place it near a caption or text that explains it, and connect it to the
Preparing Your Local SEO for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Searches
Every November, the same problem plays out for local businesses: search volume spikes, shoppers are actively looking, and the Google Business Profile hasn’t been updated in weeks. Hours are wrong. The deals page isn’t live.
Google Business Profile Products Tab: An Underused Feature for Local Visibility
Most businesses fill in their Google Business Profile basics, such as hours, phone number, photos, and categories, then stop there. The Products tab often sits empty, even though it gives you space to show exactly
How Seasonal Content Updates Improve Both SEO Rankings and AI Freshness Signals
Your content was ranking. Traffic was steady. Then, gradually, it wasn’t. Rankings dipped, click-through rates declined, and your pages stopped appearing in AI-generated answers. Nothing changed on your end, which is exactly the problem. Search
Holiday Hours on Google Business Profile: A Pre-Q4 Checklist for Local Businesses
A customer checks your hours on Google, drives to your location, and finds it closed. The hours on your profile said you were open. They leave frustrated, write a one-star review, and tell their friends.
Podcast Show Notes as an AEO Asset: Turning Audio Into Citable Text
Podcast show notes become an answer engine optimization (AEO) asset when they turn what was said in an episode into clear, structured text that AI engines can find, understand, and cite. Most answer engines work
Meta AI and Local Search: What Businesses Should Know
Meta AI is changing how people find local businesses on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Instead of scrolling through search results, people can ask Meta AI for a nearby restaurant, salon, or service provider and
How to Get Your Business Recommended by Perplexity AI
To get your business recommended by Perplexity AI, make sure Perplexity can access your website, publish clear answers to the questions your customers ask, and build consistent information about your business across trusted third-party sources.
Do Customer Testimonials Help Local SEO? What the Evidence Shows
Customer testimonials can support local SEO, but they are not a direct ranking shortcut. Their value comes from the information they provide about a business, its services, and the experiences of real customers. There is
Can AI Search Engines Understand Video Without a Transcript?
Yes, AI search engines can understand parts of your video without a transcript, but they may not interpret or cite it as accurately. Multimodal AI models can recognize visuals, speech, objects, and actions, yet search
Does Microsoft Copilot Use Bing Data? What That Means for Your SEO
Yes. Microsoft Copilot uses Bing data to find and reference current information from the web. That means your visibility in Bing can also affect your chances of appearing in Copilot answers. If Bing cannot properly