Local content is successful content. This truth defines the SEO world, causing a flurry of directory links, media affiliations and keyword string creations. Writers and designers alike spend their days crafting city-centric data.

Trying to find publishing sources for that data, however, often proves challenging. Companies are forever seeking new ways to saturate the web, wanting more than traditional networks and blogs can offer. To compete on the local market niche targeting is needed.

This is why Webstager suggests using these underrated - but crucial - publishing options:

Community Newsletters

Link local content (such as product promotions or sales opportunities) to digital newsletters. This information will then be sent through a series of mailing lists, connecting it to relevant demographics. It can also be published online to allow for stronger indexing.

Community Forums

Though often dismissed for their low social authorities, community forums can prove vital to local SEO. Post content (such as press releases or event schedules) directly to neighborhood boards. It will be seen by a small, but targeted, audience and generate results.

These postings also establish channels of communication, enabling companies to answer any questions or comments their customers may have. This improves service and often translates to better reviews.

City Directories

City directories are an oft-ignored options that can deliver steady results. These sites - which are managed by local authorities and administrators - provide profiles of current businesses and services. Not all of these profiles are optimized, however, and they don’t generate SERPs.

Take control of the listing! Contribute as much information as possible (business name, address, phone number, images and more) to strengthen the content and ensure higher rankings among engine crawlers.

By taking advantage of these local SEO options companies can bolster their efforts and invigorate their sales.

Want to learn more about local SEO? Contact Webstager today! We’ll be happy to answer any questions, as well as create custom social strategies. 

SEO was once defined by endless backlinks and keyword stacks, all shoved into blogs that were unappealing in both design and content. This was, marketers assumed, the only way to generate high SERPs and higher traffic.

Times have changed (much to Webstager’s delight) and SEO is finally expanding its white-hat wardrobe. Check out these survey results, as provided by the Content Marketing Institute. They reveal the new - and varied - ways companies are now producing information:

Social Media Postings (Non-Blog Related): 92%
Newsletters: 83%
Website Articles: 81%
Blogs: 80%
In-Person and Real-Time Promotions: 77%
Case Studies: 77%
Videos: 76%
Illustrations and Original Images: 69%
White Papers: 68%
Online Presentations: 65%
Infographics: 62%
Webinars and Webcasts: 61%
Research Reports: 49%
Microsites: 47%

These trends provide insight into a more dynamic SEO world. By combining multiple mediums content creators can better define their data. Audience targeting is improved and search rankings increase (particularly in the wake of recent Google algorithm changes, which no longer reward traditional tactics and instead focus on consumer-centric branding). Weaving information through blogs, studies and videos ensures success.

This is why Webstager - along with our sister-site, One Big Broadcast- is proud to offer multi-tier services. Contact us to take advantage of this shift toward comprehensive marketing and design.

SEO content is defined by infinite possibilities - and equally infinite challenges. Writers, media mavens and coders alike often find themselves struggling to generate the results they need. Their brands falter and their social authorities tumble. Trying to keep pace with an ever-changing design scheme proves difficult.

Why? Because their sites and strategies haven’t been audited.

A SEO audit proves crucial to all content creators, helping them determine which elements succeed and which instead fail miserably. To accomplish this site owners should:

Check indexed pages (are all pages listed and, more importantly, is the homepage listed first?).

Check meta tags, title tags and meta descriptions for optimization (are they the appropriate character lengths and do they feature consumer-centric information?).

Verify that all important information is highlighted with the appropriate heading tags.

Verify that all page titles are optimized and on-point.

Identify any improper URL structures.

Identify any improper text formations (access source codes to find any stray special characters or HTML issues).

Confirm that ALT tags have been used on every image.

Confirm that all duplicated content has been removed from the server.

By following this checklist site creators can better assess their content - and learn how to improve it.

Baffled by auditing? Webstager can help! Contact us to learn more about this process, as well as how to enhance your SEO capabilities.

Desktop searches once reigned supreme. Users flocked to their computers - typing queries eagerly against their keyboards, seeking out digital data with the press of a mouse. This was the established way to find information.

Times have changed, however, and Webstager now reports that mobile searches have overtaken their desktop counterparts.

According to Google, more searches “take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries (including the US and Japan).” Rates have grown exponentially within the last five years, and consumers are now relying on their smartphones to access digital data. Desktops have been officially replaced.

What does this mean for SEO content?

Webstager stresses the importance of responsive design. Sites must adapt to multi-channel formats, with all content posted to a fluid grid. This will ensure that all sizing and scrolling components remain seamless. It will also ensure that users can easily interact with data from their screens.

This is a cornerstone of any modern SEO strategy. Smartphones define both gateway pages and social postings. Companies that refuse to acknowledge this will soon find themselves lagging behind in the virtual race - and a first place SERP will prove impossible.

Responsive design is critical for today’s SEO. Mobile searches are here to stay.

To learn about responsive design contact us.

Ornithophobia (a fear of birds) has been spreading among SEO creators. With every update of Google’s Penguin, Pigeon and Hummingbird programs - a series of algorithms that strip rankings and undermine once proven techniques - sites have been suffering. Content has been penalized and links have been blocked, causing SERPs to change quickly and frequently.

Webstager has learned to adapt to these changes. Other companies, however, have not - and a recent reveal of Google’s local SEO penalties proves why. Many sites are failing to gain traction because:

Lack of Substance

Search spiders feast on content - words, links and images. A common issue among sites, however, is a lack of (relevant, user-friendly) substance. Information is presented sparsely and gateway pages are few. This leads to plummeting ranks.

Keyword Spamming

Flooding pages with localized keywords once yielded fantastic results. Now, however, Google’s algorithms recognize this tactic for what it is: black-hat spamming. Sites that rely on spamming will see their SERPs fall and their authority scores weaken.

Broad Tactics

Local SEO is meant to contain searches to specific areas. It’s not meant to highlight entire countries. Too often do site creators target the broadest audiences possible, stringing together keywords too weak to be ranked. Limiting the focus becomes essential.

These methods prove all too damaging online, drawing ire from Google’s many bird-themed algorithms. To avoid the feathery fallout site owners must utilize modern SEO techniques - and let Webstager redefine their content and their strategies.

To read more about Google’s penalties click here.

To start a new local SEO campaign contact us.

It’s finally happened. Mobilegeddon has come.

For months SEO creators have been preparing - and dreading - Mobilegeddon, Google’s latest algorithm that demands a full responsive shift. While the program was originally intended for an April 21st premiere, it’s taken weeks for the full effects to be felt. Page rankings haven’t changed and penalties haven’t been incurred.... until now.

According to Gary Illyes - a trend analyst for Google - the mobile roll-out has finally happened and results will soon start to evolve. In a recent interview with Search Engine Land he said: “Not all pages were reindexed yet so they don’t have the new scores.” As the program penetrates the top-ranked data, however, this will change.

What does this mean for SEO companies? They'll have to adapt their strategies, utilizing mobile formatting and responsive content. All sites must be tailored to a modern audience (as well as digital-hungry web crawlers).

Webstager isn’t worried. We’ve long since embraced mobile design, offering our clients multi-tiered navigational strategies for all devices.

To learn more about mobile formatting contact us today!


To learn more of Gary Illyes' comments on Mobilegeddon click here.

Within the SEO world Pinterest is often dismissed. Companies become distracted by the bright colors and dizzy patterns, thinking the site nothing more than a candy-inspired confection of images. It  simply contains too much information to be effective.

Webstager knows the truth, however: this is a niche networking powerhouse, capable of generating high traffic and long-lasting results.

When creating a SEO plan don’t ignore Pinterest’s many niche categories. All photos can be pinned to a variety of internal networks, each defined by specific products, services or descriptions. These sub-directories provide limitless customization options and help users better promote their content.

Consider this example:

An automotive dealer wishes to share photos of a vintage vehicle. A visit to the Popular Board, however, proves daunting, with far too many images posted there to compete with. He won’t be able to find an audience. His content would instead be lost.

He must choose a different strategy -  a niche strategy. This is why he posts to the Luxury Cars Board, the Classic Cars Board and even the Ferrari Board (which is fitting since he has a Ferrari).

By simply selecting niche networks the dealer can seek out the right demographics and ensure greater visibility. This is the true power of Pinterest - and it’s a power Webstager knows how to harness for improved SEO.

Contact us today to learn more about niche networking on Pinterest.

It’s the eternal online struggle: classic SEO techniques versus trendy tactics. Can companies battle for demographics by giving in to the rising fads? Is it possible to embrace new methods, even if they’re not destined to last?

Webstager has the answer: yes.

A successful SEO strategy is built on a foundation of quality content and classic marketing. Infusing a site with current trends, however, is essential when trying to attract key demographics (especially those in the coveted 18 to 25 bracket).

This is the age of the tech-hungry consumer, with every spare minute devoted to new sites and innovative applications. Users are forever flocking to the next-big-thing... and so should companies.

Keep track of popular sites and networks. These reflect current consumer interests and, when used properly, can become a central part of any SEO strategy. Develop new profiles; create shareable posts; rise to the top of niche directories. Monitor where users are going and then follow. Stay abreast of all developing social trends.

Pairing traditional content with responsive tactics will increase traffic, visibility and sales - and what’s better than that?

Short-term trends can provide long-term results. Contact Webstager to learn more.

Penguin 6.0 has made a comfortable nest in Google’s search results. It will soon, however, have to share this white-hat home.

During Search Marketing Expo East (an annual event that showcases the latest SEO and SEM techniques) Google's Gary Illyes remarked on the impending arrival of a new Penguin program. The refresher application will make “both webmasters and users happy,” he said. It will provide faster indexing times and increase the algorithm’s overall capabilities.

These improvements are certain to bolster the SEO process, forcing sites to invest in organic techniques. Black-hat methods will soon be eliminated, leaving only user-friendly formats. The emphasis will be on mobile searches and dynamic content.

Webstager can’t wait.

To learn more about how we'll adapt to the upcoming Penguin program (and how we'll strengthen your site) contact us today.

To learn more about the Search Marketing Expo East visit its official site.

It’s the easiest of steps: a phone number is typed across a page, meant to provide consumers with direct access to your business. You format it as you always have, with a series of parentheses and extension dashes; and you then move on to more pressing matters, thinking this task is complete.

It may not be.

Formatting phone numbers is problematic. Special characters often prove difficult for engines to understand, and improper spacing can cause reader discomfort. It can be a challenge to choose the right style - one that will be pleasing to the eye and optimized for local searches.

Webstager offers advice on what to avoid.

Don’t Use Periods

Occasionally phone numbers will be written in a period format: 123.456.7890. This provides less space between the numerals and makes them harder for guests to read. It's also disastrous for engines, with crawlers unable to catalogue the area code. This reduces the local search value.

Be Sparing With Parentheses

The parenthetical format is the most common: (123) 456 - 7890. Avoid adding too many parentheses, however, since these are considered special characters and may confuse search engines and readers like.

Only surround the area code. Do not enclose the extension: (12) (123)-456-7890.

Stay Away From Spelling

Often businesses will choose numbers that spell out a particular phrase or slogan: 1-800-EXA-MPLE. Avoid this format. Search engines will not recognize it and will, therefore, refuse to index it within local directories. 

A phone number should be simply displayed and easy to find. This is the only way to ensure local SEO success.

To learn more about the formatting process contact Webstager.