It seems so simple: devote every second to optimizing content. Write pages that impress, using keyword strings and affiliate links to bolster their appeal. All information will be marketed to engines and readers alike.

Content encompasses far more than paragraphs, however, and too often are images overlooked in the quest for SERP domination.

Optimize your photos with alt-text

Alt-text (known formally as alternative text) is the description given to an image. It is, traditionally, less than 100 characters and formatted as a searchable keyword. Its original intent was to allow visually impaired users to better understand what was on a screen, offering a description of objects, places or individuals. As time progressed, however, its SEO value became apparent.

By using alt-text companies can now increase the amount of information web-crawlers can track. This improves overall indexing and also inserts the photo into search engine galleries (such as Google Images). Sites then gain visibility and reap the rewards.

It’s a strategy that works - and Webstager has mastered it.

Let us help you create engine-ready alt-text and further optimize your site. Contact us today.

First impressions are the most important. It’s all too unfortunate, therefore, that most sites earn little favor with web-crawlers - simply because their homepages haven’t been optimized.

Sites succeed based on how crawlers perceive them and, while all content is intended for consumers, it’s the hidden text that most defines how data is ultimately judged. Meta tags, title descriptions and more all combine to entice engines; and properly optimizing a homepage helps to ensure success.

Create A Page Title

Choose a title that reflects both your business and your services. Be concise.

Build A Meta Description

Include a meta description. This snippet (which is up to 150 characters long) should provide keyword-rich details about your company. Do not exceed the character limit. That will negatively impact how it’s ranked by web-crawlers.

Anchor Links

Web-crawlers feast on links. It’s important, therefore, to add them to the homepage. Use internal pages that support the text and try to highlight keywords whenever possible.

Simplify Coding

Keep all HTML coding streamlined on your homepage. An excess of special characters will confuse crawlers and lower rankings.

An optimized homepage is an engine-friendly homepage. Learn more about how to improve the overall quality and appearance of your site (as well as how to make a strong first impression) by contacting Webstager today.

SEO demands simplicity. Content should be consumer-friendly; layouts should be responsive; and links should never redirect.

That last point often proves the most difficult to achieve.

Redirection is the process of forwarding a web page to another URL. It typically occurs when links are broken (whether by new codes, changed domain names or accidental duplications). Many companies suffer from this problem, but few spare the time to fix it.

This is a mistake.

Redirects negatively impact SERP rankings, undoing even the best SEO efforts. As web-crawlers scan a site’s internal coding, they eventually stumble upon the broken links. This causes confusion, with the crawlers unable to determine the proper locations of specific pages. Thinking this could be a black-hat technique, they flag the links and deliver a warning.

If that warning is ignored - or if the redirected pages remain - penalties can often be issued, resulting in lowered SERPs and weakened credibility.

It’s imperative, therefore, that companies maintain their URLs. Avoid redirects whenever possible and regularly test all links. Don’t let one awkward code create a bevy of problems.

To learn more about redirection and its impact on SEO contact Webstager.

Webstager has often praised cross-channel marketing. We’ve detailed its many advantages and we’ve embraced its many benefits. Despite our best efforts, however, some of our Vancouver clients remain unconvinced, shackled to their single-source SEO strategies and afraid of dynamic platforms.

A new study may change that.

According to Marin Software, an online advertisement analyst, cross-channel marketing drastically improves the organic click rates and overall presence of websites. Consider these statistics:

In April 2014 companies that targeted traffic through multiple sources received 0.18% of click rates, while those only favoring websites earned 0.07%.

In May 2014 those using cross-channel marketing generated 0.19% of click rates, while those with single strategies remained stagnant at 0.07%.

In June 2014 cross-channel marketing increased to 0.20% of all click rates, while website-only efforts saw no change.

This three-month study showcases significant differences between cross-channel promotion and its singular counterpart. Those relying only on their sites saw no growth, limiting their sales and undermining their SEO efforts.

There’s no value in that.

Utilize multiple marketing options. Contact Webstager today to learn more about redefining your SEO tactics.

Media marketing rests on a simple foundation: appeal to the consumer. Provide content that engages, informs and delights. This will translate to high sales and strong SEO. 

On Pinterest, however, it will also translate to steady re-pins.

Marketers, take heed: no SEO strategy is complete without a Pinterest account and no Pinterest account can survive without re-pins. When customers share content they help to define both the brand and its social presence. This generates organic search results, which have long-lasting impacts on SERPs and success.

Understanding which photos inspire the most re-pins is, therefore, essential - and Webstager recommends that every marketer pay attention to these Pinterest trends (as discovered by Curalate, an analytics firm):

Images with portrait styles are more likely to be re-pinned than those with landscapes.

Images with multi-color designs more likely to be re-pinned than single-color options.

Images with lower saturation levels are more likely to be re-pinned than those with higher levels.

Images with less than 30% empty background space are most often re-pinned.

Images with smooth textures are most often re-pinned.

This data helps companies bolster their marketing campaigns, allowing them to choose photos that are more aesthetically pleasing. This will ensure re-pins, which will then provide greater site exposure and sales.

Create compositions that impress on Pinterest. Contact Webstager to learn more.

Optimization is the process of energizing a website’s online presence. Every page is embedded with relevant content; every layout is shaped to responsive design; and every link is carefully inserted. The intention is to improve SERPs and gain recognition.

Without a multi-social strategy, however, that intention will fail.

Companies must embrace a multi-social strategy. Confining content to websites is a mistake, with consumers forced to seek out one specific page to find one specific product. This drastically reduces overall visibility and limits traffic. More channels are needed to ensure success.

Consider these alternatives:

Social Media Networks
Local Directories
Blogs
Newsletters
Press Releases
Video Streams
Image Directories
News Feeds
Email Lists

By using multiple sources for content companies can better reach their target audiences. The information gains traction, leaping from one link to the next. Traffic is increased and overall SERP performance is bolstered, ensuring success for the future.

Gain page rankings through a multi-faceted strategy. Learn more about this process by contacting Webstager today.

Every site-creator has one dream: to reach the first page of Google, leaping past competitors and earning a coveted SERP. Turning that dream into a reality once only required local SEO techniques. A few backlinks and some database entries could ensure high results.

Now, however, times have changed - and HTTPS reigns supreme. Secure servers deliver strong SERPs on Google.

During the 2014 Search Marketing Expo (an annual event that examines analytic trends and SEO strategies) Google made a shocking announcement: 30% of its top ranked sites contained at least one HTTPS protocol. These sites were generating high traffic and consistent sales.

Why? It was explained that the Penguin algorithm was automatically detecting this formatting style. It chose to reward sites that emphasized security over keyword stuffing, and the page positions were changed accordingly (despite the fact that this was never an intended part of the program and Google never actively sought HTTPS signals).

This proves the effectiveness of Penguin, showcasing how its web crawlers instinctively seek out page quality over page quantity - and this promises a positive future for SEO. Adhering to the HTTPS trend will force site-creators to provide readers with safe and effective content.

And this is always a good thing.

To learn more about HTTPS and its impact on SERPs contact Webstager. Ask us also how to better adapt sites to the new Penguin formula.

A picture is worth a thousand words - but, on Pinterest, a caption is worth a higher SERP.

Since 2010 Pinterest has served as an image hub, providing users with shareable content and striking visuals. It has also become a favored marketing option, with most SEO strategists taking advantage of its easy interfacing and quick results.

Those wishing to use the site to its full advantage, however, must do more than upload photos. They must also upload descriptions.

Create concise, relevant descriptions for every image. Don’t rely exclusively on hashtags (these have less impact on external search rankings and won’t raise overall visibility. They’re more trendy than helpful). Instead provide spider-friendly text, filled with both short-tail and long-tail keywords. This will ensure higher SERPs, with engines able to better recognize the content and index it accordingly.

It will also improve an account’s rankings within the Pinterest site itself. Descriptions provide easier filtering through internal searches. This allows users to quickly find the information they need, generating higher traffic and better brand awareness.

Captions promise successful SEO - and this should never be ignored.

Contact Webstager to learn more about Pinterest marketing.

Each day sees a flurry of activity on Facebook.

55 million status updates are created.

50% of the estimated 1.23 billion active users log-in.

Each of these users averages 21 minutes of posting.

None can deny that Facebook is a self-contained social structure, generating some of the Internet’s most popular content. Utilizing it for SEO has long since been recognized as a wise decision and endless campaigns have been crafted around the like/dislike phenomenon. A recent mobile upgrade, however, will transform the marketing process entirely.

Facebook has officially launched a mobile like button for phones. This feature will allow consumers to navigate the site from their iOs or Android platforms, selecting (and sharing) content more efficiently. Every post will be formatted to a smart-screen.

Webstager knows this will have immediate effects on the mobile marketing process. With consumers now able to engage more directly with Facebook, companies will have to strengthen their posts. Data will have to be responsively designed and creatively composed to ensure that it’s shared. Streamlined content will prevail, and cross-device optimization will be crucial.

This will usher in a new era of mobile marketing - and we can’t wait.

To learn more about the mobile like button click here.

To learn more about responsive SEO contact us.

Anonymity defines the online world. Identities are shielded, content is tucked behind IP scramblers, and HTTPS lines secure every communication. Users can disguise themselves with proxy-masks and hidden URLs.

Companies wishing to connect with their consumers, however, must be willing to abandon those disguises and verify their sites - especially on hubs like Pinterest. This is the only way to fully optimize brands and ensure stronger social SEO.

When creating an account on Pinterest companies must verify their websites. Though this process is considered tedious (requiring a series of HTML tags and code injections), it serves two important functions:

One: it proves that the account user is indeed a representative of the company. This helps to build consumer trust, which then translates to greater engagement. Target audiences are more likely to communicate with verified accounts, creating a series of pins, posts and comments.

Two: it increases overall visibility, with verified boards more easily indexed in external engines and given preferential treatment within the Pinterest site itself (internal searches are more likely to focus on these accounts, rather than those that remain unverified. Expect higher rankings and consistent traffic).

These are advantages that can’t be denied… or ignored. Verified websites strengthen the Pinterest experience, making it a more viable marketing option and a greater weapon in the SEO arsenal.

And that is always worth pursing.

Contact Webstager to learn more about Pinterest and the verification process.