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Archives for February 2022

Using SEO Analysis Tools for Keyword Research

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In the competitive online world, having a website isn’t enough. You need to leverage your content to appeal to search engine algorithms. Fortunately, local SEO services can help. However, it’s essential that you understand the basics to work closely with professionals. Otherwise, you may not be able to communicate your goals effectively.

If you’ve never implemented search engine optimization before, the field can seem overwhelming. However, SEO is relatively straightforward, and since it’s been around for three decades, there are some tried-and-true approaches you can learn.

How Local SEO Services Find Keyword Ideas

A common question from SEO novices is: Which keywords will benefit my company, and how can I find them? The best way to start is a list.

To make your list of potential keywords, write down terms related to your industry, existing website content and blog posts. For example, if you sell sewing machines, “sewing machine” is a great phrase to list.

Expand each one into a potential topic once you have about 20 items. To continue our example, you can expand “sewing machine” into the following topics:

  • Top 10 sewing machine models
  • Best sewing machine features
  • Signs you need a new sewing machine
  • Sewing machine repair
  • Buy sewing machine
  • Sewing machine shops near me

Which topics you create depends on what you offer as a business. For instance, if you don’t provide repair services, you shouldn’t use topics including that word.

It’s also a good idea to see what keywords other businesses in your industry are using. While you shouldn’t copy competitors keyword-for-keyword, learning from their successes (and mistakes) is valuable. You can take an approach that generates high search engine results rankings and tweak it to fit your needs.

SEO tools such as Ahrefs are another great way to generate topics. These tools are software designed to make SEO simple for small business owners. They can create lists of potential keywords, identify the best terms and even analyze their effectiveness.

What You Should Know About Keyword Basics

How do SEO tools determine which keywords work best for your company? They utilize principles to increase the likelihood your links end up at the top of the first SERP. As a business owner, it’s a good idea to review these principles so you can optimize your marketing strategies.

One principle is considering monthly search volume. Keyword searches fluctuate, but the MSV tells you how many individual searches were done for a particular keyword in the past month. While you may be tempted to choose keywords that have the highest MSV, this can backfire, as your content may get lost in the crowd.

At the same time, you don’t want to choose rarely searched keywords, as you won’t reach a large audience. Instead, you should aim for a happy medium with tens of thousands of searches, but not millions.

How To Analyze Keywords

While an SEO analysis tool can determine the best options for your purpose, you need to clearly state that purpose. Do you want to bring more visitors to your website? Do you want to sell more products? Do you want to develop your brand? Each of these purposes requires a different approach because internet searchers have varying intents.

The intent is the reason someone conducts an internet search. For example, individuals who want to buy a sewing machine may search “sewing machine for sale,” while people who are still researching their purchase may search “best sewing machines.” Once you know which consumers you want to bring to your website, your SEO tool can choose the appropriate keywords.

Do you want to improve your SERP rankings? If so, the experts at Unwired Web Solutions can help with our SEO services. To learn more, visit us online or give us a call. 

Ways to Get Better Ranking for Content Images

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Not only are images integral for readers to successfully interact with your content, but they are essential for search engine optimization. Regardless of the topic you are presenting, the goal remains the same, to provide engaging images and content that will actually reach your audience and beyond. One way to improve your search engine rankings is to optimize your images to ensure your content is competitive. Learn tips for image optimization that boost engagement and find out who to contact for a reliable and innovative SEO company in Kitchener.

Reduce the File Size Without Sacrificing Quality 

If keeping readers on your page is the primary goal, images can’t have a substantial delay while loading. For most customers, the average anticipated load time for images and other content is within two seconds. If images remain in the high-quality format that photographers often deliver, the load time can be far greater than either you or your customers will appreciate. The best way to combat a lag in loading is to reduce the file size in image optimization for SEO.

File Size vs. Image Size 

Note that file size and image size are different. A common point of confusion is resizing an image to learn that load times remain slow. Resizing an image simply means that the image’s dimensions have been altered. The file size, the amount of space required for storage on the server, must be reduced for the load time to be affected. 

Compression Tips and Tools 

Compressing images will automatically resize files for better load times. However, be cautious about double-checking the images for quality. Too much compression can leave an image with poor rendering that falls flat with users. Many different tools are available for free and purchase that can help optimize images for web publication to make the process easier. 

  • TinyPNG
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Yoast SEO
  • ShortPixel
  • ImageOptim
  • SVG options

Maximize Alt Text And Understanding Its Purpose 

Alternative text is a textual description of an image. Some website developers mistakenly cram keywords in alt text and are unaware that unnecessary packing leads to confusion and unmatched leads. The best SEO practice is straightforward, concise alt text that meets your site’s needs and increases accessibility for all users. 

Google’s Directive 

Google’s ranking system for alt text is based on clarity and accuracy with keywords in context with the site. Cramming makes it difficult, if not impossible, to meet Google’s crawling needs to properly index and rank your images and location. 

Website Accessibility

Alt text wasn’t only created with search engine ranking in mind. The alternative text makes the internet a more accessible place for all users. With appropriate and accurate alt text, not only will you meet accessibility standards with your website, but you are more likely to reach more significant audiences than before. 

Create a Sitemap Including Visual Content 

Sitemaps help search crawlers pick out the appropriate information and index it carefully for ranking returns. Most websites already have sitemaps in place as part of standard contracts and organizational methods. However, image indexing is not always a part of the sitemap, but for SEO, it should be. 

Organization Equals Location 

Organizing images alongside other page information helps crawlers locate your data more efficiently. The way that people choose to set up sitemaps can vary, but keeping a friendly sitemap for your audience, rather than XML alone, is ideal for increasing user engagement and search results.

Tips For Mapping Success 

There are tools available that sitemap. If you choose to take on the task, be sure to include the following information about each image for best results:

  • Title 
  • Description 
  • URL Location 
  • Caption 
  • License information 

To learn more about improving the ranking of your content images or other SEO optimization, contact the professionals at Unwired Web Solutions in Kitchener today.

Writing Effective Meta Descriptions for Products

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When you hire content optimization services in Canada, you can request assistance with meta descriptions, a critical part of any listing on a search engine results page. Of course, you may wonder why you should go through the trouble, as most of them are auto-generated if left alone. Is it worth the effort of creating your own? You may be surprised by how much it affects your marketing campaign.

What Is a Meta Description?

You’ve seen meta descriptions before, but you may not have known it at the time. Meta descriptions are the handy paragraphs underneath links on SERPs. They describe what the page is about and help searchers find the right website to answer their questions.

As we mentioned, search engines automatically generate meta descriptions, but you also have the option to write them. Depending on the quality, Google may rewrite them to better serve the user experience. However, meta descriptions optimized with keywords are less likely to get rewritten, so it’s in your best interest to at least try creating your own.

It’s important to note that the meta description isn’t part of your web pages’ visible content but part of the metadata that works behind the scenes. As a result, you must access the HTML markup to change it. This process is relatively easy in most content management systems.

Why Are Well-Written Meta Descriptions Important?

Meta descriptions are a great place to flex your SEO muscles. Optimized descriptions appeal to internet searchers, who are the more likely to click on the associated link. The more clicks a link gets, the higher it ranks on SERPs. The higher it ranks on SERPs, the more clicks it’s likely to get, and so on. Basically, a well-written meta description is a way to jump into a high-ranking feedback loop.

How Can Content Optimization Services in Canada Help You Create Effective Meta Descriptions?

While there are meta description generators out there, professionals find that organic text is more effective. In fact, creating a unique description with strong branding can significantly impact how many people click your link. Of course, if you write a description the old-fashioned way, you have to keep a few things in mind.

First, make sure you stay within the character limit. Google only shows the first 160 characters of a meta description, including spaces. That means you have a tiny window to state your case.

Second, don’t stuff your description with keywords. While utilizing keywords is crucial for product content optimization, treating the meta description as a list of buzzwords won’t do you any favours. Searchers want to know what your webpage is about, and a description packed with keywords won’t tell them that.

Instead, only use one or two keywords as naturally as possible. This approach strikes a balance between appealing to search engine algorithms and providing value to consumers.

Third, prompt searchers to act with clear directions. Termed “calls to action,” these statements use active verbs such as the following:

  • Learn
  • Discover
  • Explore
  • Find
  • Buy

Which you use depends on the content of the webpage. For example, if the link leads to a blog, you’ll want to focus on words related to learning. In contrast, web pages listing products for sale should use terms related to shopping.

Finally, keep the consumer’s intent in mind. What is the user hoping to find by searching these terms? Try to present your webpage as the answer to searchers’ hypothetical questions.

Optimizing meta descriptions on your own is feasible when you’re a startup, but as your business grows, so will your website. Maintaining dozens of web pages takes time away from other essential operations. Fortunately, Unwired Web Solutions can help you strike a balance with our content optimization services. For more information, give us a call or reach out online.