How To Optimize The Site’s Images

1. Post high-quality images with the right format and the right size.

Standard photos must be in JPG format. Graphics and images that require transparency must be in PNG. To optimize graphics with limited colors, use PNG-8 over PNG-24. It is also better to reduce the number of colors from 256 to 16. Don’t forget to use SVGs (vector graphic images) for icons and logos for scaling. It won’t increase the size of the file. When using images, its actual width must not exceed the width of the largest container used (multiplied by two for retina displays).

2. Publish content using responsive images.

The latest CMS like WordPress version 4.4 already has the scrset attribute built-in. Not all blogs and CMS are fortunate. They must enter and code the srcset attribute which provides the browser a list of image variants. The attribute makes it possible to show the image on different screen sizes. When combined with the sizes attribute, the images can load on different screens without too much effort. Srcset and sizes attributes are vital to an SEO and social media marketing company. They impact user experience (UX) through the increased appeal of the post and the decreased loading times.

3. Use the right file name.

The file name of the images allows Google and other search engines to know what is the image about and what is on it. The right file name makes it easy for the image to appear on image search engines.

4. Add alt tags.

The alt tag is the abbreviation for the alt attribute on an img tag. The alt tag of an image describes what is on the file. It also describes the function of the image on the page. Screen readers, non-visual browsers, Braille readers read the text on the tag to make the image accessible.

The code of the alt tag looks like this:

<img src=“image.jpg” alt=“image description” title=“image tooltip”> The alt tag is not only helpful for the blind and visually impaired people. It is also has a purpose for SEO. It can be used to describe the image using keywords. The alt tag does not have to be spammed or stuffed with keywords to be effective. A phrase with 16 or fewer words is enough to describe what is on a particular image. Use descriptive, concise and accurate words when filling out the alt tag. However, not all images on a site have a purpose. Some are on the site for design reasons. If that’s the case, the images must be part of the CSS and not the HTML. If the change is not possible, make it an empty alt attribute like this: <img src=”image.png” alt=””> The empty alt attribute ensures screen readers skip over the images.

5. Create an image XML sitemap.

Provide search engines about the images and its information on your site by creating a sitemap. Adding the image-specific tags to an existing sitemap is fine and works just as well as separate one. The images listed on the XML sitemap helps the search engine like Google index the images. Indexing helps the images appear in search results.

5. Fix the alignment and utilize captions.

An image with the same width as the text column emphasizes the image. Use proper alignment to ensure the image complements the text. At the same time add captions. Captions help readers to scan the content. They can be used to provide an overview or the purpose of the published content.

6. Refrain using stock photos.

The image that is part of the content must always be relevant to the text. Use original works and photos over stock images. It also helps to use GIFs, but use it sparingly. Too much can distract the reader from the motions of the image.

These are some ways to image optimization. It helps the site improve user experience as well as its SERP ranking. It can also increase conversion rates when buttons and other CTA-related images have the right title and alt tags.

The post SEO Techniques: Image Optimization appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

Writers who wish to be part of digital marketing Philippines must understand the difference between SEO writing and writing for white papers. They must follow writing, editing and publish rules to make their narrative attract readers.

Below is a ten-step to follow for better writing this 2018. Search engines are becoming smarter while some readers are becoming lazy. As a writer, you must evolve, too.

1. Become hungry in SEO writing.

One account or writing job is not enough. It is vital to take more job orders or write more about the accounts or topics assigned. Strive to produce more than your word or article quota each week.

A hungry writer develops their writing skills without them knowing. They learn new words, discover different writing styles, and become efficient in their work. They also have a chance to see a different perspective of writing and adapt to them quickly.

2. Create meaningful sentences.

Each word counts. Each sentence must provide value to your reader and client. The moment a user clicks on your page, they must immediately find what they need. If not, you fail to deliver.

Also, the meaning of a sentence does not depend on its length. A long sentence does not necessarily have value while short sentences do not mean you cannot get the message across the reader. It is all about delivery and the right combination of words.

3. Work on grammar.

Learn the rules of grammar. Read the published posts of famous Internet writers. Observe how they write.

Notice that most of them use active than passive voice. A sentence in an active voice is simple and easy to read. It also helps trim sentences of unnecessary words, phrases, conjunctions, and other parts of a sentence.

4. Think of your audience.

When writing for the audience, make it easy to read. Craft a dialogue, paragraph, or prose that hooks the viewers to stay until the end
Use the power of the abstract.

Abstract or indirect descriptions in the text’s body make readers think of the sequence of events. It also activates part of their brain that uses imagery. Use this to change writing style and allow readers to guess what happens next.

5. Use the keywords to guide the paragraph flow.

Use the keywords appropriately. Place it in the first paragraph or within 100 words of the article. Pair it with words that will stick out. Thought-provoking and emotional words near the keyword emphasize its importance.

Discover new words, ideas, and insights to make cohesive paragraphs. Ensure each section retains one idea. The sentences must support the main idea.

6. Use white space.

White space is the best ally of SEO writers. It helps the words in each paragraph stand out. At the same time, it provides a classic and elegant appearance to the page.

White space is only useful when there is content. It is an effective break between images and text. It prevents users to get overwhelmed with visuals.

7. Chunk your paragraphs

Chunking is breaking down difficult text into manageable pieces. Writing using your words is an example of chunking. Chunking paragraphs are ideal as is it helps readers quickly identify key terms and ideas.

One way to chunk is to write the same number of sentences as existing ones. It creates a pattern and maintains symmetry. The text also becomes easy to digest that paragraphs with five or more sentences.

8. Use headings.

Like white space, heading breaks the structure of the article and the flow of the text. It also helps readers identify what they are reading or decide if they should read it. According to Yoast, readers tend to read them carefully over the body of the text.

Headings have a hierarchical structure. Place your keyword on the highest rank or the H1, which is also the title of the page or the blog post. Use it only once while the rest are available to use many times.

9. Refer to the Flesch Reading scale.

Yoast SEO plugin features a content analysis tool which indicates the Flesch Reading Ease score. The score signifies how easy it is to read the text. The score is essential for SEO writing because readability is a ranking factor.

Moreover, complicated and hard to read texts may scare readers. It may prevent them from checking the site or visiting your page. Increase traffic by using reader-friendly words and creating meaningful sentences.

10. Write from the heart.

Do not write for the bots, clicks, or the job. Write to your heart’s content. Compose drafts and write-ups using the brain and edit using the heart.

Serve the people before serving the search engines. Users are the ones who will increase the site’s traffic and return on investment (ROI). Think of the audience to avoid awkward keywords anchors or repetitive writing.

Better SEO writing doesn’t happen overnight. It comes with practice, effort, and hard work. There is no shortcut to improving one’s writing on tips or steps to follow. SEO writing is a valuable skill in the 21st century as search engines progress and made to think like humans.

The post A Writer Becomes A Marketer: Better SEO Writing in 10 Steps This 2018 appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

To rank the business online and have access to the market, here are some online marketing strategy for your local SEO.

1. Use Google My Business and Bing Places for Business.

Google My Business (GMB) is a powerful tool in local searches. It is also strict with its verification process. Once the name of the business, address, and contact numbers in the entry fields, you must verify your account using the verification pin the company sends to the store’s physical location. This process ensures the listing and its information is accurate and genuine. Under Google’s terms of service, only the business owner qualifies to claim his or her GMB page.

After verifying the listing, optimize it for search engines. Fill out the fields and add a description, business category, operating hours, types of payment accepted as well as the features and amenities of your shop. A business logo, few photos of the shop, its products, services, and staff increases the legitimacy of the business. If the company provides services, hiding the headquarters or the address of the warehouse is acceptable.

Don’t forget to business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP) in Bing. It has the same process as Google. Both tools help rank the keywords used on the business’ website in local search.

2. Encourage ratings and review on Google.

Glassdoor, Yelp, Zomato, and other niche-related websites for ratings and reviews are great, but nothing beats the power of Google. Encourage customers and passers-by to leave a rating or a review by placing a sign to the storefront. Don’t forget to mention it upon ringing the cashier. The star ratings and a few words from your customers is the most excellent marketing strategy for your store. Inform customers of the business’ online presence to know where they can leave their reviews.

3. Make a contact page.

The contact page transforms curious users and site visitors into customers. A comprehensive contact page lands new clients, an investor, or anyone interested in the business to visit the actual store.

A business contact page must have the exact address of the business, phone or mobile number, and e-mails. It can also include a contact person from sales, operations, or the HR. Some contact pages have forms allowing customers to leave their concerns, messages, and suggestions to the company inbox.

4. Be part of interviews.

Exposure thru the local news and publications may be old school, but it’s part of SEO once they begin to post their article on their website. It also establishes your credibility within the area and become a lead establishment in your niche.

Interviews aren’t only on TV. Podcasts or a Google+ Hangout within a comfortable area builds relationships with users and customers. Sign up on Help A Reporter Out (HARO) to connect with journalists and provide insights on the business niche and other relevant information?

5. Use Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress blogs.

Optimize your CMS. If on WordPress, use the Yoast SEO plugin. It’s free and easy to use. It guides users to adjust their title tags, meta description, and sitemap among others. It’s also ideal for managing content and keywords.

USe the plugin to optimize the business sites’ title tags, headers, and meta description. Place the keywords related to the brand or business, so people can easily find the business using these queries.

6. Publish more content.

The goal may not be to create a how-to site or excite your brand thru your newsletters and updates. However, writing new content helps the site rank on the target search terms or keywords in the location of the business.

Ensure all published content is high-quality and original to prevent plagiarism, violations, and other sanctions from Google and other search engines. Most of all, high-quality content is a ranking factor in Google, so the pages are likely to appear in search results when you create such material.

7. Use Google Search Console.

Search Console is another tool by Google used to provide information and target local customers an users. Submit the business site’s sitemap for crawling. The console makes sense of your site structure, so bots can locate all the URLs in the site. It best to submit the sitemap on a quarterly basis to crawl new pages.

The tools in the Search Console also point to the site’s error. It presents data which helps the business improve its online presence and performance. Lastly, it sends an e-mail covering site issues that need fixing.

8. Fill out directories.

Citations are what make local SEO different from other search optimization techniques. They are mentions of your business NAP on local search sites. They are similar to entries on old-school yellow pages. When listing on online directories, ensure there are no wrong spelling, lacking numbers, or unrecognizable abbreviations on the business information.

The local newspaper and government agencies in the commerce sector are some websites covering the area or location of the business. They are the best sites for citations.

Online reputation must be part of marketing. Ratings and reviews cover this aspect of Internet marketing. Local SEO helps solidify the business reputation as it builds the brand and makes it available to users in the area or the surrounding location.

The post SEO Techniques: Local SEO appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

Unfortunately, it’s not a priority for some businesses in a modern digital marketing company. They mention content marketing, SEO, SEM, SMM, and e-mail marketing, but rarely focus on text messaging. The company prefers and relies on the best apps for salespeople to access the market and provide value to customers.

It is essential to find the pros between text message marketing and e-mail marketing to see which is the best to implement in the business.

What is Text Message Marketing?

Photo taken from Thought Catalog

Text message marketing becomes increasingly popular with marketers because of the increasing demand for it. Smartphones are continuously evolving and becoming smarter with the help of technology. Access to information and communication tool have never been easier.

Text message marketing has two forms – SMS and MMS marketing. SMS or short message service allows 160 characters of plain text. A Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message has a subject line, a media file, and over 500 characters. Both types of messages support link insertion as smartphones become developed.

Both types of text message marketing ensure immediate delivery. Upon hitting “send,” the message transmits to the recipients. It only falters when there’s a technical error.

Setting a campaign for this type of marketing is easy. It can garner impressions and clicks less than five minutes because users and recipients can send their feedback with a tap on the “reply” button.

What is E-mail Marketing?

Photo taken from rawpixel

When compared with social media platforms, e-mail is more efficient at acquiring audiences and transforming them into customers. It’s because e-mail is both a personal and professional account. It also enables the business and users to develop their relationship based on storytelling and extended communication.

E-mails are longer than text messages. They can carry large media files and attach different file formats. Most of all, they can have videos and embedded links. These links push users towards a definite action that generates traffic to your site.

There are millions of people with email accounts and use them daily. E-mail marketing is one the digital marketing strategies with high return on investment. It generates a lot of money when it includes brands, products, services, and business news.

Influential e-mail marketing tactic requires investment. The business must have a professional email address. It also must be creative. It must have a catchy and enticing subject line to increase its open rate. The best subject lines have fifty characters at most.

The brand must think of its audience when crafting a subject line. The same goes for the whole e-mail construction. The message must function on mobile and include a clear call-to-action (CTA).

The Pros of Text Message and E-mail Marketing

Both text message and e-mail are traceable platforms. Tools are available to see if telecommunication subscribers and users open the message and clicked on the link. They also show data who ignore the messages.

Both are also highly regulated, which is good news for users, brand enthusiasts, and product subscribers. E-mail providers and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of the United States and the National Telecommunications Commission in the Philippines place regulations to protect consumers and marketers.

Their laws and filter prevent spamming. It also prevents brands and businesses to send messages to customers without their consent. Violating the act or memo subjects a fine to the company.

Most of all, both communication tools offer personalization. It provides an opportunity to connect with a client thru a personalized SMS, MMS, or e-mail. You can include the link in the text.

A Closer Look on Text Messages

However, text messaging continues to provide a better experience for its users. As technology develops and adds features to smartphones, text message links and linking out enables users to answer polls, respond to quizzes through their mobile web. The links also connect videos and other content quickly with a higher open rate than e-mails.

There’s also the rise of text messaging chatbot. Chatbots use artificial intelligence (AI) to maintain conversations with humans. As AI improves and gets smarter, so does chatbots. The continuous advancement of AI provides a better experience to users. Chatbots become human-like and hold real and evolving conversations.

Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging, a new protocol or the future of text message marketing, is already in Android messages chat apps. It’s development and added features changes the mobile messaging industry as a whole.

The Stand on E-mail Marketing

Nowadays, people communicate differently. They use text messages, chat apps, and video calls instead of exchanges through e-mail. Hence, several people think e-mail marketing starts to be ineffective to the masses.

Fortunately, it generates a high ROI when applied to the right niche. Almost everyone has an e-mail account, so it pays to pool resources to provide information, news, and services using the right CTA and subject line.

E-mail deliverability is crucial for this type of marketing. Select the best email service provider offering the right tools to create enticing e-mails. It’s best to test e-mails first before handing them out. Ensure they are readable on several devices, especially on mobile. Failing on mobile means losing half of the market.

Which type of marketing is worth the traffic?

Both text message and e-mail marketing are useful for traffic generation. The high open rate of text messages is perfect for targeting the masses while the exclusivity and creativity of e-mails make it perfect for business. The best type of marketing is the combination of techniques to know which tactic makes users and customers respond to the brand.

The post Text Message Marketing vs. E-mail Marketing appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

Why Focus on Mobile Marketing Tactics

Mobile marketing opens several opportunities to expand a brand. Phones are part of people’s daily routines. They are personal, powerful, and disruptive even if they provide choices and information on the user’s hand. Hence, the mobile experience must be personalized similar to choosing the right smartphone that will change a life. Using mobile marketing creates meaningful connections with users. It makes your branding, products, and services accessible and available to the market. The marketing techniques will attract prospects as it aims to influence decision-making subconsciously. Mobile marketing tactics go beyond the communication aspect for consumers. It covers user interface, search engine, and social media marketing. It utilizes apps and data to find the best combination to transform visitors into loyal customers.

Mobile Marketing Strategies

To integrate an online marketing strategy for the business, here are five mobile marketing strategies to try.

1. Develop an app.

An app makes the customer’s life easier. It has less response time, more interactive, and serves as a two-way communications channel. It can also access the smartphone’s features like the camera, phone book, and other installed apps to provide supply tailor-fit information and data. It enables businesses to come up with a personalized offer, loyalty programs, and exclusive content. When designing an app, ensure it is navigable. Make a compact and straightforward user interface to increase conversion rate. The menu, footer bar, and call-to-action buttons must be where they should be, so the app leads customers to commit or do an action.

2. Improve your mobile site.

Aim for mobile friendliness. Follow the practices by experienced designers on creating a responsive web design. Prioritize the importance of navigation, so users stay and spend their time in your site. The menu must be easy to locate. Use the right theme to complement the elements in your site. The right background, buttons, fonts, and colors come together during an A/B test. Content is crucial for any website. Without the right mobile web design, users aren’t likely to recognize great content. The unappealing design pushes them to look at information somewhere else.

3. Create content based on device.

Content is part of a great mobile marketing strategy. Users use different methods to read or take-in their information, so writing for a desktop site is different for a mobile blog or an app. Some users skim while others read word per word. Creating a mobile-friendly content begins with the headline. The headline must be short, compelling, and persuasive. A tiny and straightforward headline fits small screens and piques the interest of users on the run. Besides the title, it’s also a must to inform readers what is in the discussion. The opening paragraph or conclusion must cover the basics of the idea behind the written content. It helps readers decide if the work is worth their time. Don’t forget to utilize white space. It reduces eye strain and makes it easy to separate the thoughts on each paragraph.

4. Think of Mobile SEO.

Optimize your website for search engines. Keywords are powerful in desktop and mobile organic searches. However, users react differently on each platform. Mobile users tend to type in specific and branded keywords because of their prior knowledge of their query. Some users use a desktop for generic searches on a topic, product, event, or industry. They shift to a smartphone or similar device once they are sure or at least have an idea additional queries. Other than keywords, page loading time is a ranking factor in several search engines. It’s best to optimize the site in these areas to increase ranking. Get the business listed on local maps. Use local SEO so users can find the company. Google My Business creates an online listing for the firm with relevant, useful information such as the address, contact number, and business hours.

5. Personalize your marketing approach.

An effective mobile marketing technique targets users. The app or website provides value through content that emotionally connects with its readers. The marketing tactics are also empathic as the business surveys its products and services through the customer’s lenses. There are several ways to personalize marketing strategies. The company can identify the consumer need. Solving a customer’s concern can target thousands of people who are also facing the same questions. Sharing a story is always a personal attack. A video or a testament from a customer or a successful campaign highlights the excellence and deeds of the brand. Use photos to elicit reactions from the people who visit the site. Creating a mascot or a distinct character separates your brand from others. A mascot for the blog makes it stand out from its niche. It also becomes easy to recognize as the character becomes the essential part of the site and mobile marketing strategy. Last but not the least, combine mobile marketing methods for user engagement. Don’t be satisfied with local and search engine optimization. Target social media marketing. Generate useful content on blogs, make podcasts, e-books, and (if possible) online courses. When you identify your core audience and target market, it becomes easier to personalize a marketing approach.

Mobile as a Sales Leverage

Apps and information on available on mobile enables users to shop and subscribe on services in the comfort of their homes. Businesses who use marketing strategies for smartphones are likely to get these customers through their efforts. Apps and users mobile data help companies as it does to the user. Smartphones are part of life, so mobile marketing techniques for customers and business are part of digital marketing this 2018.

The post How to Improve Business Mobile Marketing Strategy This 2018 appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

Social media is the key to reaching untapped markets and engaging with other merchants and sellers for partnerships. Engaging with them lets them know the business exists. Posting on a regular basis makes them aware of the brand’s activity which encourages people to reach out get to know the product or service. When this happens, it’s a must to respond in time to convert curious visitors into customers. The positive customer experience with an online marketing agency is a form of engagement, a product of SMO.

Engagement: A Measure of Social Media Success

Engagement measures how much and how often users interact with the content on the brand’s social account. Each social platform has a metric measuring social media engagement.

Below is a breakdown of the different engagement touch points from the social platforms. Any form of sharing leverages engagement and amplifies its effects.

Facebook

Organic Likes

Paid Likes

Unlike

Mentions Impressions

Links Clicked

Reactions: The reaction button on a post enables users to share different reactions to the content – Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry.

Twitter

Replies: a user sends a tweet directly to a handle. Replies appear to the brand’s and user’s feed as well as the feeds of users following both handles

Favorites: a user approves or likes a tweet

Instagram

Likes

Hashtags

Followers Gained

Comments: proof that audiences resonate with a post

LinkedIn

Likes

Comments

Interactions: the number of times people have liked, commented on, or shared a post.

Engagement Rate: the number of interactions, clicks, and followers acquired divided by the number of impressions

Engagement metric highlights the success of social content. The number of clicks, likes, comments, and shares of individual posts are all part of the core engagement metrics. To maximize its value and make use of the date from each social platform, it helps to calculate the average daily response rates, response rate, and inbound messages over replies sent from day-to-day operations or within the selected date range. Knowing which social media engagement metrics to track generate accurate data to improve audience reach, social media performance, social media marketing.

However, social media engagement isn’t successful if the brand’s goal is to gain viewers and increase follower count without a proper content strategy. There’s still an extensive online community still unreached and untapped which a business can access through social media engagement. To balance its time between developing engagement efforts and building a content strategy, it can use tools to automate responses, manage discussions, schedule posts, and track engagement metrics. It’s critical to ensure each conversation with a customer resolves a problem and ends in satisfaction.

Ways To Utilize Social Media Engagement Metrics

With several social platforms to utilize, the brand must double its focus on how to encourage activity from different users. Targeting the metrics is the key to promote engagement.

There are several ways to enhance audience engagement to help target company goals. Below are some of the techniques to use the findings from social media engagement.

1. Gather a team to work on social media presence.

The company must have a team answering questions, responding to comments, and concerns to ensure full-customer engagement. The team must be ready to tackle incoming queries and equipped to supply information to all inquiring users.

A social media team must have:

• Content Creators – They come up with ideas to create and schedule content. They keep the brand active on social platforms by consistently filling the editorial calendar.
• Community Managers – They keep transactions on a positive note and maintain the situation and news about the brand positive.
• Public Relations (PR) – They handle brand exposure, partnerships and collaborations with customers, clients, and businesses.
• Sales – They provide specific content to drive engagement among specific parties.
• Support – They are members on standby yet always available in case problems and other glitches along the way.

2. Plan content based on data.

The metrics shows which post types and content gain much attention. It distinguishes the attract followers and which don’t.

3. Concentrate on a demographic.

Facebook Insights provides a breakdown of your audience. It shows the gender, age, and location of users engaging with the brand’s posts. The engagement metrics show the trend and movement of the audience and notify the brand to drive its marketing campaign towards the right market.

4. Gauge the success of marketing campaign and product launches.

Immersing in social media gives customers a chance to address their comments and feedback on the brand’s product and services.

5. Assess growth and performance.

Social media metrics quantify the performance of the business. Following the engagement, rate presents the rising popularity, growing community, and increasing conversion rate.

6. Discover brand enthusiasts and influencers

People who are always on the platform can boost the brand’s exposure through initiatives and projects.

Social media engagement takes the bulk of the work of SMO. When the business learns to treat likes, reactions, comments, and follower count as a form of communication with users; it gains access to audiences and potential customers on various social media platforms.

GIFs taken from Giphy

Icons by Raphael Silva

The post Social Media: The Right Engagement Metrics appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

To gain these benefits, install Yoast SEO and treat it as a valuable tool. It is the key to hitting targets as it makes the site search-engine friendly.

Installing Yoast SEO Plugin

Photo by WP.All Club

To set up the plugin, select the “Plugins” option from the site’s admin dashboard on the left side of the screen. Hovering over it shows the ” Add New” option. Clicking on it brings you to a page with featured, popular, recommended or favorite plugins. There is a search box available if Yoast SEO doesn’t appear in the current selection. Click “Install Now” to download install. Afterward, WordPress asks to activate the plugin.

Setting Up and Getting Started

Here’s how to get started with Yoast SEO on a WordPress site without importing settings from prior SEO plugins.

1. Locate “SEO” from the admin dashboard. It’s on the left-hand side of the screen.

2. Select “General” to set the basic SEO options of the site through the ‘Introduction Tour.’

3. Go to the “Your Info” tab upon skipping the tour.

The tab has fields for ‘Website name’ and ‘Company or person’ information. Fill them out, so Google shows the WordPress site’s name on the SERP. Meanwhile, the company or person drop-down selection is for Google’s Knowledge Graph. This info appears as metadata on the site.

4. Head to the ‘Webmaster Tools‘ tab to verify the site.

It’s necessary to create an account at Google Search Console to connect and verify the site. To create an account at Google Search console, add your domain and click on the “Add a Property” button. Select the Meta Tag Verification option. Copy and paste the Meta Tag HTML into the Google Search Console section of the Webmaster Verification section of Yoast SEO and click “Save Changes.” Return to Google Search Console and click on the Verify button.

Besides Google Search Console, Yoast SEO makes the process of site verification on Alexa, Bing, and Yandex Webmaster Tools quick and simple.

5. Change user access.

Yoast SEO has a ‘Security’ tab with an option to disable the Advanced part of Yoast SEO metabox. Unchecking this option may be helpful to sites with multiple authors. It doesn’t allow other users access to redirects and ‘noindex’ settings.

Visiting these tabs covers the ‘General’ section of SEO. It also takes care of the basics of the plugin. There are other sections to view and *adjust for total optimization of the site.

On-site and Off-site SEO Settings

Site optimization has two factor areas. These are on-site SEO (also called on-page SEO) and off-site SEO. Aligning your Yoast SEO settings on these aspects ensures the optimum performance of the site.

Title and Meta Data

Part of on-page SEO is title and metadata. Yoast SEO has a “Titles & Metas” section with seven tabs focused on the site’s appearance in SERPs. The first tab has settings for titles. It shows options for changing title separators to make the appearance of page titles consistent. It also has a ‘force rewrite titles’ option to override built-in SEO title displays and prevent using the same title on different pages.

Next up is “Homepage.” The contents of this tab depend on the blog’s set up. It is useful for making changes in the title and meta descriptions for the front page and pages for blog entries. If there’s nothing to edit, proceed to “Post Types.” It has fields to set a template for post, page, and media titles and meta description. It also has checkboxes for ‘noindex, follow’ tags, ‘Date in Snippet Preview,’ and ‘Yoast SEO Meta Box.’ Filling these out inserts the information to pages, titles, and meta descriptions. Leaving the meta description box blank allows search engines to pull an excerpt of content from the page.

The ‘noindex, follow’ option instructs meta robots not to index the page and crawl for links. At most cases, it’s unnecessary to check this box. This option is useful to pages that could be a duplicate content or irrelevant to site rankings such as a ‘Thank You’ page or ‘About Us.’

XML Sitemap

Yoast SEO automatically generates a comprehensive sitemap for the site. It is an XML or extensible markup language file listing all the site’s URL available for crawling. Besides the URLs, it also has the relevant information regarding each page that helps bots to crawl the site. The plugin categorizes the URLs for easy access and clear structure. Submitting the sitemap to the Search Console is essential. It helps the search engine can make sense of the organization of the site’s content. A large site can have multiple sitemaps so web crawlers can access all areas, information, and files on the site.

Submit the sitemap to Search Console by clicking on the “Crawl” > “Sitemaps” on the sidebar menu of the site property management dashboard. Click the “Add Test/Sitemap” button to add the sitemap URL.

Robots.txt

The site’s robots.txt file is available for edit through the ‘File Editor’ link on the plugin. The file tells search engine bots the pages to crawl. Specified crawl instructions help bots crawl the site quickly to leverage SEO methods and raise site ranking. Search engines have a crawl budget so hacking the file by disallowing some pages one way to optimize the site.

The format of a robots.txt file has two lines – the user agent and directives. Directives are crawl instructions such as disallow, allow, and crawl-delays.

Alternative Text

Since Google doesn’t have an algorithm for image recognition, it’s a must to fill out the form field for Alt Text on WordPress. Use descriptive words and SEO-friendly keywords to highlight the elements of the image and optimize it for search engines. The alt text increases the chances of the image to appear in the SERP. Moreover, it helps blind and visually-impaired users to make sense of the image.

Social SEO

Yoast SEO has a social section to link the business or brand’s social media accounts. It has tabs for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. The primary tab, “Accounts,” has form fields for various social platforms. Filling these out associates the site with the corresponding social media profile. This feature covers a part of social SEO or social media optimization (SMO).

SEO Ready

The following changes and settings are ways to optimize a WordPress blog. Using the Yoast SEO plugin makes it convenient for bloggers and webmasters to hit their goals, increase traffic, gain subscribers, and expand consumer base. Dabble with each option on the plugin to explore different ways to boost the site’s existing on-site and off-site SEO strategy.

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Therefore, it is essential to learn strategies for people cope with difficulties, hardships, and fears. These techniques must be applicable at home and in the workplace especially those in fast-paced industries such as an Internet marketing agency. Its staff must have proper coping methods to ward off the stress from each day’s work shift. Luckily there are apps for breathing exercises, mood tracking, stress management, and sleep improvement.

The apps below will help manage anxiety through strength training, meditation techniques, and activity tracking.

Breathing Exercises

1. SmilingMind

Smiling Mind is a non-profit organization advocating balance to people’s lives through mindfulness. It has an app promoting mindfulness meditation, a necessary for a healthy mind. The app starts with a three-step introduction to meditation for beginners. Afterward, users can choose from several modules and programs sorted by age groups and environment. It also has meditation practices towards stressful events affecting relationships, sleep, emotional well-being, and performance. It comes with features helping you track your progress, set reminders, and download sessions for offline listening. It also supports saving favorite meditation sessions for easy retrieval.

2. Stop, Breathe and Think

Stop, Breathe and Think is easy-to-use mindfulness and meditation app for beginners. It’s intended to assist users to cope with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. It has instructions on text and 27 meditation audios spanning from two up to twenty minutes of breathing exercises. The sounds have customizable timers with chimes or soundscapes. It also has a “check-in” step which gives users a moment to reflect on their mental state before meditating.

Mood Tracking

3. Daylio

Daylio is a micro-diary app for several entries throughout the day. It has a mood picker and activity selection to save daily entries. The app gathers the input and helps users make sense of their habits. It also has an entry field to take notes on what occurred during specific times if the day. To keep the individual’s information safe, it has a PIN lock to support user privacy.

4. Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM)

The SAM app has a hip and calming graphics interface for the self-help techniques to conquer anxiety. It uses sliders to input your feelings, thoughts and measure your desire to avoid the activities and fears. It has an anxiety tracker and a toolkit for uploading self-help tools for managing manifestations of anxiety.

Sleep

5. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

The alarm clock analyses your sleep patterns to determine the best time to wake you up. It uses the phone’s microphone and built-in accelerometer to point your sleeping phase. The alarm goes off during your light sleep so you can maximize your shut-eye during your REM stage.

6. Tide

The app plays nature sounds perfect to enhance focus, induce sleep and a companion to meditation. It has mountain hums and waves splashes which are lullabies at night. It’s light alarm clock rings in the morning in sync with birdsongs. It follows the Pomodoro techniques for its timer backed by several white noises. It also daily photos to inspire users in their daily struggles.

7. Calm

The app has bedtime stories, soothing nature sounds accompanied by sceneries, and meditation sessions which can help you combat high levels of anxiety. The timed meditation sessions are three minutes long and can last up to 25 minutes. Its topics cover anxiety and stress management, happiness, gratitude, body scan, forgiveness, and non-judgment among other things.

Stress Management

8. 7 Minute Workout

It features several exercises users can follow and accomplish in seven minutes. It is a handy workout guide for beginners of weight loss or those who want a variety on their day. The cycle of movements is helpful in managing anxiety as it frames the mind to concentrate on the pattern. The exercise routine also pushes you to sweat, an effective way to lower the levels of cortisol in your body.

9. Happify

It has games, activities, and happiness boosting techniques developed by scientists and experts. They study the fields of positive energy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness to overcome stress and negative thoughts. It has “happiness tracks” that builds resilience and other categories that improve your emotional and physical well-being, relationships, and work performance. It will also help you reach your personal goals through its quizzes and daily check-ins.

10. Pacifica

It’s challenging to manage anxiety, mental illness, and depression without a support circle. Pacifica bridges individuals to communities who will offer support to those who struggle. It also gives access to 25 audio exercises, a guided self-help path designed by psychologists as well as lists of daily challenges and goals. It comes with a mood tracker which is useful to those with mood disorders as well as self-assessment methods.

11. Headspace

Mindfulness and meditation help people be aware of their thoughts and manage their feelings. These also help in shifting focus to the present. Headspace sends reminders to prevent users from skipping their meditation practices. It reminds people to dedicate their time to clear their heads and relax. Besides the reminders, its designed to encourage users to bond and create communities that motivate each other.

Improving health with smartphones

Most apps are free and quick to download. Though they aren’t the answer to daily problems, they offer solutions to improve lifestyle. Changes in lifestyle from these apps eventually combat stress and manages an individual’s triggers and levels of anxiety.

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Like services of varies digital marketing firms, SMM and SMO are becoming powerful strategy and campaign to leverage business goals and targets. Since most customers are now online, it’s a must for companies to diversify their marketing strategies.

Why Invest in Social Media Marketing (SMM)

On average, Facebook has 2.2 billion active users in the last quarter of the year 2017. Instagram has 800 million monthly active users where 80% of its population comes from different parts of the world. Twitter has 330 million monthly active users. These numbers show users who can be your audience and customer. Signing up for a social media platform enables you to build an account to reach these users to market your products and services as well as inform them of your brand. Thus, social media is a communication channel. It provides content while establishing engagement with your audience.

There are several social media sites, but these five are the most popular among users:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

There is no right or wrong social media platform, but it pays to be in an online community where a brand can acquire most of its audience. Thus, it pays to ensure that the business and the user will be using the same platform. That way, the firm takes the highest return on investment (ROI) from its niche.

How To Integrate SMM to a Business Strategy

Start by setting up accounts on chosen sites. Signing up is free while deleting the accounts is simple so it’s a quick way out in case the marketing strategy doesn’t work out. Still, some social media sites offer targeted campaigns through paid ads and promoted posts. These features help the company concentrate on specific demographics which is helpful in gathering data for crafting campaigns.

The bulk of the work of SMM comes in maintaining the feed. The content will be the users’ basis to know, like and trust the business. Content planning must be part of the process for SMM to become successful. Other than the consistent posts on social media accounts, engagement is a must to maintain relationships with customers and share information about the product or service. Using a post automation tool keeps the social media feeds updated without struggling to catch deadlines. Combing the tool with an editorial calendar takes off the pressure of pulling off the marketing campaign.

The audience will grow along with the business so outsourcing a social media manager will be beneficial to manage campaigns. An additional hand efficiently builds a highly visible relationship with prospects and spread content to turn visitors into loyal followers of the brand.

Social media sites have billions of monthly online users, an untapped market by several brick-and-mortar businesses. Though users have preferences, having them as part of your audience is better than losing the opportunity to increase your online network. Integrating SMM into company marketing strategies results to high ROI especially when a campaign is a hit

Now that SMM is out of the way, what about Social Media Optimization (SMO)? What is the difference between SMM and SMO? Does an enterprise need to implement both online marketing strategies?

What is the Fuss about SMO

Social media optimization (SMO), which is also called search marketing optimization, is the process of improving a website to make it “sociable.” Digital marketers and webmasters optimize their site to make it visible on the web. SMO provides the audience ways to connect and interact with the business.

The techniques in SMO aims to drive traffic to the site through the brand’s social media presence. The process boosts site ranking which may also increase conversion rates. Furthermore, it solidifies the business’ brand as quality content and engagement become consistent across all channels. SMO focuses on a website’s traffic and data with the help of SMM. Meanwhile, SMM centers on publishing content, spreading awareness, and maintaining engagement on social media platforms.

Business must implement both to support their digital marketing strategies. SMO will not exist without SMM while the latter can stand on its own. However, practicing SMM without the support of SMO doesn’t maximize the influence of your brand.

Social Media as a Powerful Marketing Tool

Like everything on the Internet, social media transforms with the blink of an eye. Platforms started out as online messaging systems until they became tools to publish content real time. It pays to invest on SMM and SMO to gain access to markets and industries across countries. Before diving into a marketing strategy, remember to take the guesswork out of working on an online network. Knowing the stipulations of each platform is the key to successful marketing implementation.

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Why Listicles Were Shareable

The human brain is fond of listicles. For starters, a list of numbers becomes digestible because it features information hierarchy. The mental tendency to accept and perceive information in this manner is called the top-ten effect. To support this theory, the Journal of Consumer Research published a study in 2013 backing the claim. The findings conclude that the mind favors categories. It prefers groups and collections ending in zero or five.

That is why most listicles or items are in tens and groups of five. Most published posts are in 25 and 30, and they rarely include odd numbers or those in between such as 3, 7, 9, 11, 17 or 22. It makes our brain think that it is incomplete or missing a puzzle piece.

The psychology behind it isn’t the only reason behind the popularity and shareability of listicles. When Google and other search engines were still improving their algorithms and social media sites were starting out, listicles were the content that resonated with various audiences. The voice and the written word engaged viewers and turned them into active participants. The witty and creative headlines garnered several likes and comments enough to create a buzz. They keep readers curious about what’s on the list.

However, ordered lists appeal to specific audiences. It’s perfect for a younger digital audience because of their short attention span. Moreover, it is ideal for users who are looking for a quick read due to their active lifestyle. Those who wish to discover news and tidbits while in transit can snack on information on the lists. Listicles give them a sense of achievement as they can jump from topic to topic in one sitting.

Listicles will always be straightforward. Its content won’t be misleading but graspable. Its format is easy to skim and scan allowing readers to identify what’s on it in a quick glimpse. Still, other types of content effectively carry the message to users. This 2018, visuals dominate content marketing schemes.

Why Invest in Visuals

A blog or website must resonate with its owner and audience. Customized graphics and photos provide consistency while highlighting the personality of the brand. They also make people stay on the page or grab their attention back to the screen. Listicles and other long-form posts can’t do these things since social media news feeds continuously update their structure. The number of likes and shares of these posts are falling behind images, videos, infographics, slides, and motion graphics. Though both types of content share a story, the latter is a standout. It can spread on its own as long as it is inspiring, optimistic, or emotional.

In 2017, Content Marketing Institute interviewed marketers to identify the root of their marketing success. The marketers reveal that 85% of their success comes from delivering quality visual content. Hence, the value of visuals can result in a high conversion rate. For instance, viewers prefer live streaming over video on demand. The interaction is almost similar to a real-life situation. The audience can connect to brand ambassadors and speakers by answering questions and exchanging feedback real time. This nature of the interaction is authentic and unfiltered. It provides a sense of engagement different from traditional content sites with published texts and flat photos.

Currently, brands infiltrate music videos and tech giants invest in visual and augmented reality. Companies start to take an interest in what content can do for their audience instead of relying on a formula to create posts that will be shareable. At the same time, online communities become smarter as they choose an intriguing photo over an amusing deadline and frown over click-bait strategies of articles. Thus, it’s essential for bloggers, webmasters, and marketers to combine visual content and content strategy to boost engagement and distribution.

How to Overcome Distribution Challenges

Maximizing the power and shareability of a visual post is the key to connect with audiences, generate discussions and allow responses naturally on social media platforms. These platforms, on the other hand, aren’t the best place to spread content because of their changing rules. Any content, even original ones, will have a hard time squeezing themselves through the altered tactic of the platform. The added features and updated news feed won’t thrive over the millions of post generated per minute.

Still, there’s good news for both written and visual content. Authoritative research and references are still hot on backlinks. Those who look forward to gaining links and shares over time must create authoritative evergreen content. These samples of materials are proof that readers and viewers prioritize their quality. Other than providing information, it must engage the eye. A good layout, typography, and custom design are some of the marks of a content aimed at users. Custom design is the most crucial as it signifies the brand, company or site’s dedications to quality.

Sharing and distribution is a theme common to content and social media marketing. The steady increase of content engagement is better than losing the trust and interest of the audience. Users are part of the bulk that share content so they must come in first before the brands.

Now and Then – A Recap of the Content Trend

Four years ago, everyone enjoyed lists. There were lists of everything under the sun from personality to the recollection of the past century. When it became overrated, people started embracing one-lines with 140 characters and memes. Sharing of information evolved to infographics, gifs, and videos. Visuals now dominate the web as it benefits both sides – bloggers and webmasters along with their audience.

Note: This post was published on July 8, 2014. It has been revamped and updated for comprehensiveness and relevance to the digital marketing trends.

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