SEO is no longer confined to text and images. It’s instead shifting to videos - with pixels delivering traffic, sales and brand authority. Creating dynamic footage promises high SERPs.


That promise can only be kept, however, by optimizing your production files.

Syncing videos onto your website isn’t enough to attract engines. You must instead fuse them with indexable information, helping to push them past the competition and into the search stratosphere. We suggest:

Take Advantage of Closed Captions

Closed Captions may prove frustrating to write (especially for technical tutorials or lengthy promotions). They will also, however, prove key to video domination: generating more content for engines to scan, index and rank.

Use the Right Tags

Search engines thrive on tags. Be sure, therefore, to link meta-data into every video - filling the headline, content box and brand page with searchable, relevant descriptions.

Optimize the Filenames

Cataloguing your footage by date and location streamlines the compiling process. It doesn’t, however, improve your SERP results. Optimize every name instead with a localized keyword, helping engines further rank your content.

The SEO journey is long. These simple steps, however, will make it far more pleasant... and far more productive. Increase your video marketing through closed captions, tagging and filename corrections.

To learn more contact Webstager today.

On April 21st the SEO world experienced Mobilegeddon - a series of algorithmic changes implemented by Google, intended to redefine smartphone searches and content rankings. Writers, editors and app creators crossed their fingers in anticipation of this keyword fallout.

Recently, however, they’ve begin to unclench... because the effects of Mobilegeddon have been less than dramatic.

According to a study by Search Metrics, Google’s platform changes has wreaked little havoc on the overall rankings of content:

Non-Mobile Friendly Sites: -0.21 position decrease.
Mobile-Friendly Sites: +0.20 position increase.

Amount of Mobile-Friendly Sites (Pre-April 21st): 68%
Amount of Mobile-Friendly Sites (Post-April 21st): 71%

Amount of Non-Friendly Mobile Sites (Pre-April 21st): 32%
Amount of Non-Friendly Mobile Sites (Post April 21st) 29%

These statistics prove little change to SEO content, with most sites keeping their approximate SERP positions. While there has been a (slight) increase in responsive URL design, many platforms still remain desktop-only. Mobilegeddon didn’t usher in a new wave of smartphone-ready design.

It only showcased the need for it.

To learn more about Mobilegeddon and its affect on SEO contact Webstager today!

An image is worth a thousand words. A moving image, however, is worth a higher SERP.

Consumers are on-the-go and in-the-know, channeling their local searches through mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and more). Capturing their attentions often proves challenging - especially for those refusing to incorporate mobile videos into their sites and media channels.

Mobile videos deliver incredible results, utilizing the SEO format for a digital audience. Consider these statistics, as provided by SingleGrain:

Landing pages featuring mobile videos experience 800% more conversions than those that don't.

88% of consumers stay on - and more frequently return to - sites with mobile videos.

64% of consumers are more likely to purchase products or services after viewing mobile videos.

40% of consumers visit brick-and-mortar stores after watching mobile videos.

46% of consumers actively pursue extra information about products or services after watching mobile videos.

52% of consumers say that they’re more confident with their purchases after viewing mobile videos.

These numbers prove a definitive trend toward mobile conversions and downloadable content - and websites must take advantage of it. Embrace responsive design now to ensure steady sales in the future.

To learn more about optimizing your content with mobile videos contact Webstager today!

In 1999 Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo introduced the world to online searches, fusing their signature flip-phone with TCP/IP capabilities. This service - which utilized Wireless Markup Language and DLP protocols - connected users to the web and launched the first responsive platform.

It also created the need for mobile SEO... and that need continues to grow even now.

Mobile traffic has expanded approximately 125% during the last year. (BrightEdge)

50% of all organic searches start on mobile devices. (Digital Marketing Philippines)

88% of all mobile searches are used to find local businesses. (Digital Marketing Philippines)

50% of users who rely on mobile searches to find local businesses visit those businesses within the same day. (Digital Marketing Philippines)

88% of SEO marketers cite mobile searches as crucial to their successes. (BrightEdge)

Mobile SEO is on the rise and will continue to increase its cultural, economical and technological presence for many years to come. Keeing pace with smartphone demands, therefore, is essential. Content creators must embrace fluid navigation and web-friendly strategies.

Need help with this? Contact Webstager! We’ll provide responsive formatting options to keep your site at the forefront of all mobile searches.

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.

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.

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.

On October 2nd, 2014, Google launched its fifth annual Manchester Event, providing guests with insights into technology, optimization and how to best combine them - specifically within the mobile field.

While the revelation of new Google products (such as a self-driving car and glasses infused with 3D mapping) dominated the event, Webstager was most intrigued by the promise of mobile marketing.

According to Eileen Naughton, VP and Managing Director of Google UK, “by 2020 every person in the world will be connected in some way by smartphones”. This is compared to the already impressive 2.7 billion people currently relying on iPhones, Droids and more.

What does this mean for mobile SEO? Webstager thinks it proves a shift in marketing. Consumers are becoming more reliant on their devices, connecting to information - and each other - through digital data. Consider these statistics (as provided by ComScore):

4 out of 5 consumers use their phones to shop.

70% of mobile searches convert to real-world results (such as purchasing or reviewing).

25% of consumers claim to only use their phones for Internet access and shopping.

91% of consumers admit that their phones are always within an arm’s reach.

These numbers reveal a growing dependence on smartphones - which makes Google’s prediction for the future seem all the more plausible. The mobile SEO market is destined to expand.

Webstager is ready for it. Are you?

Numbers never lie. They do, however, surprise.

Consider these shocking smartphone statistics (as provided by Cision, a media marketing network):

Nearly half of the North American population relies on smartphones for local and global shopping.

45% of users (including the key demographic of 18 to 30) use their phones for daily searches.

Mobile traffic increases approximately 3.5% per month.

By 2015 2 billion people will own smartphones.

These percentages paint a very vivid picture - one of online purchasing and responsive design.

Responsive design is the process of creating fluid layouts. These layouts can detect individual signal devices, adapting to different screen sizes and pixel scales for a seamless appearance. They accommodate computers, tablets and, of course, smartphones - and this makes them essential for the future.

SEO is changing. As consumers flock to their iPhones and Androids, businesses will have to provide them with mobile-friendly content and dynamic servers. This will allow users to pin, tweet and shop with ease.

And that will translate to stronger sales.

All Vancouver companies must acknowledge - and embrace - the mobile movement. Contact us today to learn more about responsive design and its many applications.

Content, keywords, analytics: these were once the defining traits of Vancouver's SEO scene. Blogs were stuffed with trendy tags, shoved onto the Internet and examined for their traffic patterns. It was a proven strategy.

It was never, however, the only strategy. Alternative technologies were always available and recent data proves that one of these technologies is gaining ground on the slippery SEO slope: optimized site displays.

According to Search Engine Land, 81% of all companies have transformed their displays. Websites are being converted into multiple digital formats, including mobile and tablet. This creates more accessible information, targeting key demographics with responsive sales channels, broadcast blogs and streaming feeds. It serves as a direct connection point between readers and content - and this translates to better traffic and better profits.

Webstager embraced this change long ago. We understood the importance of multi-medium displays, and we recognized how smartphone technology would eventually lead to new opportunities. Our responsive formatting has allowed us to create dynamic sites for the modern consumer.

And it seems that 81% of our fellow Vancouver digital marketing companies are finally doing the same.

To learn more about mobile design contact Webstager today!