Not all search results are made equally. Want to rank for search results that appear before all other organic results? Results so powerful, they’ve been called “Rank #0” results?    You need to start ranking for featured snippets.   Google displays featured snippets before all other organic results—which leads to a lot of trust, a high click-through rate, and many new opportunities. This guide will teach you exactly how to rank for featured snippets. Let’s jump right in:  What Is a Featured Snippet? Featured snippets are a type of search result offered by Google; they appea ..read more

You’ve probably heard of 404 status codes when a page is not found, but what about 204 status codes? We’re fond of 204s, and not just because it’s one of our area codes—they’re a huge, often overlooked, part of how you and your clients use the internet daily. Let’s break down the 204 status code, helping you understand what it is, when it’s trouble, and how it can affect SEO.  Understanding HTTP Status Codes HTTP status codes are three-digit codes that provide information about the communications between your browser and a server; more specifically, they are a server’s response to a brows ..read more

At First Rank, we’re dedicated to search engine optimization because we know it’s one of the most cost-effective and highest-converting forms of traffic generation. We take great pride in the incredible increases in online visibility, search engine rankings and, ultimately, the revenue we’re able to generate for our clients across a wide range of different industries. But we also understand that, when prospective clients approach our team, they’re not always sure what questions to ask. This post is designed to help. Tips for Hiring an SEO Expert Our primary tip for hiring an SEO expert? Ask th ..read more

What Is Keyword Mapping & Its Benefits Search engine optimization is all about keywords—which ones you want to rank for and what content you want to build to rank for them. Keyword research is the first step in any successful content strategy; keyword mapping is one of the best ways to organize your keywords and content. A great keyword map will help you develop a more cohesive plan for your content and track results—all in a single document.  Keyword mapping for SEO doesn’t have to be complicated; our goal is to make it as simple as possible. We’re going to go over the basics of k ..read more

In the not-so-distant past, the idea of talking to a robot who would help you retrieve information, answer questions, and perform simple (and not-so-simple) tasks at your command was the stuff of science fiction. And yet today, voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri (Apple), and Alexa (Amazon) use a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to do exactly that—plus much more. Considering that the number of digital voice assistants on planet Earth is projected to reach 8.4 billion by next year (2024), actually exceeding the population of human beings, it looks as tho ..read more

Backlinks are a vital part of any SEO effort. As a general rule, you want as many backlinks as possible from as many different sources as possible—high-authority pages, low-authority pages, and everything in between.   What you don’t want to do is violate Google’s terms of service. Here’s the problem: Even if you’re not buying spammy links, if it looks like you are, Google might penalize your site, leading to ranking penalties and unlisted pages.   Disavowing links can help you avoid these penalties—but it’s not an action that should be taken lightly.  Disavowing Links: What It ..read more

Did you know that Google algorithms use over 200 known factors to help determine where your website will rank in search engine results pages (SERPs) and, ultimately, how much online visibility and organic traffic it will receive?     The good news is this: While all ranking factors are important, not all of them are created equally.  Google has explicitly stated that it prioritizes websites with original, authoritative content and high-quality backlinks.  Nail these two factors, and your website will be well on its way to the top.     If you’ve been pour ..read more

WINNIPEG, MB:  First Rank Search Engine Marketing, a leading SEO agency located in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, is excited to announce the launch of its brand new Accelerators Program.  The Accelerators Program offers an affordable and hands-on alternative to the company’s more traditional full-service packages and is geared toward making SEO accessible to businesses of all types and sizes.     Search engine optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy focused on helping businesses organically attract customers to their websites by increasing their rank on searc ..read more

Some say it’s about the journey, not the destination, but at First Rank SEO, we say it’s about both. Let us elaborate. In the eternally changing SEO landscape, higher search engine rankings are what everyone’s after—the destination, so to speak. But the path to get there isn’t always straight or straightforward. It evolves over time and includes a vast range of different elements and factors that must be strategically navigated—the SEO journey—if you will. Our guiding star is always the higher rankings at the journey’s end, but in order to get there, we need to track our progress, make adjustm ..read more

Google Workspace is one of the most popular productivity suites on the planet, offering tools like Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Calendar. These features are available for free through Google, but many businesses opt for the paid version of Google Workspace—and most of them do it to get a professional email address on Gmail. A professional email address is, quite simply, an email address that ends with “@yourdomain”. Here at First Rank, our professional email addresses end with @firstrank.ca. Why Use Google Workspace for Professional Emails? Website builders like WordPress and hosting ..read more