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Benefits of Blogging: Boost Search Engine Rankings

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Just as Google loves valuable content, the search engine also loves meaningful content. It is not about keywords anymore. It is about creativity in using keywords in the context and topic. The more you dispense valuable content, Google ranks you higher. The question is, how do you build search engine optimized content that will incorporate all your users?

Blogging is the Key to User-Friendly SEO

Getting an improved search engine ranking entails having many indexed pages regarding your products or services. Having a single page for the services is not enough. As the renowned expert, Hubspot said; more indexed pages guarantee more opportunities for you to appear in search engine. By this, you generate enormous traffic to your site in organic search. The strategy is ensuring that you don’t replicate your content. Therefore, it requires creativity to come up with different topics related to your products and services. Here, it is possible to shed light on readers’ questions relating to your post.

Are you trouble about how to create blog content that is search engine friendly and that which server your readers? Worry no more since all you have to do is:

Get a Grip on the Logistics of Blog Optimization

Mastering the Google algorithms is a daunting experience. However, it is possible. The keyword is an essential aspect of attaining the gateway to Googles world. It is therefore advisable that you bookmark and check in regularly. You can optimize the content of your blog in many ways. Here are some top-notch aspects of getting you up the ladder.

Start with a Topic and a Long-Tail Keyword

After deciding on the niche you want to explore on your blog, attach a longtail keyword to complement it. Do not put many keywords on your blog whatsoever. Google won’t recognize you for that. When adding keywords, you should not let your post lose the natural feel. Using long tail keywords garners you qualified visitors to your site. Unlike when you use small keywords. A long-tail keyword separate onlooker from people who will convert.

The keywords should feature in:

  • Page titles
  • Headers and body
  • URL
  • Meta descriptions

Optimize Images for Google to Index

For Google to recognize you, you should employ the following guidelines:

  • Stick Google image formats- google supports images that are in BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, and SVG. However, for blogs, it is advisable that you use JPEG images.
  • Relate your filenames to the image- sometimes the images may fail to load for a user. Therefore, relating the name to the image will save the reader the hassle of having to guess the image. Google uses image filenames as snippets to search the image.
  • Update image alt text- search engines won’t recognize an image. Therefore, you have to give an in-depth description of your products or services. You should make your content easy to understand. Hence, it is advisable not to flood the content with keywords.

Build with the right links

When creating your blog, you should join it to the correct links. Creating links is essential especially when you want to prove your authenticity with search engines. However, you have to do the linking effectively. Link your blog post to web sources that relate to your post. Therefore, you should reach out and know your category. By this, you will not mislink your post. You get discovered by many when you associate your blog page with specific links that have authority. The links will give your content significant exposure that will generate substantial leads to your site.
However, links from Joe Shmo on Blogger are not authoritative. You should not use them whatsoever.

GIVE IT TIME

Just as in all things connected to Search Engine Optimization, you have to exercise patience. You have to give it time to get stable. Many of the sites took decades to get a grip on search engines. They did not give up. Some are reputable in producing converting traffic every month. There, it is not time to give up when you don’t get enough audience or even positive responses. You should remain dedicated to the course and post consistently. Remembering that many started where you are should give you strength to carry on. Your persistence will undoubtedly yield to something remarkable.

Looking for more information in regards to SEO?  Contact Canada West I.M. today!

Canada West Internet Marketing
10050 Jasper Avenue #2020c
Edmonton, AB T5J 3R8
(780) 628-7535

Five Tips for Content Planning with Topic Clustering

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With the invention of topic clustering, Search Engine Optimization patterns have changed. If you are a content creator or a planner, these changes affect your work. Topic clustering is the most recent advancement in search engines. It is capable of fighting mechanical keyword optimization.

Abiding by the rules of search engines will not be enough. You have to give relevance to your content. The big question remains, how do we incorporate topic clustering into content planning strategies? Below are tips that will help you improve your ranking and also help you maintain traffic for your site.

website optimazation techniques

Topic Clustering 101

Topic clustering is about to take the SEO world by storm. It entails the creation of organic content that is logical and gives sense to the audience. Forget about keywords and SERP parameters your content must carry some meaning. Example, when creating a pillar page for marketing, you can include topics that complement the pillar. Any topic that you add gets considered as an independent topic.

However, with topic clustering, you can link your content using interlinked hyperlinks, for higher ranking. Search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo have incorporated topic clustering to give meaningful results to their users.

Benefits of using topic clustering in your content planning

• It provides relevant topics to your audience, unlike algorithms and keywords.
• Enhances a stable bond with search engines due to topic clusters.
• Sustains a long-lasting relationship with the audience.
• Every content on your site is valuable and thus relevant.

Topic clustering is an awakening call to action. With the benefits it comes along with, your site will stand distinguished from your competitors.
Tips to implement to propel your content to topic clustering

Focus on the Point

The pillar of your content is the most crucial aspect of topic clustering. An initial topic has to trend in your niche. Your topic should be versatile. That is; it can get approached from different points. The comprehensiveness of your topic makes it easy for you to branch out and cluster your topics. Unlike many content creators, you should use many topics to grab the audience’ attention.

That is; if they miss out on one topic, the next provides viable information.

Use Keywords in Titles and Subheadings

Even though keywords hold less important as they used to before, they still have their role in SEO. Incorporating Keyword to the pillar topic and subtopics exposes your content to greater SEO capabilities. You should have a word that runs every title and subtitle.

Marketing can be your pillar topic. It should, therefore, feature in the topics to give a valid connection to the subject. By this, you rank highest in SERP ratings. Google AdWords’ will help you figure out the trending keywords to employ. However, the keyword needs only get focused on titles and subtitles.

getting website on search engines

Mind Map Your Topics

Mind mapping is the art of developing different words and phrases that relate to your pillar topic. It is an impressive way to enable you to come up with a cluster of topics. For example, you choose the word marketing to feature in your titles and subtitles. Other phrases that may connect to marketing include profit, digital marketing, and social media marketing.

The different words are essential in getting a cluster. However, you have to ensure you remain on the topic. Mind mapping way may easily take you out of topic. Your interest should remain on the phrases that can get associated with the initial word. A repetitive process acquaints you with more content to build a cluster of topics. Thus, you will obtain an epic content strategy and planning.

Think Long-Term

Remember that clustering your topics is a long-term content plan. Ensure that your topic runs long enough to garners you sustained traffic for your site. Using short-term content plans may require changes in future. Thus, it will ruin your ranking and reduce your visibility on topic clustering search engines.

Therefore, when creating pillar topics, ensure that it can support a variety of subtopics which connect to the initial topic. By this, your audience will easily adapt to your style, and, the search engine will post you content many times. Stick to your initial topic clusters. Changing the topic clustering plan mid-cycle may confuse your readers and the SEO.

Don’t Settle for Good

Topic clustering affects not only your planning but also your tracking of the existing content. But, it does not change your content creation from the roots. Therefore, once your content works with content clustering on your site, try to understand why it worked. And still, determine how it should work better.

When creating new pillars, introduce it at intervals. Ensure that the content is exciting before handing it to your content creators. Your content should surpass goodness. Good content should not make you comfortable. That is a comfort zone that you should walk away from; Endow your content with insightful information. By doing so, your site will stand differentiated from the rest.

Make sure you keep on evolving your topics to obtain an exceptional content. Who knows? Some of the subtopics may even rise to become pillars in your next content cycle. The more time you take pampering your content creation foundation determines your success.

Relevance Over Keywords

Again, the emphasis is on relevance. It is evident that within no time, topic clustering will consider relevance to keyword using. By this, you can communicate to your audience to know their preference. Identifying with your audience needs in the future is the aim of topic clustering. The satisfaction of the readers comes fast.

Readers are endowed with useful tips pertaining the content you post. Through topic clustering communication system, the readers can give you tips that are beneficial in creating content. Acknowledge their opinions, and you may never know, a pillar topic may come from them.

You should not overlook implementing topic clustering despite it being in the developmental stage. Websites that are the co-founders of the technology are benefiting from it. Therefore, it is upon you not to take chances. You should trend with the most recent Search Engine Optimization changes.

Contact Canada West I.M. today!

Canada West Internet Marketing
10050 Jasper Avenue #2020c
Edmonton, AB T5J 3R8
(780) 628-7535

Top Visual Content Marketing Techniques to Increase Engagement

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When one hears about content marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is probably text: original blog posts, articles providing valuable insights into their subject matter, instruction manuals, useful tips and so on. However, without belittling the importance of high-quality text for a minute, we shouldn’t forget about visual content as well – and as the Internet is getting more and more visual every year, its importance is growing as well. So, what techniques should you consider using when planning your next visual marketing campaign? Let’s take a look at some of the most promising variants for 2018.

1. Infographics

Image Source

Yes, infographics remain a very powerful tool, and there are many reasons for that. They are visually pleasing, and they contain exciting facts in easy-to-digest form, they are intimately connected to other, more traditional and easy-to-produce types of content. That is why they are an ideal medium to use if you are starting to employ visual marketing techniques actively, as they are easy to tie together with informational articles and other similar pieces. Another of their advantages is that they are based on facts – something you can find in great abundance through a simple Google search.

Today it is easy to find a visual design expert specializing in infographics or, if you don’t feel like spending too much money, a tool (e.g., BeFunky’s Infographic Maker) you can use to build one yourself.

2. Animated Explainer Videos

Recording a video of yourself or one of your employees speaking about the advantages and specifics of your progress may be an excellent way to add a human touch to your brand, but it is probably better suited to instruction videos in which you speak about the use and distinctive features of particular products. When you present your entire brand in this way, you run a significant risk of sounding overly official, formal and forced.

There is, however, another way to leverage its power through video capture on Mac to create a compelling presentation – animation. It has many significant advantages over live video. It makes it easy to use crisp imagery through the unique features and takes things further by allowing you to quickly edit the files you created, that are included to show the most important points about your brand and its mission or explain the peculiarities of the product or service you offer if it is somewhat unusual. You can just delete parts of the video that you did not like and then add transitions, effects, overlays, and titles. In addition to that, it can be done in a specific, immediately recognizable visual style – something that is very hard to achieve with live video.

Another piece of good news is that high-quality animation no longer has to cost a fortune: a rise of powerful new tools led to the emergence of animation studios offering their services at very reasonable rates, affordable even for relatively small-scale businesses.

3. Pinterest

Although Pinterest’s 200 million active users don’t even come close to Facebook’s 2 billion, it is still a lot. And what’s more important, a lot of them belong to valuable demographics (e.g., half of US Millennials use it), and Pinterest itself provides a much more visual way of engaging and interacting with them.

Most businesses that use Pinterest don’t go further than creating boards with product images, which is already a lot (especially if you hire a professional photographer to do an excellent job of them) but nowadays may come as a bit generic. There are many ways to be original, depending on what kind of business you run: for example, combining images and text (e.g., a memorable phrase and a beautiful picture to illustrate it or a recipe and a photo of the dish), posting multi-product pins (e.g., to demonstrate how one can build their
entire outfit from the clothes you sell) etc.

4. Short Video Content

People are impatient; modern people used to information overload are doubly so. You may film awesome videos showing off your products or giving valuable tips, but the longer they are, the less likely they are to engage with your visitors. According to most studies, the optimal size of videos to be shared via social media is less than 60 seconds (viewer retention rate is about 80 percent up to the 30-second mark) – you are somehow supposed to pack as much value as possible in this span of time. Show how your products solve everyday problems, run short Q&A sessions, demonstrate your goods in action. Try to make your videos upbeat and inspirational for the viewers.

Another good practice to keep up is to make your video content consistent and publish it regularly: having regular updates and posting short videos is better than uploading an hour-long one every six months. Connect these videos, keep the same style throughout to add to the brand image.

5. Intersperse Text with Visual Content

Visual content isn’t just good as it is, it can be used to make the text more readable and easier to consume. It is especially important for large articles that can otherwise overwhelm the reader: by interspersing the text with images, graphs, videos, memes. And suchlike you don’t let the reader’s attention slide and motivate him to go on instead of bookmarking the page to read it later (which is in most cases never).

However, don’t overdo it. Many entertainment websites place an image or a gif (usually completely unrelated to the main text) every few lines, which makes directly opposite effect: breaks up perception chains and annoys visitors instead of keeping them engaged.

6. Leverage User-Generated Content

Be it video or images, the best kind of marketing is the one that is done for you by your customers. Not only because you don’t make the direct effort to create this content but also because other potential clients have the easier time relating to it. Seeing that somebody else, a real person and not the company’s employee, bought a product and uses it in his everyday life instills confidence in those who sit on the fence and encourages them to do the same. Social proof is a dominant force, and you should use it: the easiest way to do so is to contest on a social media platform of your choice.

Visual content marketing is a broad and diverse area that keeps constantly changing – you always have to keep your eyes open for new developments. But if you manage to keep current, there is no better way to guarantee high levels of engagement from your clients.

Seven Easy SEO Tips

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Writing with a search engine in mind can be a daunting challenge. You know that there are a bunch of things you’re supposed to do, a bunch more things that you’re not supposed to do, and additional rules that seem to exist just to make you crazy. Trying to keep all of these things at the forefront of your mind while writing copy, especially something that screams SEO like a meta description, makes the entire process feel more difficult than it has to be.

Rest assured that you are not the only one dealing with this issue. Heck, even professional SEO writers feel it. This article discusses seven easy tips that cover the basic needs of SEO, allowing you to concentrate on your content instead of the nuances of several search algorithms. You’ll be surprised by just how much simpler SEO copywriting can be!

1. Write for The User

The most common mistake writers make when producing SEO content is to take the search engines as their primary audience. Google is NEVER your primary audience. It is a tool that internet searchers use to find answers to whatever query they have immediately. They succeed whenever a user is satisfied with the results they offered and return to that engine with their next query.

Hypothetically, let’s say you create an article that checks every box the search engine is looking for. It zooms up to the top of the list results because the search engines think that it is the ideal content. Mission accomplished, right?

Wrong! The purpose of SEO is not to get to the top of the page but instead stay there so that as many eyes as possible can spot you. If the article above achieved its ranking by catering to the search engine instead of real people, those people will find your page, click on it, and leave in disgust. They will not be converted into business, nor will they consider you to address their future needs.

Search engines are smart, and they can notice when your site is user repellent. While it initially thought you had created the ideal content, it now has new data that suggests you didn’t. The new information trumps the old, and your post will fall down the rankings as quickly as it ascended them.

Therefore, it is imperative that you avoid compromising the user experience to make search engines happy. Ultimately, it is users, not search engines, that determine your rankings.

2. Remember Why SEO Best Practices Exist

It’s easy to think of all the rules associated with SEO as edicts from a higher power, but remember that each has a practical reason to exist. For instance, keywords exist because they teach search engines and users alike what a given article is about. Old-fashioned keyword stuffing and other SEO techniques that no longer work was rejected because articles emphasizing them failed to provide users the information they were looking for.

This means that there is no magic formula to determine how many times you need to use a keyword in your content. An automated solution like that appeals to a computer, and you’re trying to appeal to a fellow human being. Instead, allow the flow of whatever you’re writing to dictate how many times each keyword is employed. Reading it out loud is the best way to get a feel for this.

If you find yourself saying the same word or phrase so often that it starts to lose its meaning, it is safe to conclude that you used it too often. Adjust accordingly.

3. Assign Your Keywords

If you try to rank for too many search terms at once, you end up confusing search engines and end users alike. What is your article even about? No one will be able to find you, and your SEO rankings will plummet.

Instead, assign each page of your website a small group of extremely similar search terms to rank for. There will be no question what you discuss on each page, allowing search engines to guide users where they want to go effectively. Your users will also know that they have found exactly what they were looking for.

4. Work in A Simple Format

This may seem basic, but it’s essential. Producing content on a word processor gives you more formatting options than you’ll realistically need for SEO content in an intuitive interface. It’s an excellent option.

By contrast, you should never compose content directly on your CMS. It’s far too easy to misclick and send content live before it’s ready, or miss something stupid and end up publishing something that looks unprofessional.

5. Ctrl + F/Cmd + F Is Your Friend

Most word processors support a handy, underutilized “find” function that highlights every instance of whatever you type into its search box. It’s accessed by hitting Ctrl and F simultaneously, but Mac users need to hit Cmd and F instead.

If you try to find one of your keywords and almost nothing is highlighted, you haven’t used it enough. If your whole post lights up like a Christmas tree, you’ve used that phrase too often.

Either way, you get a handy visual representation of how often you used your keywords if they’re spread out or clumped together and any areas that could use some tweaking.

6. Concentrate On Mobile

Nobody likes reading big walls of text on the internet, so you don’t write big walls of text on the internet. However, your moderately-sized paragraph on a PC might look like a wall of text on a device with a smaller screen. Did you consider that?

Search engines are increasingly concentrating on mobile devices because users are choosing these devices more often. One easy way to improve their experience is to make any lists a series of bullet points instead of a long sentence with a bunch of commas.

7. Structure Matters Too

Headings and links are still critical components of SEO, but much like keywords, they need to feel natural. For example, using your primary keyword in your H1 makes sense because it shows both search engines and prospective customers what that page is about. Related phrases should be in the subheadings that follow because the content is still discussing that topic.

Internal links should be inserted wherever users might legitimately want more information and nowhere else. For example, calls to action should include a link to purchase whatever you’ve been talking about. Leading with the same link would make little sense because you haven’t pointed out why users might want it yet.

Ultimately, all seven of the tips above are advice on how to achieve the first one. Concentrate on your end user, and SEO will sort itself out.

 

Looking for more information in regards to SEO?  Contact Canada West I.M. today!

 

Edmonton SEO Company

Canada West Internet Marketing
10050 Jasper Avenue #2020c
Edmonton, AB T5J 3R8
(780) 628-7535

The SEO Trends and Changes in Google To Expect In 2018

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Be prepared to for algorithm updates targeting fake news

In 2010, Google was getting various critics from the media due to the “content farm,” that is the clutter users receive after searching. Overwhelmed by the critics, Google had to respond. Its response was a proclamation that they hear and understand their users complains about the content farms and site. They explained that they were working on finding a solution to the problem.

Later on, in February 2011, the Google Panda update was launched. Google Panda update was targeted on the spammy and the content that was of low quality.

Many may wonder why I am bringing this up; the reason is that the media is complaining about the fact that Google has allowed the spreading of fake news. Danny Sullivan terms the matter as the biggest ever quality search crisis that Google has ever experienced due to the extent of the problem.

These claims are severely tarnishing Google’s image. The problem is a tough one to solve, but Google is motivated to provide a solution.

Some of the tactics that Google has used to solve the problem include:

  • Adding fact check tags for search results displayed
  • Banning publishers who have been reported to spreading fake news,
  • Coming up with new ways for users to report auto-complete suggestions that they consider offensive.
  • Adjusting their algorithms to remove non-authoritative info, for example, Holocaust denial sites.

In 2015, researchers released a research report on the Knowledge-Based Trust (KBT). The research shows how Google will be able to evaluate the websites by analyzing the accuracy and factuality of the information they post rather than just focusing on the inbound links it has. However, even if this system would be implemented, there is still the risk that incorrect facts will still article before the website is shut down.

It is good to recognize that Google is doing all it can to work on ensuring factuality in their services. This may be achieved by the KBT if altered, to solve the loopholes it has. However, we may never know if the system was implemented, but they did not have any results, so they are working on a better version.

The use of Voice search and features snippets will grow

Currently, for all the five mobile searches, one is made through a voice search. The growth of the Google assisted devices example Google home will promote the increased use of Google searches. As Google sources its voice search results from features snippets, the snippets are thus also expected to grow similarly to the voice search.

To support this, Stone Temple Consulting did a study last year that shows that featured snippets accounted for about 30% of the 1.4 million queries that they used in their test the statistics show that the use of featured snippets is growing. If their use continues to grow, then they will be able to rival the organic listings. Thus, advertisers would be more interested in featuring in them. For more information on how to use and target the featured snippets, you can check Stephan Spencer’s primer on the topic.

Most aspects of the searches will be powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Google’s Machine learning AI system, RankBrain which was introduced two years ago to help google process its results has evolved from handling 15% of the search results to all of them.
Google has also developed its AI through developing Cloud Vision API. The Cloud Vision API can recognize a vast number of objects.

However, Google has stood out more with its AI inventions due to the invention of an AI that is better at building other AI’s than human beings. The project was headed by Google Brain, and they were intent on building an AI that Google would use.

Although the system has its advantages, it has a few disadvantages as well. One of them is that after attaining a good solution, they will stick to it rather than try to get a better solution. Also, they tend to create a correlation between very different things thus making it very superstitious. To add on to their problems, they were responsible for creating the machine-learning algorithm but not the final algorithm thus they are finding it very difficult to predict its behavior.

Google will continue to work on its AI which they will incorporate into their search algorithms. Google users should thus be prepared for unpredictable results or behavior from the search results.

It is important to note that optimizing AI is not similar to what is done for SEO strategies, instead to optimize AI; the machine has to learn to make predictions more like humans.

Manipulative guest posting will be handled soon.

Google announced in May that they do not appreciate the fact that some webmasters were using article marketing to get more links to their sites. This practice is against Google’s guidelines and would result in penalties. This announcement brought about the feeling that Google was working on an algorithm that would handle the matter accordingly.

Manipulative guest posting as recommended by Google is explained as information or an action that would be a ‘yes’ if asked if the tactic helps the users or I would still do the action even if the search engines were not in existence.

It is thus essential to avoid guest posts that do not increase brand awareness or become a source of referrals. In some cases, posts are done to influence search engine rankings positively. However, this solution does not work effectively in the long term.

The rule on the guest posting is a common knowledge that people in the SEO community are familiar about. However, some marketers will still pursue the strategy as they convince themselves that it is a legitimate act. EzineArticles can bear witness to article marketing regulations.

‘Linkless’ mentions

Bing confirmed that they track the brand mentions that have not been linked then use then as ranking signals. Google also indicated that they do the same as well in a patent they made.

With AI continuing to play a more significant role in rankings the searches from Google, then more ‘linkless’ mentions are to be expected.

This would benefit smaller brands which are unable to reach the required threshold that allows them to get press. This will be achieved by the fact that although the ways of getting brand mentions through mentions are not very different from using links, mentions are usually more commonly used than the links thus offering an opportunity to the smaller companies.

This factor thus increases the value of being part of online conversations or starting up the discussions on your own instead.

An Interstitial crackdown may happen soon

Google has had an intense battle with mobile ads that are very intrusive to its users. Google announced a mobile interstitial penalty early 2017 to further fight the issue. The most affected sites were those that had aggressive adverts on their pages that prevented users from using the interface at all.

According to SEO expert and columnist Glenn Gabe, he stated that the penalty mainly affected the small brands as the big brands were left free thus the effects of the penalty did not meet the expectations. He believes that in the future, Google will handle this matter. The main reason that the big companies were left free was due to the trust that they culminated over time. The result of this battle, however, will depend on how Google handles the intrusive advertising vs. branding issue.

Mobile-first indexing

Google announced that the mobile searches had surpassed the desktop searches three years ago. Also, last year BrightEdge noted that 57% of the traffic in their servers was as a result of mobile devices.

To accommodate this change, Google now aims to rank its search results while basing the content on the mobile versions. The listing strategy will also apply to desktops. The mobile first index is expected to be launched this year according to some of Google’s representatives.

This means that by the end of the year, the signals that only affected mobile searches will affect all types of searches. The changes to the mobile first index will thus mean that sites that cannot be accessed by mobile phones will become obsolete over time.

Google became a common phenomenon in the late 1990s. Since then it has been involved in massive growth and complications, but it has still maintained its position in the world as an excellent supplier of information.

For this year, we expect Google to strive to develop its AIs then try to combat the political and media criticism to find solutions to some of the common problems that it is faced with. Typical examples of such challenges are the aggravating adverts and manipulative guest posts.
We also look forward to the launching of the mobile-first index and the changes and different experiences it will bring about.

All these are factors that the SEO community to be on the lookout for. They should thus be focused on creating long-term SEO strategies to keep them ahead throughout the year.

If you are looking for SEO help for your business website, the Edmonton SEO Experts at Canada West Internet Marketing https://ww1.canadawestinternetmarketing.com/ can help you. Call us today!

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