SEO Strategies to Use Right Now

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SEO is like a game. We have to study, observe, and plan. The reality is that you can’t really give your full attention to SEO adding to the fact that, there are many bad SEO strategies you must not do. Well, perhaps you are already doing it but you are not aware that you are. So, after much thought, you probably have to decide to do away with those bad habits. It is now time to build good habits that will work but does not need too many long hours.

  • INTENSE RESEARCH.

    • This means all your links, keywords, and competitors. Do not just look at the whole, but go on to details. This will be useful to gain good habits and excellent research work.
    • Discernment for the topics and terms of any SEO operation comes from intensive attempt to make use of the tools and the data on-hand.
    • Most people will use the term “audience” instead of “keyword” when referring to procedures on the front end, meaning content and related marketing strategies as well as coding of an SEO campaign; thereby, getting a profound insights for subject matters and words or phrase which can derive from the data-on-hand and tools.
    • When using added tools and focusing on the SERPS, zero-in on looking for all the means to know the audience better. This entails going to the specifics without forgetting the old way’s fundamental keyword research.
    • So, now that we are getting deeper, remembering that mining for one long-tail keyword that is particular to whatever you are selling. It is narrow-minded when it comes to context based on the period of SEO that we are in right now.
Be detailed in your research.

Be detailed in your research.

  • WEIGH MORE.

    • The fact is, people who are responsible for SEO in their company and even clients would agree, that there are lesser time spent in Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and other tools that analyses. This is the reason why you must find ways of giving time every day to jump into the numbers.
    • Sinking your teeth in the data will have more chance to measure, modify attribution models, put on custom dimensions, and also to discover awareness if we do this every day to come-up with a weekly or monthly report.

  • LEARN EVERY SINGLE DAY.

    • It isn’t enough just to go to your favorite SEO site when you want to know an answer or if you what to know the things that are going on in the world of SEO. With the fast pace in the changing world of the website technology, digital marketing, and trends, you just have to digest everything every single day.
    • An awesome way to create this habit is to look for ways to go after your favorite industry sources and make the news come to you. You can also add knowledge in article feeds which comes to you by email and in social channels.
    • You may also subscribe and follow selected channels that enable you to focus on the articles without going out of the sites separately.

 

SOURCE: (1)

How to Lower Your Website’s Bounce Rate (Part 2)

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On the previous post, I explained to you what is bounce rate, why you need to keep your bounce rate low, and the different ways to keeping bounce rate at a minimal level. For this post, I will discuss more tips on how lower your website’s bounce rate. Are you ready to learn more? Read the additional 4 tips especially for you:

  • Add Newer Posts on the Sidebar

    • This is similar to adding related post as discussed in part 1. Another way to entice readers to stay is add your new blog posts or latest updates on the sidebar.
    • If they like to finish the article they are currently reading, they can find related topics at the bottom. However, if they don’t like to continue, they can drop it and find new topics on the right side.
    • This allows your readers to explore more of your published content. You can even feature popular posts aside from the newer posts. The bottom line is that you should take advantage of the sidebar.
    • Highlight the best of the best so that readers can easily the pages you want them to read. Wherever your web visitors are on your website, the sidebar widget will always show up on every page of the blog. This heightens the idea of your web visitors exploring more articles.
    • This increases the chance of your readers to view your most popular posts. Thus, it decreases your bounce rate to a minimal.
    • For WordPress users, there’s a plugin called WordPress Popular Posts. This plugin will automatically identify display the articles with the most clicks most visits. You can also manually select posts that you want to be featured. Skip the widget and create your own personalized list.
Woman Browsing a Website

Woman Browsing a Website

  • Link Up Old Articles

    • Every time you publish a new post, make it a point to include links of your old articles.
    • Also, edit old articles, and add links to any new content you just published.
    • Link related articles to each other and create a domino effect. So, when a web visitor reads 1 post, he will end up reading 5 more because you were able to create a link to all the related articles.
    • Don’t just rely on the related post widget. Insert links within the post itself.
    • So, if you missed part 1 of the discussion on bounce rates, you can read it by following this link. See what I did there?
    • Deep linking will shed light to old articles that have been buried by newer articles. It will also increase page views, and lower bounce rate.

  • Speed Up Your Website

    • One to way to definitely annoy your web visitor? Give them a slow website.
    • Having a very slooowwww website will absolutely increase your bounce rate. Web visitors will immediately abandon the page. So, how do we test your website’s speed? You can visit Google’s PageSpeed Insights. The tool is free and is very easy to use.
    • You have to input the URL and click analyze. PageSpeed Insights will analyze the website, and then, it will give suggestions to make the site load faster.

  • Make Website Navigation Easier

    • The easiest way to to convince people to stay is to provide a clear navigation. It should be easy to find information in your site.
    • A lot of websites have complicated menus that tend be confusing. So, an important tip for you: Keep your main menu simple. That’s it!

How to Lower Your Website’s Bounce Rate (Part 1)

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Bounce rate is the number of web visitors who enter your website, and then, they suddenly leave the page rather than browsing to other parts of your website. Ideally, you would want your bounce rate to be low. Your website should encourage its visitors to stay awhile and view other web pages. Below are tips and tricks for you on how to help your web visitor not to bounce away so easily:

  • Keep Your Blog Posts Short
    • You could lose readers, and your bounce rates will go up if you don’t get this right.
    • That’s why it’s important to list important points so that you will not spend a long time explaining something. (like this blog post!)
    • Your paragraphs should be short and straightforward. There’s no reason for you to beat around the bush.
    • Usually, you can explain with your points with 2 to 3 sentences.
    • However, if your list is quite long like around 10 or more points, then, number your points. For example, you would say something like, “This is the 5th tip.” or “This is the last important item on the list.” That way, it is easy for your web visitors to follow. They can anticipate how many more to read.
    • Lastly, when you are keeping text short, you are also welcoming whitespace. Seeing whitespace will help your web visitors stay calm. Thus, they will like stick around and continue reading.
    • How to make your content easy to read? Here are a few tips to follow:
      • Break down your post. Use the different heading options (h1, h2, h3, etc) so you could highlight important content.
      • You could also use horizontal lines to break into sections.
      • Limit your paragraphs to around 2 to 5 sentences. This is NOT a contest on who could write the longest.
      • Write a list blog post if possible. Long paragraphs are overwhelming to readers.
      • Don’t forget to Bold or italicize important terms.
      • Lastly, add color to your post by Including images, or graphs that will draw readers in.
Woman Browsing the Web Using a Laptop

Woman Browsing the Web Using a Laptop

  • Add Related Posts at the Bottom 
    • So, that’s how you should write an engaging post. This time, it’s time to offer more articles at the bottom of the page. They’ve reached the bottom because they’re interested in what they are reading. It’s useless not to list all related content after each post.
    • This is a brilliant way to convince people to stay. If they’ve read your blog post, they would be interested enough to read another article with a similar topic.
    • Make it easy for readers to find related articles about a topic. You can do so by adding widgets on your web page. This will help in lowering your bounce rates, and at the same, it will help readers find an article that may interest them.
    • For WordPress users, there’s a plugin called WordPress Related Posts. This plugin will help choose similar posts, but you can set the suggested posts manually also. You can change other settings as well. There are options to view the recommend posts as a list or with images. You can freely tweak these settings to your preference.

Things to Think About Before Making Vital Changes in Your Website (Part 2)

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Before you start on redesigning your website, you might wanna pause and think about it. Consider the pros and the cons if your decision. Try to identify your website’s strength and weakness because you will know what should remain and what should be removed. On top of this, you would also want to preserve your online rankings. Here are 7 things to consider:

  • Examine if there are broken internal links.

    • This only shows you that there is a major error with the changes you made in your website. It is after all a diagnostic test; but, remember it cannot tell you what is wrong.

  • Look for 404 Page Not Found Responses.

    • A lot of people thinks that 404 response codes “error codes” which they are not. They are actually server responses and it is normal but the lack of it is not.
    • So, when you crawl into a website and sees the 404 response codes, it may mean that something went wrong. It is, after all a tool that helps discover errors.

  • Use Original Site Map to Crawl New Site

    • To find problems in the new site, examine 301 redirects and make it sure that there is a 1 to 1 redirect. Google only reward ranking signals that are not alike between pages.

  • Spot thin pages.

    • Change to a more current SMS because if you don’t, you might have thin pages and Google consider this type the kind that has little or no content at all.
    • There are many good content management systems out there and you can select one that gives you the means to improve and control your site even if your technical knowledge is average. Scan every page with an SEO audit tool and find pages that has a little amount of content.
Discuss each web page with detail.

Discuss each web page with detail.

  • Duplicate Content.

    • Google categorizes by picking one page to rank and granting the link signals coming from the copied page to the selected page.
    • To make this activity easier, use canonicals to give search engines a clue as to which of the pages is the main page for the content. This will help improve your site’s SEO.

  • Stage your Site.

    • This means making an exact copy of its new site but in a different folder or server. This should be blocked to search engines and you should protect it by using a password. When you are done, try it out to find the mistakes before doing the changes.

  • Try and Diagnose Your New Site.

    • The suggestions above are the vital factors you should think about when you want to make major changes in your website. It may not be complete because in actuality, there are many tweaky things you should be aware of.
    • A few examples like creating two or three backups to be added to the list. Make sure that the images and files will be downloaded by means of correct procedure. This will ensure that your files will not be corrupt.

Of course there are many possible errors, but the list above will help you improve your rankings despite the changes. You can catch up on part 1 right here.

Things to Think About Before Making Vital Changes in Your Website (Part 1)

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Before you apply major changes to your website, you need to review the present status of your website. Consider its flaws, strengths, possibilities, and opportunities. You should identify what should remain and what should be migrated. Despite the changes, you will be able to preserve your rankings. Here are 2 things before you make changes:

Site Architecture.

  • Check on how the pages are arranged. There are two things to consider:
    • Continue the present site architecture and do not lose rankings.
      • If you don’t want to lose your good rankings, keep the present site architecture. This means using the same URLS and the categories. Of course that is, if you are not changing the web pages.
      • If you want to integrate web pages, then select the most popular URL and then redirect the past URLS to the current URL.
      • Be careful now; know that 301 redirects are only done when the pages whose content has close equal to each other. If you do not match the redirect content, it will surely affect unfavorable ranking.
    • Revamp the old structure to improve rankings.
Discuss how to improve site architecture.

Discuss how to improve site architecture.

Improve the Site Architecture.

  • Others think that a“flat site architecture” has an edge in ranking. A flat site architecture is when the web pages can be reachable in one, two or three links. Know that the web pages with not be classified. The idea here is to crawl all pages and index them to have an equal ranking chance.
  • A flat site structure may not be a great idea as a website ranks for many phrases.
  • Contrasting pages are most likely good for different phrases. What makes sense though, is arranging the website in different categories. Therefore, if you are improving your website, it is good to review your site architecture. If what you had is disorganized then, upgrading your site with a great category structure will surely work better.
  • It is, likewise, a great idea to have organized content because it has a greater chance of ranking well. When it is arranged well within the categories, they will all interlinked resulting to a significant context to each other.
  • A well-thought-of category page is a great page to showcase the general questions.
    • An example would be a general search for “tv,” which is greatly gratified by using a general category page regarding “flat screen TVs”. That is what Google is inclined to rank. Now, when you search for “flat screen TV,” it will show the general pages about flat screen TVs. Observe how Google ranks the common type product searches. Search with common two word phrases and see how Google ranks it.
    • This, of course, is against the usual SEO misconception that category pages have identical content and no indexed followed. This is the wrong way of approaching it.

During a Google Webmaster office-hours hangout, John Mueller shared the importance of NOT using a noindex,follow tag:

 “So it’s kind of tricky with noindex. Which I think is somewhat of a misconception in general with the SEO community, in that, with a noindex and follow, it’s still the case that we see the noindex.

And in a first step we say ok we don’t want this page shown in the search results. We’ll still keep it in our index. We just won’t show it. And then we can follow those links.

But if we see the noindex there for longer then we think, this page really doesn’t want to be used in search. So we will remove it completely. And that we won’t follow the links, either.”

…noindex and follow is essentially kind of the same as a noindex, nofollow.”

Must-Have Modern Web Design Elements (Part 2)

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Last time, we talked about the importance of having a card base design, enormous product photos, and product videos. Now, I will continue discussing the modern web design elements. If you need to catch up, part 1 is here. If you wish to continue, then read on the 5 additional tips in achieving a contemporary and cutting-edge web design.

  • Unique Typography

  • One way to stand out is through using a distinct typography. Companies can now buy a specific typography of their choice to help them stand out from the crowd. Their customers can easily identify their brand over the competition. In recent years, there’s been a growing number of fonts for businesses to choose from, making it simpler for businesses to express their own style with the help of typography.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want to be different, and attract attention.
      • you want to introduce a fun (or serious) side depending on your brand.
    • Regardless of what you decide on, make sure it is applicable to different browsers and devices. If not, the correct font won’t be displayed.

  • Massive Hero Images

  • What are hero images? These are large banners that are mainly placed in the front and center of a web page. A hero image can be a combination of images and texts, and it can also be a set of dynamic or static dynamic images.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want something new, and something visually appealing. Instead of adding CTA buttons, you can just add a hero image with image and text.
      • you want an alternative way of sharing you story. let’s admit it images are extremely persuasive than texts.
an example of a set of static hero images.

an example of a set of static hero images.

  • Background Videos

  • If you want another option aside from hero images, you might want to consider adding background videos. It’s very engaging so it’s hard for web visitors not to click and watch. Other than that, human brains process information better when it’s presented through a video ran than just mere text. When you are explaining through videos, the information seems easy to digest, and it just flows effortlessly.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want to put everything together. you don’t really have to add other design elements because it’s all there.
      • you want to reduce space and content. a video can do all the explaining for you.

  • A flat design

  • Apple utilized a flat design since 2013. So what is a flat design? A web design element that is not 3D is considered a flat design. When an image has no shadow, it is an example of a flat design.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want to your page to load more quickly.
      • you want an uncomplicated and simple design that easy for your web visitors to understand.

  • Hamburger Menus

  • When you want to simplify navigation, you can just add hamburger menus like what Google Chrome did. If you’ve noticed, Chrome’s menu is on the right corner. Because the menu has three lines stacked up, thus, the name hamburger menu was conceived.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want to remove unnecessary navigation menus and options.
      • you want to provide a better user experience that’s simpler and distraction-free.

Must-Have Modern Web Design Elements (Part 1)

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What’s trendy 5 years ago may not be what is popular now. Since it’s already 2019 is, I will share with you 3 timely and relevant web design elements. So, let’s cut the long intro. Shall we start revamping your website into something stylish and contemporary? Here we go!

  • Card Based Design

    • The card layout is becoming a worldwide trend. If you are not familiar with it, the concept is that a given information is presented in a shape of a card. A series of rectangular shaped cards are showed on your screen. It is up to you to choose on what information you would like to read/see.
    • Popular examples that use this card design are websites like Google, Pinterest, Youtube, and many others.
    • Why is it a popular choice?
      • Web designers prefer the card design because it is able to give a quick look (glance) on the content without actually clicking it. This saves a lot of time. Web visitors don’t have to click on every blog post or every link to see if interests them. There’s already a short preview for people to read.
    • It is useful when:
      • you are presenting multiple products on one page. Users can roughly compare the products basing on the given display image.
      • you are designing a mobile-centric website. It’s almost the exact shape of a phone screen.
An example of card based design.

This is an example of a card based design. Each card shows a short preview of the content if you choose to view it.

  • Enormous Product Images

    • Instead of words doing all the talking, some prefer pictures. Some websites, especially B2B, feature gigantic product images on their websites to emphasize the different features of their products.
    • Take, for example, Apple’s iPad. On the product page, you will notice that there aren’t much words. It’s the pictures talking to you. Instead of describing the features, it is showing you that the device is slim, magical, and it’s like a computer.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want your products to stand out from the rest. The product images are visual representation (proof) that you are serious with your game.
      • you want your customers to get a grasp (a better understanding) about your products.

  • Product Videos

    • Aside from product images, product videos are also getting popular these days. Websites are starting to add a short snippet of their products. With videos, things are explained clearly. Moreover, customers can easily decide if the product is for them or not.
    • According to an article by Inc. Magazine, the secret to B2B marketing is through these product videos. In fact, nearly half of the B2B customers interviewed shared that they watch videos when researching for products and services. Moreover, they rely on video sharing platforms like YouTube to look for product videos.
    • So, this is a wake-up call to all the B2B companies! You need to create videos explaining your products in detail because 92% of B2B customers search for videos online.
    • It is useful when:
      • you want to give your clients a quick understanding about your product or service.
      • you want to demonstrate how a product is to very easy use.

So, that’s it for now! We have only touched the surface so watch for more web design trends!

Update: here’s the link for the second part of the series.

How Content Marketing Boosts Your Online Presence

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The digital world continues to grow and it is important for businesses to grow along with it. The key towards that goal is to build and improve your online presence with content marketing. The most important thing is to do it regularly and strategically.

And as you construct your content marketing foundation, your authority grows, people’s trust in you grows, and that leads to engagement. This will result to conversion, leads, sales, and finally loyalty to your brand. Sounds profitable, yes?  But the question is how do you promote growth? Well, let us break down the marketing trends and how to apply them.

  • The Right Way of Emailing.
    • We all know that businesses thrives in emailing to get more customers. The reason for this is that email users around the world is a whopping 3.7 billion. What’s more, studies shows that by 2020 it will rise to 4.3 billion, such a spectacular number. This only means people use and depend on the email. Therefore, email is the right platform to gain customers but you need to use it the right way.
    • This means, don’t spam. This does not only mean scams but it does include sending out too many emails than you should. If this continuous, people will just delete your messages.
Discussing emails

Discussing emails

  • Invest in Blogging.
    • It still is the kind of digital activity that is the most profitable but you have to investment. Then, think of blogs that will produce interest, develop a list of your audience, and go somewhere. Research shows that regular posting a well-written original content ensures success.
    • So, what are the important things you need to do to make blogging successful?
      • Post Regularly to develop your traffic and leads and see an average of 4.5 leads compared to those who doesn’t.
      • Quality, Regularity, and Creativeness in your blogging will be able to address whatever is being asked by your audience. Now, you will have a good fighting chance.
  • Get Experts.
    • If you want to invest in blogging and stir interest from your audience, do roundups. It starts with a gripping questions by the host blogger and asking roundup experts to share their views. An example would be Experts Share Tips to build your Online Presence. The thing is, you would want people to visit your site. The traffic will tell you that you are doing well. It will likewise tell your customer’s reaction and that will help you plan and strategize to get the top ranking. It will take time, though but you are in the right track.
    • So, why does this strategy works? Well, first, it gets a lot of backlinks. This is including the round up expert’s link you featured. It is a win-win situation. Second, it is a great way to be promoted. Obviously, when the round up post is live, it only takes you to share the link with the experts and they will surely link it to their own followers. Thus, your audience will grow in numbers.
    • Lastly, you can have a lot of connections and build your authority thereby giving you a chance to build bond, chance to network, build a useful relationship. This will also tell your audience the people you come in contact with. That will too, will gain their trust.

Reasons Why Accessibility Important for SEO

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Accessibility hasn’t been given enough attention when it comes to SEO and web development. You should not overlook this aspect merely because it can result to sales and SEO.

Why accessibility should be a major concern.

Why accessibility should be a major concern.

How WordPress Addresses This Issue

Sadly, WordPress seems to take this issue as just an afterthought and not the core requirement. They created a plug-in that they thought would be better than accessibility in their platform. Although they have accepted that they their approach is wrong, they still have to construct accessibility in their platform. There are many reasons why you should make accessibility your priority aside from the fact that readers do not act the way you thought they would.

Here are the reasons why you should focus on accessibility:

  • This should be reviewed by those who does digital advertising and web development.
  • It intensifies your SEO by lessening the bounce rate.
  • Accessibility improves your traffic.
  • It likewise improves your sale.
  • Disabled persons are still consumers.
  • If others in web development or digital marketing fail to notice this, you have the upper hand. You can choose not to follow them.
  • You can also service a section that your competitors do not pay attention to.
  • It can lower jump quotes.

What is the Perspective of the SEO Community?

People are aware of the fact that they should not neglect accessibility, but they are still wary about the additional expenses that will be incurred in their website. There are a few website where accessibility is their main focus even if SEO is not in their consideration. Hopefully, Google will start putting this in their algorithms and you should prepare before it actually happens. If you don’t believe this, then, take a look at the many voice searches to know that it is, in fact, real.

Succeeding Online by Accessibility.

If you are a search marketer you know that you will truly do everything possible just to get an extra 1% conversion rate. This intensifies the bounce rate for a bit of the percentage points. This will give you a lesser file length, and every little thing still counts. Although there are other things to consider too like alt tags and other features that can assist your website to rank even better. All that you do as a marketer has a sensible reason; you should accept that such reasons live. Then, it is time for you to start planning for your website. If you have so many things in your hand, you might want to consider in contacting Phoenix Website Design who can do the job for you. Their years of experience will tell you that this is something they could handle.

When you expand your business online, everything that you do should have a practical reason. Do not venture into something just because it is popular choice among the competing brands. Do it because it works for you and your business.  If the results are good, then, go for it. When you focus on accessibility, you make it easy for your customers to conveniently browse and buy your products.

Outmoded SEO Practices You Shouldn’t Do (Part 2)

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Things constantly change, and that applies to SEO strategies too! Well, it’s true that the old SEO techniques were effective back then, but it’s not as effective today. Those should be buried and forgotten, but for whatever reason, a lot of small businesses and neophyte marketers still chose to apply these SEO obsolete ways.

SEO stats wont increase with these old strategies.

SEO stats wont increase with these old strategies.

There’s no need to keep using archaic ways of promoting a website. So, skip these methods:

  • ARTICLE SPINNING

    • It is done with a software. It is a strategy by getting a good article and coming up with a different phrases, words, and arrangement. Since it says the same thing as the original article, it is no longer effective.
    • Although AI has become better in writing, nothing beats what an actual person can create. Only humans can write something that has substance that fellow humans will understand.

  • BAD CONTENT

    • It has ranked well at one time but that has changed. Lazy marketers then stopped doing their own content. They opted to select, organize, and copy/paste another person’s content, and then, link back the content to the original article as if your copied article now has significance.
    • Today, let’s not do more of this strategy. Everyone knows at last that great content are rewarded by the search engines because it says what is truthful and what is not. To do what’s right is a surefire success!

  • KEYWORD ABUSE

    • It is something a lot of marketers and webmasters does not understand. And that is the fact that keywords have an important role in the SEO efforts.  They also do not know how to use them in their day-to-day journey
    • Do not ever misguide your users and show them to a content that is not represented by repetitive keywords just for more visibility. This can easily be recognized by Google and surely it is an ancient SEO practice.

      • KEYWORD DENSITY

        • It is the many times a keyword or phrase is shown on a web page as in comparison to the overall number of words on the page. If you are writing for a definite keyword density, you are totally missing the point of your article.
        • Google does not depend on keyword density to know if a webpage is still efficient. So what can work? The lifeline is the great content and how the message is being communicated.

      • KEYWORD STUFFING

        • It is a technique that is perhaps the oldest gimmick of all times. Yes, SEO is all about keywords, but do you think that loading them up in your website will help you to be on the top? Certainly not!
        • It is common knowledge what keyword stuffing is. In the earlier days, webmasters would put the keyword alternatives and place them everywhere like say, website footer. What is even cunning is placing the keywords in the background and uses the same color. This trick can be hidden from the users but never the search engine crawlers. Webmasters did this approach with links but that shouldn’t be done at all. You must remember that your users are human and not search engines.

 

Back? Outmoded SEO Practices You Shouldn’t Do (Part 1)

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