Central Pennsylvania Search Engine Optimization

What Is Seo? Search Engine Optimization?

This is a surprisingly complicated question, but, my simple answer is that SEO manipulates both on-page and off-page factors to boost a site's rank in the serps (search engine's results pages). When combined with effective branding and off-line marketing, you have a well-rounded success strategy.

Does It All Come Down To Google?

To a large extent it does. That's the way it is right now, though, this won't always be the case. It's estimated that over 60% of a site's traffic comes from the Google search engine. So, we can't underestimate the importance of the G query box:

When someone searching for what you have to offer types his query into that text field, we want your site to appear on the first page of results. And, preferably in the top 3.

Is This Easy To Achieve?

No. Optimizing a site, particularly a new one, is a time-consuming and challenging process. I'm not going to kid you. Google has implemented a (controversial) sandbox, in which new sites get to sit from six to eighteen months before they'll get any type of useful ranking.

I Never Heard Of Any Google Sandbox Before!

Well, truth is most people aren't aware of all the intricate aspects of SEO. You can read much more about Google's sandbox here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

How Do I Get Traffic Then?

There are a lot of ways to get traffic while waiting for a site to incubate in Google. But, first let me remind you of a popular and relevant web developers' saying:

Content Is King!

Content is King! Absolutely true. The first step in gaining any type of traffic to a website is creating a project that has killer, unique, brilliant content: content that can't be found anywhere else on the web. Webglad.com will research the competition and then brainstorm with you in creating the content, targeting the keywords...

Wait, wait, wait... What Are Keywords?

Well, the keywords are our real first step. Basically, we anticipate what people will type into the search engine's search box. We go through this process before writing a single line of html or registering a domain name (which Webglad will do for you also.) Our finds may very well determine which domain name we select. That's just how important keywords are.

To repeat, we will determine what people will be actually typing into Google's search window.

Ps. If you want to start playing around with domain names, while checking availability, have a look at our friends over at Who Is.

How Do You Determine The Keywords?

Well, this is where we really start having fun. There are a number of methods, but, one of my favorites is to describe what your project offers to a few people and ask them what they'd type to find you. Don't underestimate this method. For a more scientific approach, Webglad uses a collection of tools, including Digital Point's Keyword Suggestion Tool to determine the keyword's popularity. Ideally, we want to select a number of different keywords to target, which receive a respectable number of daily searches, while not being terribly competitive.

How Do You Determine Keyword Competitiveness?

WebGlad uses several tools, including Top Paying Keywords to analyze and understand how many people and organizations are seriously competing for a keyword or keyword phrase.

This Is Beginning To Seem A Bit Complicated.

Well, truth is ... it does get a bit involved, but, it's so very important that I want you to have at least a superficial understanding of the process. Let's now assume that we've selected a dozen keywords to target. What next?

First: Optimize and Go After The Less Competitive Keywords

First, we select a few of the less competitive keywords and start aggressively targeting them. This will often bring quick success with MSN, somewhat quick success with Yahoo, and, make Google's sandbox a less lengthy stay. In addition, these methods will start immediately bringing in a trickle of natural, organic web traffic. And, there are other methods...

Okay, So What Are These Brilliant Methods ?

Well, one thing we don't do is directly submit the site to any search engines. There's no need for that. Since the site we've created already has brilliant, unique content: the process of getting an initial index and traffic won't be very difficult. We'll begin with a round of social bookmarking.

What Is Social Bookmarking ?

Social bookmarking is found on sites (Blinklist, Del.icio.us, Simpy, Digg, Jots, Reddit, etc. ) where users submit links to different content located all over the web. Users than vote on the links and links that are favorably received will generate free and natural traffic; but, more importantly, will also generate non-reciprocal inbound links: the most important links of all, and, our primary seo objective.

What Are Non-Reciprocal Inbound Links?

Non-reciprocal inbound links are exactly what we want! They are the links generated naturally. We don't ask anyone for them. Because of the outstanding nature of our web content (remember: Content Is King!) other webmasters with similarly-themed sites decide that we would be a good resource for their visitors and thus link to us from one of their pages. Beautiful! In addition to the wonderful, organic traffic which these links generate, they also, more importantly will improve our search engine ranking. The single most important factor in how well a site ranks is how many, and, more importantly, how respected are the sites pointing one-way links at it. And, in particular, we want the hyperlink to be the keyword. In other words, if we're developing a site for Cyndi's Dog Grooming business, we want the clickable link to be this: Harrisburg Dog Grooming. Notice we didn't make the link include the name Cyndi. Well, people are searching for "Harrisburg Dog Grooming," not Cyndi...

How Else Are We Going To Generate Links?

Right out of the gate, we'll also take advantage of free web directories, which is a fast and effective way to make some early progress (particularly with Yahoo and MSN.)

What Are Web Directories?

Web Directories are sites that serve as gateways to the world wide web... and, there are a ton of them: NetInsert, SearchSight, Linketeria, SoMuch, Emporium Directory, etc. Webglad utilizes several partnerships to expedite this process in a manner which brings maximum benefit. This is an amazing way to quickly generate a lot of inbound links (and, with varying anchor text!) that when combined with our other strategies can really get a new site a little momentum quickly.

How Else Are We Going To Generate Links?

Another favorite Webglad technique for generating non-recip ibls is through article submission and article directories. This is very hot and effective these days: if done correctly!

What Are Article Directories ?

Article directories (Article Depot, Article City, FreeZine Articles, Article Point etc.) are websites that have nothing but a ton of articles (covering all subjects) for other webmasters to download and add to their sites. Yes, free and easy content. What's the catch? The article must retain the author's bio box, which, generally, contains a link back to his site.

This is so brilliant, once I found out about Article Directories I was hooked, and, I've used them to great success with my personal sites. Take a look at some of my articles if you like listed at GoArticles (type into the search box with "Author Name" selected.) Notice how many times they've been downloaded. Then consider that through my association with several partners , I've blasted those articles out to hundreds of article directories, and, you'll really begin to see the power of this nearly free search engine optimization technique.

You can read an article I wrote about marketing a website via articles over at devshed: Exploding Your Website Traffic Through Article Submission.

Can Webglad Write For Me ?

Yes! And, this is one of several areas where Webglad distinguishes itself from not only web development and seo businesses in the central Pennsylvania, Harrisburg area, but, web development businesses everywhere. My writings have been published all over the place. I run a writers' forum, which is all about helping other poets and writers to achieve their goals. And my books are selling marvelously. Now, I by no means want to sound arrogant, but, I really want you to understand the Webglad advantages.

The web is made of text and images. So, understand, we've got the text part down!

What About The Images ?

Well, I'm also a visual artist and photographer. I've been painting since 1995, and I've been using graphic creation software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Painter, Swift 3d Electric Rain etc. since 2001. Truth is... I love working with that software. The truth is... I love designing and developing websites.

Tell Me More About Getting Links

Okay, like I've said, links are the name of the game in respect to the natural traffic the direct link will bring and also the boost they give in the search engine's results pages. And, as I've explained: Content Is King! So, when you create a site with killer content, some links will just come naturally. You won't have to send off any emails, submissions, or make any phone calls. However, that's rarely enough.

So, as has been explained, Webglad also pursues non-reciprocal inbound links through social bookmarking sites and article directories. According to Webglad, that's still not enough, simply because conceivable methods still exist.

Another obvious method is to directly contact sites that have a similar theme (this is important!) and see if they'll give you a link. If the site has unique and brilliant content, there's a chance, because, you've set yourself up as a one-of-a-kind resource, which is the ultimate goal. When this is done correctly, you even stand a chance of getting a link from a .edu site or a newspaper.com, and, trust me, those links are powerful! ... love them!

Those Rascals Won't Give Me A One-Way

Now, there are some sites out there which aren't too keen on giving a one-way link. Okay, that's fine. For those sites, which have similar theme, Webglad will pursue link-exchange. Now, there's a good bit of controversy these days about the value of link-exchanges, but, I, for one, know that they still do help somewhat with the search engine's results pages, and, they will definitely bring some direct-click traffic! And, traffic's the name of the game because...

The More People That See Your Site The Better!

Plain and simple: the more people who see your site the better! Why? Because, if you have beautiful and unique content, there's always a chance that the person seeing you is going to want to link to you! Not to mention, old-fashioned word-of-mouth advertising. So, the site needs to be memorable!

Even Still... Isn't It Hard To Generate Traffic For A New Site?

Yes. Generating traffic for a brand-new web project is challenging... no matter what.. particularly with the search engine King: Google. However, thankfully, Google's not the only game in town, and, trust me, brand new sites can reap attractive, natural organic traffic from MSN and Yahoo... particularly MSN! Ultimately, we want to gain traffic from every possible source that we can get any. In the early stages, we focus on bringing some clicks over from the MSN serps.

But, I Want More Early Stage Traffic !

Okay, you want more early stage traffic. Most businesses do, and they need it in order to thrive. Google has effectively recognized this, and they are thriving as a result : ). It's called Adsense, and, it's essentially a system to set up Pay-Per-Click (ppc) campaigns. The way it works is that you bid on different keywords, and your text ads appear on other websites (and results) that are contextually relevant.

Webglad can assist you in either setting up a campaign as a publisher or an advertiser or both. Now, honestly, in order for this to prove lucrative as a publisher, you generally need to be generating a fair amount of daily traffic to your site.

But, I Already Have A Site. I Just Need Traffic!

If you already have a website, but, you're totally unhappy with the trickle of traffic you're getting, you have a lot of company. Webglad.com can analyze existing sites and create strategies to turn the trickle into a stream into a river. Working with existing sites is a bit more complicated; however, there's often an implicit advantage if the site is already indexed and has a bit of age under its belt. The search engines have a lot of respect for age. With these sites it's generally best to make changes slowly. The process is involved and varies depending on numerous factors unique to the individual site, and, it's best to talk to me in person about the particular strategy that will be most effective for your site.

This Webglad SEO Page Is Turning Out To Be Incredibly Informative !

Thank you. I'm trying to provide a summary that's still comprehensive.

But, Aren't You Giving Away All Your Secrets?

Well, yes, I am giving away an awful lot of them right here for free. But, I am always true to my school. See, I'm redoing this page today on March 24, 2006, and, by the way, I'm having a great time doing it.. really! I'm not just saying that, but see, like I said, if you want content to attract natural links and any sort of buzz, you have to make it the most informative, special, spectacular content you can. The truth is... if you took just what you've learned from this page and applied these principles, you'd be better off than the majority of the people out there who are putting up websites. And, yes, the information here is free. Furthermore, there's more of it on the other pages. And, furthermore, you can meet with me for a free, one hour consultation, in which you evaluate whether or not Webglad.com is the right think tank to develop your project. That's right.

Call Weblgad.com at 717-557-1555. Ask for Kemal. If I'm unavailable, leave a message, and, chances are I'll get back to you the same day, unless there are circumstances beyond my control. Set up an appointment with me over at Atlanta Bread Company on Route 22. Or, I, on occasion, meet clients in their homes. We can sit down. You can ask any web questions you like. You can look me in the eye and shake my hand. And, if you don't think that Webglad is the right fit for your project, that's fine, and I'm still grateful for the opportunity to make your acquaintance!

Tell Me More About Your On-Page Web Philosophy.

Okay, I'd be happy to, but, let me start another, fresh html page. This one's getting a bit long, and, I've designed it to mostly optimize for the term "Harrisburg Search Engine Optimization." I'm going to target the next page for "Web Design Philosophy." Now, there's a lot of overlap between the two topics, because, optimizing for the search engines is an integral part of the Webglad Web Design Philosophy. However, here we'll take a little deeper of a look into actual on-page factors, structure, and a little bit about coding and writing html.

So, on to Web Design Philosophy ... btw. you should now know why that link is preferable to this one: Next Page. : )