WRAMPD

How to Recognize an SEO Expert

2011-11-07T07:57:00.006-05:00

I've read so many articles, how-to guides, promises and saving-graces when it comes to SEO that I'm pretty sure some highly-prevalent life-skills have been pushed out and replaced with very bad information. Why is this information bad? Simple. Not one article that I've come across has mentioned that SEO is actually easy.

Ok, I will admit that link-building, when done with relevant, good quality, non-purchased links (how things should be done) is tedious, and keyword research - time consuming, but otherwise, SEO isn't a difficult process. So, today I will give you my down-to-earth guide to SEO nirvana.

You have to be a great technical writer. Unless you've had ample experience writing 10-12 page reports and then condensing that report into 120 words or less while retaining relevance and texture, you're not ready to offer SEO services. Keyword research is useless if you can't formulate the most unambiguous substance with the least amount of useful, relevant words.
You have to understand what great HTML is. Great HTML is clear, uncluttered and minimal. Great HTML makes use of a tag's attributes when it makes the most sense and uses those attributes professionally. I can't count the number of outsourced websites that have img alt attributes that have a paragraph chalked full of keywords. Where's the expertise in that? You get what you pay for I suppose.
Google, Bing and Yahoo tell you what they want. This seems to be the most overlooked and simplest of all SEO measures. There's no magic that you can perform unless you work at one of the big 3 mentioned and can access their ranking algorithms. So, what's the next obvious measure to achieve high rankings for each search engine? Do what they say!

So, how hard is that? By following these 3 steps I have always been able to slowly and methodically bring all my clients to the first page of search results for relevant and useful keywords. No, I don't promise fast results and I don't promise #1 results. You know why? Because I don't make promises that search engines will not keep!

Insignificance - The Inability to Realize There Is no Insignificance

2011-11-04T09:20:00.000-04:00

There seems to be waning trait in today's society; the ability to see even the simplest of details for their ultimate grandeur; the ability to recognize the largest potential in the most insignificant traits and attributes of the world-round. And why do I call them insignificant? Because they've been marked as such. Here's how I see the world:

You see a green leaf on the ground mid-summer and kick it to the side. Life goes on. I see that same leaf and pick it up. I admire its shape and ask myself what events in that tree's evolution gave its leaves that shape; I ask what its true color may be. You see, nature has this beautiful attention to detail - it provides us with endless descriptions, sights, sounds and smells. The simple fact that said leaf is green tells us that we are holding a living entity. I see no insignificance; this leaf could personify a million different ideas and notions.

It's my metaphorical embodiment of how I practice marketing the way I do. It's how I remain the yang to the conventional marketer's yin. In order to stand out, one must remain unique. In order to remain unique, one must forgo attachment to convention. There's more than one way to skin a cat, right?

What level of detail do you see the world around you? What level of detail do you reach for in order to dwell-up inspiration for marketing campaigns?

All Hallows Even

2011-10-31T12:11:00.000-04:00

I came across a nice, condensed history of Halloween that I felt sharing. It's worth the watch just to remember why we do the things that we do on this day. It seems we've lost focus on the real meaning of our pagan-rooted holidays.

Stand Up To Your Client For Their Safety

2011-10-27T10:44:00.001-04:00

I've recently received a request by a client that wanted a few more graphics added to their website because it was felt that the site was a little boring. If you know anything about usability and good design, graphics for the sake of graphics has no merit. This is especially true for small businesses who sell one or two products. Some flashy graphic that does not pertain to anything on the page, some graphic that's just there to make the owner smile is nothing but clutter and a deterrent from focus on the call to action.

You see, Google Analytics was telling me that the pages per visit were between 4-6 and on an eight page website, great! The bounce rate has always remained sub 1% and the time on site is about 2.5 minutes. With a strict limit on fluffy text, there isn't much to talk about. In short, all was well under the hood. I knew that everything was fine and that short of putting a gun to someones head and saying buy this product now - can't force a purchase on items that are not ready for mass sales. Here is a basic realization that most website designers/developers never grasp - it's not always the designer's/developer's fault sales and goals are not met. It's the low demand for the market. Nonetheless, the business owner will not hesitate to make you fix anything and everything.

The problem with business owners and their websites will always remain that due to the large number of visits they are likely to complete, there will be a time where they will become too complacent with it and find it boring - because they know everything about it; it doesn't really change. That's the idea behind small business websites. It's the content that must change, not necessarily the looks. Content is always the biggest selling point. Always remember this!

So, let it be known that when you are requested to make changes to a well-oiled machine: first ask yourself why and then research current performance data and extrapolate what the page-restructure and additional noise will do to aid in finding and strengthening the current pertinent content. Did you come to a strong enough agreement that the change is necessary? If so, well kudos to you for really putting in the effort for quantifying possible gains! If not, well, were we ever taught to fix perfect? No! Don't be afraid to question the judgement of clients - they depend on you to make the calls that they can't - you're the professional, right?

If You're a Professional - Then Why Didn't It Get Done Right?

2011-10-21T20:11:00.003-04:00

As a Computer Engineer and Computer Scientist, my abilities under WebD&D, marketing, branding and all the in-betweens are diligently operated under the IEEE/ACM Code of Ethics; my company's and my person's checks and balances between my services and my clients. For those of you who are not familiar with the the aforementioned Code of Ethics, here they are:

Acts consistently with the public interest
Acts in the best interest of the client, as long as this is consistent with the public interest
Develops and maintains products to the highest standards
Maintains integrity and independence when making professional judgments
Promotes an ethical approach in management
Advances the integrity and reputation of the profession, as long as doing so is consistent with the public interest
Is fair and supportive to colleagues (yes, this means you) and
Participates in lifelong learning

You see, you can't actually become a professional Engineer of any sorts unless you provably practice your associated Code of Ethics. Yes, all Engineers have them and this includes a Web-Engineer; someone who designs, builds, tests and plans the components of world wide web (from web pages to web-apps, browsers...etc). What I have come across again and again are these amazing works of 'Oh, My God, who's the wanker that did this?' - works from what should have been simple PHP back-ends that went from needing a few hundred lines of code to containing over 1,000 lines, as well as databases that have been constructed in ways indicative of someone who had read the first few chapters of Database System Concepts and stopped. If you can't go from a database requirement to an ER diagram that is within at minimum 3NF scope - you are not yet ready.

So, as I worked the long hours to give people what they should have gotten in the first place while also cutting my prices because I felt bad, I took down-times and decided to investigate who was behind these atrocities. To my 'surprise', they were 'Website Design Companies'. Hard to believe some of you feel you have the ability to handle this business. The truth of the matter is, when it comes to developing tools that people depend on for their future, without the know how and capabilities of thinking like the developers of your tools, it's hard to call you a professional. For example, those of you who are good at website development - have you ever had to write a browser? How much do you really think you know about honest, proper HTML if you haven't.

To those of you who are website and application designers, I must say that a two-year degree or less as well as self-taught won't always cut it. It needs to be a mix of strong, foundational education, continuing education and the drive to practice.

NOTE: This blog post does not pertain to everyone. I have reviewed numerous portfolios for quantifiable metrics and have been quite pleased by many who are no more than self taught - it can be done, but, the truth is, if it were easy - everyone could do it...right the first time.

Necessary Skills of a Top-Class Web-developer: Communication

2011-10-18T14:09:00.008-04:00

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced there should be an evaluation of written-works requirement on website developers. If you really sit and ponder - you will realize that once you generate the layout, topics and graphics - the majority of the remaining work hinges on the ability to write; to write well. Although, it's not only about having a solid foundation in various genres of writing, it's about the ability to understand the specific structures of documents too.

As a basic example, if you are writing a business letter - there are certain sections expected to appear. The same holds true for books, reports and so on. Knowing the flow and format of various documents allows for an objective, one-to-one mapping between a website's design and its real-life analog. Essentially, this knowledge makes web design much more manageable.

If you look at the source-code of most websites and then compare that source to the rendered content - there is little done in terms of matching source elements to their rendered form; generally, the span that encapsulates a 'salutation' probably has no attributes valued as 'salutation'. In reality, a very high level of coherency and best-practice web design could come from realizing the type of webpage being built, matching it to the closest, real-life analog of written-form and then breaking the design into that analog's pieces. Even if the website consists of sections containing different forms of writing, just match each section as its own document. This practice could also greatly reduce the stress on those having to learn your CSS-to-markup matching mannerisms as well as help you remember what CSS styles match to what markup tags (large projects make it easy to forget the little things).

Just figured I'd throw out a little food for thought. Though, if you think I've got a severe lack of understanding of website design - please re-read what I have written. It's about finding new ways to structure documents via analog equivalents. It's about being the best web-developer you can be by understanding the effects of order and the power of well-formed design.

Finally, for a special shout-out, here is a professor I had who greatly influenced my understanding and implementation of 'Top-Class' HCI and solid website design, Dr. Robert Pastel. He was one of the many professors I've had who were/are the contributors, researchers and developers of the technology we know and use today and were a major influence as to who I am as a Computer Engineer and Computer Scientist.

Greetings from WRAMPD

2011-10-14T07:49:00.000-04:00

WRAMPD has been reformed and is more powerful then ever before! So for you, this means your future success during the internet-driven 21st century awaits on your initiative to contact WRAMPD! Websites, even in the presence of social media are indespensible and here's why:

Website's remain in your control. Content, looks and design are under your jurisdiction. If you have a website, you can bet that it gets used often to generate a first-impression!
Branding, identity and affinity. How you present yourself to your target-audience as well as the authority you choose to have over your specialty will greatly define your success and remembrance.
Domain sales, though not guaranteed are a pretty good incentive to really keep honing and toning your website. A little extra cash from a well-established domain never hurt right?
24/7 365 - Daily and nightly your website remains searchable and viewable. For the cost and development plus occasional maintenance - no where else will you find continuous advertising for such a low cost.

This list far from all-inclusive, but gives you a few relevant ideas into the effectiveness of having a website developed and maintained.

When you choose WRAMPD to get your business and ideas off the ground and presented to the online community, you are choosing an architect to design your digital home, hiring the seasoned workers to piece it together and the landscapers, painters and furnishers to complete the aesthetics - the many hats of the man behind WRAMPD.

With over 7 years of education, continuing education and practice, WRAMPD knows what works, what won't work and how to fix even the slightest nuances that cause that occasional headache and lost traffic. Lastly, WRAMPD is not about profit, it's about the love of the game and the pride of a job well done. Our prices are carefully calculated and then set in stone unless a significant change takes place. Therefore, time over-runs will never affect the budget!

Don't wait any longer if you are sifting around the idea of a new website or starting a new business. Contact WRAMPD and learn how we can help you.

Our Service List:

Website Design Services

Reform
Management
Production and Design

Branding

Logo Design
Business Cards, Envelopes and Stationery
Calendars, Posters and Banners
Your Request

Analytics

Your Website's Metrics

Reputation Management

Hiding Negative Press

SEO and Social Media and Web Marketing

Socialize With Your Audience

Contracting

I know what it feels like to be short-handed. You set the budget you can afford and I do the work.