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Based in London, Ontario, Concerto Designs offers affordable website design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services for small- to medium-sized businesses, churches, and other non-profit organizations in Canada and across the United States. We specialize in Open Source Content Management Systems (CMS) and e-commerce platforms such as Joomla, Wordpress, Drupal, Silverstripe, CMS Made Simple, Magento, X-Cart, and others. We also offer mobile app development and custom data applications.

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  • (519) 204-6201 (CA)
  • (612) 594-4495 (cell)

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SEO: How We Optimize Your Web Design

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to a broad spectrum of practices that are designed to enhance the searchability of your web design and to improve site page rankings. Successful SEO requires a deep understanding of how search engines index and evaluate your web design and content, how they determine its relevance, and how different platforms and technologies can help - or hinder - your site's visibility.

Types of SEO Campaigns:

Organic SEO

Organic SEO techniques are specifically designed to leverage your content, website structural elements, and graphics for maximum ranking advantage.

A well-executed SEO strategy will improve the volume and quality of traffic to the website through focused “organic” search results. Because organic search results are generated in the main body of the search engine page results, they have higher credibility and click rates than sponsored search listings (PPC). Organic SEO programs not only earn superior page ranking for organizations but also result in sharper targeting of audience demographics and market niches.

PPC (pay per click)

PPC accounts allow your site to appear along the top and side of the search engine’s pages among the sponsored listings. (Google uses a formula based on keyword relevancy to a search to determine which ads will appear on the top of the site as opposed to the side.) Your ad can appear many times without you ever paying anything for the listing. Aside from any initial set up and maintenance fees, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad into your site. This cost is referred to as the cost per click or CPC. A CPC is assigned to the specific key words you choose to target. CPC’s are bids entered by you and your competitors

when you create a PPC account. Major corporations and e-commerce sites use PPC to increase visibility quickly. In competitive areas, a PPC campaign can easily cost hundreds of dollars per month and more.

SEO Services:

  • Competitive analysis
  • Keyword Research
  • Content Optimization Recommendations
  • Keyword Proximity and Meta Tags
  • Page Title Tags
  • URL revision and testing
  • Site map generation and testing
  • Server Environment
  • Linking/Directories
  • Website submission to search engines
  • Install google analytics
  • Social Media Marketing

SEO Services Defined:

Competitive Analysis
Analysis of your “keyword competitors” and how are they ranked. Examining your competitors' website anatomy and link structure is required for a smart, strategic approach.
Keyword research
Researching the most relevant and most often used keywords that your customers will use to locate your services OR to locate other services that indicate their possible interest. Understanding these 'lateral' relationships helps to broaden your SEO capture.
Content Optimization Recommendations
Google first and primary recommendations are unequivocal: start with well-written, authentic content that accurately describes in detail your organization's services and mission. We do not recommend 'keyword stuffing' - however, we do recommend implementing ample amounts of keyword-rich content. Typically, this means five paragraphs on the Home page (Google views your Home page as the most canonical element - starving it of content is a common SEO handicap).
Keyword Proximity
Keyword density has been pretty much debunked as a myth and/or an easy way to inadvertently trespass into 'Black Hat' territory. Keyword proximity involves the proper distribution of keywords in structural elements to create a kind of keyword 'heat map.'
Page Titles (title tags)
A very important element for Google and other search engines - it has to be handled carefuly. Ongoing keyword research is really needed to determine title tag relevancy.
SEF (Search Engine-Friendly) URLs
Should be short and devoid of file-type suffixes (e.g. ".asp, .html, .php"). Very important element for Bing - Google denies the value of SEF urls, but a lot of SEO specialists think otherwise.
Sitemap creation
Sitemaps inform search engines about navigational paths to pages on their sites that are available for crawling. Especially important with large sites.
Meta Tags/Descriptions
Incorporating page descriptions and relevant keywords into the header section of each page. Metadata should be tailored to match the content of each page.
Server Environment
In the Spring of 2010, Google announced that it would penalize slow-loading sites. That is one reason we strongly recommend against the use of shared hosting, especially with bargain basement providers. We recommend a dedicated server environment and unique IP. Google has recently released a new module for Apache (mod_loadpseed). It works poorly with dynamic platforms, but can help 'flat' websites. We also recommend alternative server technologies like lightppd and nginx.
Linking/Directory submissions
Quality linking to your site from reliable, credible sites (inbound) is extremely helpful, and hard to accomplish. Inbound links are like votes – more votes from more credible voters mean the most for your site. Outbound links also provide a small benefit. Both types should be used in moderation (Google is alert for any effort to game the system). Credible directories help boost the site's overall valuation.
Google Analytics
Create a google analytics account and embed the tracking code to website. We provide all the training you need to understand and navigate in the Analytics dashboard.
Social Media
Social interactions and media sharing among social network participants create the kind of content that can improve a brand’s visibility with search results through profiles, videos, and blog posts. The nature of Social Media encourages participation: sharing, voting, commenting, and linking. Popular social content can result in a substantial number of relevant inbound links.

What Should You Expect for SEO Results?

There are four variables that determine your site's search engine page ranking:

  1. The quality of your site's content, coding, link assets, and history
  2. The quality of competitors' content, coding link assets, and history
  3. Information Consumer behavior (how people use the internet to connect with or bypass your site)
  4. Google (and other search engine) algorithms

Any person or company that guarantees a specific ranking with a certain time frame, such as "You'll be on Google's Page One in three weeks!" is either fraudulent or foolish or both. We NEVER make these types of promises because we cannot control variables 2, 3, and 4 - furthermore, they can be highly volatile. We can make predictions based on our analysis of competitor sites, and we can also point out real-world successes.

Imagine the following scenario: we identify your top seven competitors. Because their website content is so-so and the quality of their coding is sub-standard, we would predict that a well-executed SEO campaign would match or surpass these competitors in about three months (possibly sooner). However, as soon as we start the campaign, three competitors start their own SEO campaigns. Two of these use standard techniques and retain or expand their advantage. A third one uses 'Black Hat' techniques (aka cheating) and gains spectacular page ranking for six months. Your website is stuck at position #4 when six months later, Googles catches the cheater and puts the naughty competitor on time-out. Now you move to #3 or higher. One month after that Google resets their search algorithm and suddenly you and all your competitors drop to page eight - or you vault to #1 - or somewhere in between. These are real-world scenarios that happen all the time.

SEO + Web Design: Bottom Line

SEO is complex and requires careful long-term planning and investment. It does not work well as a one-time 'fix' - you may see some good results, but they are almost certainly going to be temporary. One reason we advocate so strongly for CMS platforms like Joomla is that they allow you to accomplish a lot of the heavy SEO lifting on an ongoing basis for potentially little or no cost (other than your time).

  • Web Design @ London, Ontario
    Web Design @ London, Ontario

    There is tremendous opportunity for web design and development in London, Ontario and tremendous competition as well. Londonn has emerged not only as a technology hub but also as a home for web design firms of all types and sizes, from the very large to small (well - Concerto Designs, for one!), from enterprise solutions to WordPress sites and everything in between.

    Concerto Designs thrives in this environment because we offer a focused, efficient approach to providing a unique product model.

    Let's start with our product: although we have experience designing and developing web sites in a wide range of platforms, (Drupal, Wordpress, Magento, X-Cart, DNN, and others), we focus above all on providing complete, turnkey solutions using our optimized configurations of the Joomla CMS platform. By turnkey solutions, we mean everything necessary for a well-functioning, optimized, beautifully designed, hand-coded and content-rich web site. We stress content because we know that content is the most valuable - and challenging - asset in developing an effective digital presence.

    We also offer flexible development plans that streamline production and costs.

    For some businesses, this means a website that features daily specials, product updates, or e-commerce, for others it might involve downloadable brochures, email campaigns with newsletters, blogs, bulletin boards to handle FAQs, or other dynamic content options. However you put your website to work, Joomla CMS allows you complete flexibility and control so that your website and your business grow together. By providing the web solutions that make the most sense for your company, we keep your costs down and your marketing focused. And with Joomla, you can always add new components later.

    in Web Design @ London ON Read more...
  • Content to Marketing: Joomla Helps You to Connect the Dots

    Your web design gives your business a face – your content gives your business a voice.

    And the best platform for shaping and broadcasting that voice is Joomla.

    Well-written content that is crafted and published with Joomla's outstanding editorial tools lets your business and organizational goals come in loud and clear through search engines and social media. Our Joomla’s CMS (Content Management System) web sites provide multiple tools to manage all aspects of content development, publication, and optimization.

    After years of developing Joomla sites for clients in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN), South Carolina, and across the country, we have selected an array of extensions and tools that give your site the competitive edge it needs, including:

    1. The JCE (Joomla Content Editor) lets you style content, spell-check, insert images, add links, embed pdfs and other attachments, add captions, and much more. No knowledge of html or coding is required at all. The full-featured editor panel lets you perform all editorial tasks easily and efficiently. Images can added directly into content from your desktop or laptop computer.

    2. The K2 Content Creation Kit (CCK) brings in the best features of other platforms like Wordpress and Drupal into Joomla, including full-featured blogging capabilities, layout options that can be changed on the fly or varied from page to page, tagging, and extra fields that allow you to add customized maps, contact info, spreadsheet data, and much more.

    3. Joomla’s flexible system of modules (typically used in side columns, dialogue boxes, text boxes, header, footers) provide visually rich, flexible snippets that broaden the scope of your messaging.

    4. Joomla's built-in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) features allow you to manage search engine-friendly urls, page titles, metadata, and other structural elements critical to short- and long-term SEO campaigns. By responding quickly and efficiently to shifting visitor traffic and keyword patterns, you can propel your site's page ranking without having to pay expensive SEO consultants.

    5. Frequently updated content scores better with search engines - and with repeat visitors. Joomla makes updating and adding content as easy as editing a word document. You choose how often to update modules, add new pages, blogs, specials, or news items. That’s good for search engine visibility, good for visitors and good for business.

    Joomla makes managing content simple. With these tools you shape access and create trigger points for visitors to find your site’s most important information.

    Before your site launches, we make sure you understand and can use all these Joomla tools.

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