[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":192},["ShallowReactive",2],{"insight-sword-wolf-forge":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":182,"date":183,"description":184,"extension":185,"image":186,"meta":187,"navigation":117,"path":188,"seo":189,"stem":190,"__hash__":191},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge.md","Sword Wolf Forge",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":169},"minimark",[9,22,27,30,34,42,50,55,71,74,77,81,84,88,103,106,109,118,124,128,138,158,163],[10,11,12],"p",{},[13,14,15,21],"em",{},[16,17,5],"a",{"href":18,"rel":19},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.swfknives.com",[20],"nofollow"," is Andy Burcham’s bladesmithing studio in Johnstown, Ohio—hand-forged knives, individual heat treating, and custom leather sheaths, with a standard of quality that belongs on more than a social feed. What began as a passion project earned enough praise from family, friends, and early buyers that Andy committed to treating it like a real business. The missing piece was a web presence he could trust: someone who would own the work instead of disappearing mid-project.",[23,24,26],"h2",{"id":25},"what-was-going-wrong","What was going wrong",[10,28,29],{},"When we first spoke, Andy was blunt about his experience with digital help. Referrals and small agencies had either failed to lead or gone quiet. He had tried to shoulder it himself with a generic site builder—fine for a weekend page, but a poor fit for a maker who needs search visibility, fast load times, and a professional first impression. Misapplied settings and half-understood “best practices” were doing more harm than good.",[23,31,33],{"id":32},"finding-a-fit","Finding a fit",[10,35,36,37,41],{},"Andy connected with me through my wife. In that first call I focused on listening: his history with flaky providers, what he had already tried, and what Sword Wolf Forge needed to communicate to collectors and custom-order clients. I shared how ",[16,38,40],{"href":39},"\u002Fabout\u002F","long-term customer service experience"," shapes how I work with clients—clear ownership, steady communication, and no ghosting.",[10,43,44,45,49],{},"I was happy to build a site, but I wanted Andy to see the larger picture: a site can be more than an online business card. Done right, it works around the clock, supports custom inquiries, and can grow toward whatever audience he wants to serve—including well beyond central Ohio if he chooses. We agreed to start with a solid foundation and expand digital marketing over time. ",[16,46,48],{"href":47},"\u002F","WebCraft"," and Sword Wolf Forge turned out to be a good match.",[51,52,54],"h3",{"id":53},"scope-of-the-first-build","Scope of the first build",[56,57,58,62,65,68],"ul",{},[59,60,61],"li",{},"Migrate hosting and set up professional domain email",[59,63,64],{},"Design and build a full site with contact form, blog, image gallery, and newsletter signup",[59,66,67],{},"Optimize copy and on-page SEO, tune performance, and harden security",[59,69,70],{},"Train Andy so he could update content confidently",[10,72,73],{},"Starting from a clean slate was a plus: no inherited mess from a previous agency. I owned the project end to end and kept Andy in the loop with regular updates—when either of us had a question, we answered quickly, which kept momentum high.",[10,75,76],{},"Andy supplied the words and images; I shaped them for clarity and discovery. Content optimization is cumulative—structure, titles, and intent all matter—and DIY tools rarely surface the gaps until traffic never arrives.",[51,78,80],{"id":79},"how-it-landed","How it landed",[10,82,83],{},"The initial build took about a month. I still handle ongoing maintenance—backups, updates, and performance—so the site stays as intentional as the knives. We have also lined up future enhancements; the launch was the start of the relationship, not the finish line.",[23,85,87],{"id":86},"youtube-and-what-came-next","YouTube and what came next",[10,89,90,91,96,97,102],{},"Sword Wolf Forge has kept growing, and our collaboration has deepened. Andy records footage with a dedicated camera and wireless mics; he sends files, I edit, and after he approves the cut I publish to ",[16,92,95],{"href":93,"rel":94},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002F@SwordWolfForge",[20],"Sword Wolf Forge on YouTube",". I set up the channel—art, thumbnails, descriptions, keywords, hashtags, playlists—so the forge’s story is easy to browse and search, aligned with how their ",[16,98,101],{"href":99,"rel":100},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.swfknives.com\u002F",[20],"site"," invites people “from the anvil to the screen.”",[10,104,105],{},"Titles and descriptions stay accurate because Andy signs off on knife terminology and details; I handle packaging, metadata, and organization. The work is real work, but the back-and-forth stays creative—we iterate until both sides are proud of what ships.",[10,107,108],{},"Watch a sample below, or browse the full channel.",[110,111],"iframe",{"width":112,"height":113,"src":114,"title":95,"frameBorder":115,"allow":116,"allowFullScreen":117},560,315,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002F9SWN878FZYk","0","accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture",true,[10,119,120],{},[16,121,123],{"href":93,"rel":122},[20],"Visit Sword Wolf Forge on YouTube",[23,125,127],{"id":126},"about-andy-and-the-forge","About Andy and the forge",[10,129,130,131,134,135,137],{},"Andy is a Marine Corps and Gulf War veteran—service taught him early why a dependable blade matters. In 2016 he began blacksmith classes in Logan, Ohio, then shifted from general forging toward knife-making, influenced in part by ",[13,132,133],{},"Forged in Fire",". He joined the American Bladesmith Society (ABS) and studied under ABS Mastersmith Burt Foster and ABS Journeyman John Summerhill—both ",[13,136,133],{}," winners whose craft continues to shape his approach.",[10,139,140,141,145,146,151,152,157],{},"Andy treats each knife as something that can outlast a single owner: traditional techniques, artistic intent, and pieces meant to be handed down. That ethos matches what visitors see on ",[16,142,144],{"href":99,"rel":143},[20],"swfknives.com","—from the ",[16,147,150],{"href":148,"rel":149},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.swfknives.com\u002Fshowcase\u002F",[20],"showcase"," to ",[16,153,156],{"href":154,"rel":155},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.swfknives.com\u002Fknife-talk\u002F",[20],"Knife Talk"," and the custom inquiry flow under “Forge an inquiry.”",[159,160],"image-gallery",{":images":161,"layout":162},"[{\"src\":\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Fgallery\u002Fdagger-black-1024x1024.webp\",\"alt\":\"Black Dagger\"},{\"src\":\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Fgallery\u002Fdamascus-john-1024x1024.webp\",\"alt\":\"Damascus Knife\"},{\"src\":\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Fgallery\u002Fkitchen-knives-patina-1024x1024.webp\",\"alt\":\"Kitchen Knives Patina\"},{\"src\":\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Fgallery\u002Fdamascus-blade-1024x1024.webp\",\"alt\":\"Damascus Blade\"},{\"src\":\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Fgallery\u002Fbowie-confederate-1024x1024.webp\",\"alt\":\"Bowie Confederate\"},{\"src\":\"\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Fgallery\u002Fhunter-antler-1024x576.webp\",\"alt\":\"Hunter Antler\"}]","masonry",[10,164,165],{},[16,166,168],{"href":99,"rel":167},[20],"Visit Sword Wolf Forge’s website",{"title":170,"searchDepth":171,"depth":172,"links":173},"",4,3,[174,176,180,181],{"id":25,"depth":175,"text":26},2,{"id":32,"depth":175,"text":33,"children":177},[178,179],{"id":53,"depth":172,"text":54},{"id":79,"depth":172,"text":80},{"id":86,"depth":175,"text":87},{"id":126,"depth":175,"text":127},"case-study","2024-04-14","How a Johnstown, Ohio bladesmith moved from DIY tools and flaky help to a site and channel that match the quality of the work coming off the anvil.","md","\u002Fimages\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge\u002Ffeatured-image.webp",{},"\u002Finsights\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge",{"title":5,"description":184},"insights\u002Fcase-studies\u002Fsword-wolf-forge","-U_lbrRfh4A6AHwA0zJN0zKGzW3lTqBLbNM2hlLCm60",1776165820684]