Introduction
There are many moving pieces involved in website development or platform switching. Getting the website ready for search engine success is an essential step. However, some businesses make a costly error once their new website goes live by failing to create an ongoing SEO plan. They believe the first setup was adequate and entrust the content or social media team with the rest of the work. However, this strategy is comparable to getting new grass. Without routine upkeep like fertilization and mowing, it may first appear fantastic but will progressively lose its attraction. It will also appear even better if your neighbor, or a rival, takes good care of their grass. This article outlines the crucial processes involved in website development or replatforming as well as the continuing nature of the SEO process.
SEO during the development or remodelling of a website
Make sure your SEO foundations are in place before developing or revamping your website. Important actions to prioritize are listed below:
Developing the site’s structure– Make sure the website’s design is in line with the business plan at this project phase. Say your marketing director chooses to refer to the fabric as “denim” even if you sell “jeans.” Discuss and decide on this situation based on keyword research. It’s critical to have a strategic and data-driven dialogue about what is vital because not every area of the business can be featured in the main navigation. Use this conversation to guide the development of other site structure components, such as taxonomy and URL structure.
Technical best practices– Make sure everything is set up correctly and that search engines can find your material easily during this period. Canonical tags, redirects, and 404 pages must all be used. When huge pages are not redirected, ignoring these factors may cause search engine jams or severe traffic gaps.
Migration as well as the creation of content– Make sure you have the right content for the new site in this phase. Plan for any existing content you want to maintain during redesigns. To arrange this, make a content/URL map. Address inbound links similarly to make sure they point to the right place and continue to be pertinent. Keep in mind that content is still important, even in an AI-driven future.
Ongoing SEO initiatives
Content that is both current and relevant– Your website must remain current and pertinent. You ought to create fresh blogs and timeless material that satisfy the needs of your target audience right now. This might be as easy as making a FAQ page and updating it whenever new queries are submitted. Success depends on having material that is pertinent to your audience.
Site Speed– Monitor and optimize your website’s loading speed regularly. Slow-loading sites can result in higher bounce rates, leading to lower search rankings. Compress images, enable browser caching, and leverage Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to improve site speed.
Backlink building– Focus on building high-quality and relevant backlinks from authoritative websites. Engage in guest blogging, influencer outreach, and content promotion to earn valuable links. Quality backlinks are a strong signal of a website’s credibility and authority in search engine algorithms.
Monitor website analytics– Track your website’s performance using analytics tools such as Google Analytics. Monitor user behaviour, traffic sources, and conversion rates. You can use this information to find areas for development and polish your SEO tactics.
Adapt to algorithm changes– Stay informed about search engine algorithm updates and adapt your SEO strategies accordingly. Search engines, particularly Google, often release updates that can impact search rankings. Being aware of these changes and adjusting your approach can help you maintain and improve your rankings.
Technical clearing– Things might still go wrong with your website even if you make every effort to keep up with changes. You can take a step back and spot any alterations that need to be cleaned up by performing a monthly or quarterly technical site assessment.
Offsite marketing– It’s beneficial to build a solid website but don’t ignore the importance of how the rest of the internet perceives your website. Your incoming links and link quality are frequently the best indicators of this. To take advantage of opportunities for off-site advertising, you should regularly work on your link profile, which is constantly changing.
Conclusion
You might believe that you don’t need to bother about continuous SEO if your website doesn’t update much and you already have a high position. But doing that ensures that you will underperform the market. Even if your company doesn’t change, the surroundings are dynamic and always changing. Competitors are constantly trying to outdo you. In order to provide accurate results and stay current with technology, search engines are constantly evolving and adding new algorithms and features. This is especially important given that generative AI is now being tested and introduced without any clear idea of what effects it will have. Testing and understanding how these changes impact your organization is the best course of action. You will be at a disadvantage if you take your time between launches or redesigns.
