6 Key SEO Steps Before Launching a New Website

I hear many companies talk about how their website isn’t very effective. Why are there so few visitors and so little visibility on Google? So, if your website is not yet launched and you wish to begin your new journey quickly, I suggest delaying the launch a bit to do some SEO checks. How can you ensure your site is indexed properly? Here is a list of things to do if you want your site to be recognized by Google.

1. Stand out with rich snippets

Improving your SEO and your site isn’t just about using keywords repeatedly. Some technical details create chances to be more visible in search results. For instance, making your images suitable for Google Image search can help highlight an infographic or chart relating to one of your articles.

Also, remember «rich data» or structured information. A rich snippet is an overview of what visitors can expect on your page. This microdata enables you to give extra information in the search results page of a search engine. You can add images, a rating system, and details about the page’s creator along with the usual title, the page’s link, and its meta-description.

In addition to getting more attention than a typical result, it can greatly boost traffic and click-through rates. The aim of search engines is to enhance user experience and give them more relevant outcomes. The more a result informs and targets a user, the stronger the click-through rate and overall experience will be. Overall, and in a non-exhaustive manner, you can provide the following information:.

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• Customer reviews
• Opening hours
• Price range
• Product Description
• Product photos
• Product evaluation
• Availability, …

Using rich snippets is key to differentiating yourself in search engine results. Google and Bing have resources for this, so don’t hesitate to take the plunge. Furthermore, Twitter (Twitter Cards) et Facebook (OpenGraph) also suggest using structured data so that shares from your site are displayed correctly and in an enriched way.

2. Identify keywords and edit your content

Ok, your site is ready and you have created your main pages. However, I hope you’ve taken the time to create a concrete list of keywords related to your business and audience. There are numerous tools for establishing this list:

Using these tools, determine the most important keywords and phrases. You will be able to rely on monthly search volume, difficulty of ranking on a keyword, estimated click-through rate and associated keyword suggestions.

Once you’ve designed a list of keywords, analyze the pages you’ve designed and create new ones if necessary. The goal is for each page to have a purpose and an associated keyword. If an important keyword is not associated with any page, create a specific one, it’s not too late.

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Don’t hesitate to be methodological. Insert your keyword or phrase into your page URL, your page title, your description, and, of course, your page content. Don’t be too insistent on the content, it’s not useful to put the keyword on every sentence. This makes your content heavier and repels readers and therefore Google at the same time. In the content it may be useful to use synonyms and a deeper and broader lexical field.

Next, analyze your shelving. How do your pages rank in search engine results? If necessary, optimize your pages and analyze the competition. How do pages that rank better than yours work?

3. Accessibility, user experience and scanning

Here are some relevant questions to ask yourself:

I. Are the pages of my site accessible to search engines?

Again, there are many ways to find out. For my part, I use OnPage.org to crawl my site and get essential information about how search engines see my website. OnPage has the advantage of being a complete product, capable of truly mapping the strengths and weaknesses of your SEO. It notifies me of duplicate content, if my content is too poor, if I have broken links or inaccessible pages, etc. An essential tool in my eyes. Screaming Frog, Google Search Console and Moz Pro can also help you with this task.

If your site is not visible to search engines, consider taking a look at the robots.txt file in the root of your hosting.

II. Is my site accessible on any platform and device?

The fact that search engines have access to your website is a good thing. However, Internet users must also access it optimally, regardless of the audience and the device with which they browse the Internet.

Whether they use a desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, regardless of screen resolution, connection speed and browser, make sure your site works perfectly. There are numerous browser checking tools, run some tests and fix what needs to be fixed.

III. Is my site fast enough?

The best way to convince yourself of this is to test it with Google Speed ​​Test. It’s quick and easy. In a few minutes you will know if your site is not too long, on mobile and on desktop. A simple image can sometimes really slow down your site. It could be a poorly used cache or a script that runs in a loop, etc. If your site is based on WordPress, I recommend the excellent WP-Rocket plugin, it works like a charm.

The loading speed of your site is a point that should not be overlooked. A site that takes too long to load and loses a visitor (and a potential customer). Be vigilant on this point and carefully analyze bottlenecks to eradicate them.

IV. Is the user experience up to what your visitors expect?

Before publishing your site, have it tested by people not involved in its development. Family, friends, current clients if you already have them. Collect their opinions and suggestions for improvement. The goal is not necessarily to get the opinion of professionals in your industry or web designers, but of ordinary people who could be your customers. What are their impressions? Does the site inspire confidence in them? Do they find what they are looking for? Is your message clear? This step is often immediately set aside and this is a serious mistake. Many conversion problems on a website could be avoided by spending a little more time on this step.

4. Install and configure your services

One of the services that comes to mind first is Google Analytics. Free and very popular, Google’s service is one of the leaders in traffic analysis. For my part, I also installed OnPage, but you could use equivalent services. Make sure the code you insert is present on all your pages so that the analysis is useful.

But there’s more to life than just Google, and you might just need the retargeting or remarketing. I recommend you install Facebook Pixel as soon as possible. Even if you don’t use it right away, it will gather valuable information about your audience and allow you to better target them later.

Stay informed about what’s being said about your brand. Google Alerts is free but it’s really not the best in the field. Mention.net does the job very well, for example, as do Talkwalker and Trackur.

Integrate your social media profiles. Create your accounts as soon as possible before others do it for you. A Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, a Pinterest account, Youtube, SlideShare, etc. The possibilities are numerous and make sure you only invest in networks that you can actually power!

5. Optimize your site launch

As you know, for your SEO to be successful, you need links to your site and engagement that send positive signals to search engines to rank better in the SERPS.

Family, friends, colleagues, former colleagues, clients, your community on social networks, etc. Identify everyone who can spin your content. Think about all the people you have professional relationships with, journalists or bloggers who have promised to talk about your project, etc. Bloggers are often looking for content in their industry.

Create an Excel spreadsheet with all these people and start contacting them directly. Do it in advance, so that they have time to write their project and above all so that requests do not multiply when the site is launched.

Also consider issuing a press releasenational or regional, and target your media that already receive many press releases that do not concern them. Target social media influencers who share content about your sector. Adopt a dynamic tone that makes you want to discover yourself, carry out your project intelligently to make you want to discover more.

Finally, think about your personal social media profiles. Update your bio, links to your site, your professional background, … If you already have a site that has good traffic, don’t hesitate to announce your new business there.

6. Track your SEO

Once you’ve optimized your SEO to reach the first page of Google, the work isn’t done. Your competitors will try to remove you and take your place with their own SEO strategy. Furthermore, Google evolves and changes in the SERPs are regular. The keywords used by users can also change over time. Your site may be experiencing technical issues that would hinder its ranking in the SERPs. Your site will need regular SEO efforts to maintain your SERP ranking. This is just the beginning of your adventure!

Conclusion

It’s really important that entrepreneurs and online businesses understand the benefits of investing in a true SEO strategy. A new project, starting a new business? Not sure about SEO, social networks, inbound marketing and would like support? Don’t hesitate to contact me and let’s talk about your project together.