6 Smart Ways to Strategize Your SEO Moves Before Building a Website
By: Usman Raza
People often think that you can’t do SEO campaigns if the site hasn’t launched yet. The truth is you can do it! You don’t have to wait for your site to go live before you jump-start your SEO plans. Not only is it possible, but it will give your site an advantage, as well.
The common mistake that most website owners make is that they ignore pre-launch SEO. As a result, the site receives a poor index. This buries the site deep in results pages, making the site ignored by search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. What happens next is the site becomes stagnant and will struggle for a long climb.
Now that you already have an idea of the importance of pre-launching, it’s time to learn the essential steps to undertake before your site goes live.
Following are six smart ways to jump-start your SEO before your site launch, and I’m going to show you exactly how to implement each one.
1. Employ and Optimize SEO basics
Ranking a website can’t be achieved instantly. It requires a lot of time to get on top of the results pages. With this in mind, creating a “coming soon” page is one of the most essential things that you need to do.
This is because search engines favor ranking older sites. It doesn’t matter if your site has a “coming soon” message on it. What’s more important is the content you provide, keywords, web navigation, and user experience.
The page is one of your lead magnets. Don’t forget to put a strong CTA (call to action) to encourage your visitors to engage with your offers and share their information by filling out the contact form. Keep track of these leads throughout the process of site building.
Connect your social media pages to the “coming soon” page and attract users to explore your site. Keep them updated that your site will be launching soon and there is something amazing that will be going to happen.
Make your website look appealing to users and include a media kit that shows the basic information about your business. Your visitors should know the purpose and goal of your business and what solutions you’re offering to their problem and needs. The content should be rich, fresh, and descriptive.
2. Establish a social media presence
Search engine optimization is not solely about working all aspects of your website but expanding your online presence. Before building a website, you can start creating social media profiles for your business. The key is to let people know that you are in the process of establishing your business and you want them to be aware of it. Once you have built a community across social media channels and have gathered some followers, you can draw them into website launching and they can help you promote the brand.
Your prospective customers can mostly be found on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Sign up and create complete profiles to all of these sites and interact with your audience. Invest your time and energy in distributing helpful content that builds your reputation and brand identity.
Once people trust your business, it will be easier to convert them into your clients.
3. Content Matters
Your website must have content for every page. Otherwise, visitors will be wondering about your business and perhaps, begin to doubt you. There are some website owners that ignore having blog content for their site and find difficulties in ranking their website. Optimized and high-quality content is vital in getting organic traffic, even when it is newly published. Though you plan to build content in the future, it is always better to have it ready by the time you launch your website.
A good number to start with is at least 10 blog posts. Content that is rich in value and information attracts web crawlers to your site and get it indexed. Content should not just be written in short paragraphs but be in-depth and in long-form content. This provides more quality and thus, makes your site rank higher in result pages.
4. Optimize all your pages
Your website is made of pages allocated with specific features such as Home, About Us, Services page, and others. Don’t leave them empty—they are there with a specific reason. Each of them should be properly optimized and written with keywords. Make the content bold, strong, and unique. Put keywords on the page title and utilize it throughout the content of your site. Content should go with the design of your website to make a good impression on your visitors. Optimized pages help gain initial rankings and give your site a good start.
5. Build Authoritative Links
Links work as signals that link back to your page or to another page. This relationship makes your site more credible and likely be trusted by search engines. A popular and effective way of acquiring links is through guest blogging. This is where you will promote your best content to other websites in exchange for links to your domain. When guest blogging, it is important to note that it is better to provide value than self-promotion.
Guest blogging is a proven way of generating traffic and leads fast. You will also be known by a wider audience and this will increase more credibility to your site. By linking to other websites, you are building a stronger reputation.
6. Place your site in Niche Directories
A directory is a place which lists businesses in different categories or niches. When users enter a key term in their search, they will likely find directories in results. This will make people see your business. Choose the best directories that are aligned to your niche and get it listed. Don’t just list your business everywhere but put it in strong and well-known directories that most people visit and trust.
If you need help in optimizing your website, you may consult SEO experts to keep your site working with optimum performance and leverage your business.
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