Why Every New Website Needs an SEO Setup
As a Digital Marketing professional, when I speak with business owners about a new website for their online enterprise, I’m asked a lot of questions about why my agency includes a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) setup, what it is, what that entails, and why. It’s important for anyone considering a new web presence to fully understand the value of this initiative and how it lays the groundwork for a successful SEO campaign to follow. To level the knowledge playing field about Active Web Group’s SEO setup, here are the deets:
1. Google My Business (GMB) Profile Setup & Optimization
These are part of the ‘knowledge panel’ that appears on the right side (for desktop users) of most online search results pages as well as on Google maps. Such business profiles appear on a rotational basis based, in part, on a site’s popularity. True, this is a no-cost service, but it has to be set up correctly and optimized to ‘encourage’ click-throughs which increase the number of rotations and can lead to increased sales. Here’s the GMB profile for my agency:
2. Keyword Research and Setup
Our SEO team researches the terms currently used by searchers to locate your specific type of business. This setup assists in ranking your business on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) and drives ‘quality traffic’ (those looking for what you sell and/or services you perform) who are more likely to become a client or customer. It also reduces the bounce rate (those who did not intend to visit your site). As part of Google’s criteria for rankings (as well as your ROI), a lower exodus rate is a good thing!
3. URL Title Tags
This text, written in HTML code, is among the most crucial site content. It appears on SERPs as the clickable headline for an individual result and can influence searchers to visit your site, as well as for social sharing. Here’s what AWG’s looks like on the SERPs:
4. Google Analytics (GA) Setup
Google has many free tools in its arsenal. That said, it takes a dedicated SEO Strategist to set up a GA account properly and to ensure it is not only tracking, but also tracking the right metrics for your business. The result is a consistent way to measure your firm’s online success, target its weaknesses, as well as the efficacy of your SEO campaigns and initiatives.
5. Create and Install Robots.txt file
Not every webpage needs to be indexed by Google and other search engines. Some types of pages, such as those on a staging site and intended for web developers’ eyes only, your sitemap, pages that are necessary to be duplicated, are some examples. Creating and installing a Robot.txt file ensures the pages it includes will not be misinterpreted by search engines and therefore, have a negative impact on rankings and other site metrics.
6. Create and Install Sitemap
Think of a sitemap as a table of contents for your sites. It tells the search engines that there are new web pages for them to crawl (read) and index as part of ranking initiatives.
7. H Tag Review
Solid content informs and influences site visitors to submit a form, provide their contact information, or to make a purchase. Additionally, content in the form of H tags also enables search engines and site visitors alike to know what the content of the web pages will be about. Relevant H Tags not only provide structure to make the page content easier for visitors to understand, but also provide an ideal platform for keywords as part of ranking initiatives.
8. Site URL Review
Search engines are limited in how they not only crawl the web but also how they interpret site content. I’ve discussed above how URLs can influence rankings. To a lesser extent, they can also contribute to a site’s domain authority. The point here is to ensure that the URLs express what the pages actually do, and do not just provide an opportunity to include a keyword for ranking purposes. The user experience is key to online business success, so while site aspects that are not seen by visitors may ‘weigh’ less in terms of ranking importance, those ‘ounces’, particularly for larger websites, can add up.
9. Google Search Console (GSC) Setup
The Console is a great tool from Google that allows SEO professionals to maintain and monitor as well as to troubleshoot potential website issues before these develop into more serious problems. Sitemaps, which I discussed earlier, are submitted to Google using this tool. The GSC also ‘sees’ potential website troublespots, checks backlinks, and provides ‘suggestions’ for improved site optimization. Setting it up correctly is imperative, again, a solid SEO pro knows the ropes to get it done right the first time.
To summarize, incorporating an SEO set up as part of your website design and development package ensures your new online business presence will get off to an optimal start. However, be aware that the SEO set up is just the precursor to initiating a customized SEO campaign. To remain effective and to build upon that momentum, optimization initiatives must be continuous. That means every online business requires a customized ongoing SEO campaign to not only meet your business goals but to gain market share and remain competitive.
For questions, and to learn more, give us a call at (800) 978-3417.
