As an experienced web design agency in Wichita, KS, one topic we get asked about often is where SEO fits into a website project. Some business owners on a tight budget want to hold off on search engine optimization until after their website launches to save money. While this seems like a logical plan, building a website without considering SEO could cost more in the long run. So the question is, should SEO come before or after a new website launch?
SEO Should Be Central to Every Web Design Project
At Balefire Marketing + Advertising, we always design & build websites with on-page SEO in mind. In our opinion, we would be doing our clients a disservice if we created a website without ensuring it has high quality content, optimized code, and a solid SEO strategy.
Why Optimizing Your Site Before It Launches Matters
Maximize Your Budget
Why pay one company for web design and then turn around and pay another company for SEO work? Time and time again, we’ve seen companies launch their beautifully redesigned website only to have it disappear from organic search results.
Sometimes the cause is as simple as URLs changing without 301 redirects to point users to the new web page. In other cases, the website copy is missing the keywords they want to show up for. Whatever the cause, now the company is losing business while being forced to pay an SEO agency to find out why their online presence was snuffed out.
Faster Results
Our clients typically get better rankings right after their new website launches. This isn’t a coincidence or an accident. It’s the result of targeted keyword research, a thoughtful user experience, and ensuring all technical SEO is in place.
Create a Better User Experience
Part of the process of search engine optimization is understanding how your target audience searches for and buys your products and services. Incorporating this information into your business website makes it easier for your potential customers to find the information they’re looking for, get answers to their questions, and make a purchase or contact you.
Things to Optimize Before a Website Goes Live
SEO is one of the top elements of a successful website design, and while it’s an ongoing process, there are a number of items that can be optimized before your site even launches.
By the way, if you’re fuzzy on the way search engines work, we’ve created a helpful overview of what SEO is and why it’s important for businesses.
- Focus Keywords: Does the site include the terms your target audience uses when searching for your products and services on Google?
- Content Structure: Are the web pages focused on a single topic and organized in a way that guides the reader toward a conversion?
- Readability: Is the website copy written at the right level for your audience, without being too difficult to read or too simplistic?
- Navigation: Is the website organized with main menu items and sub-navigation that make sense and are easy to find on any page?
- Internal Linking: Are there links going to and from other pages on the site in ways that are logical and answer the user’s questions?
- Page Load Speed: Does each page on the website load quickly, or is extra code or unnecessary plugins slowing it down?
- Mobile-Friendliness: Is the site easy to use on a smartphone and a tablet, or do you have to pinch and zoom to read the text?
- SSL Certificate & HTTPS: Does the site have the proper security protocols?
- Meta Tags: Does each web page have unique title tags and meta descriptions that include the focus keyword?
- Alt Text on Images: Is alt text included on every image so it works with accessibility features for the visually impaired?
- Schema: Does the site include the proper markup from Schema.org to enhance your search engine results page listings?
- Structured Data: Is the page content formatted so it’s easily understood by both people and search engines (bulleted lists, etc.)?
- Heading Tags: Does each web page have heading tags that are formatted correctly and used in the correct order (H1, H2, H3, etc.)?
- Social Media Integration: Are there links to your company’s social media profiles and a way for users to share your website content to their social profiles?
- Conversion Tracking: Are Google Analytics and Google Search Console installed on the site with tracking for important conversion events?
Launch Your New Website with SEO Included
Don’t waste time or money on a website without search engine optimization. Need a web design agency? Balefire Marketing + Advertising is an experienced full-service web development agency specializing in SEO-optimized websites for businesses across the U.S. Learn more about our web design services or contact us to discuss your project and see if we’re a good fit. We’re better web designers than salespeople, so there’s truly no pressure or obligation.