The best time to start SEO processes is when you’ve just launched your website. During this time, you can systematically advance through the SEO stages and avoid future hassles in this regard. In fact, when you properly execute all the SEO site steps from the beginning, you’ll achieve your desired results more quickly, and there will be no need for reworking or fixing past mistakes.
In this part of the SEO tutorial series, we intend to teach you the 19 essential SEO steps for new websites, explaining the prioritization of these steps. Following these steps, one by one will greatly help your Google ranking. We recommend not skipping or eliminating any of these SEO steps.
SEO Site Steps for New Websites
In this section, we will explain the priority-ordered stages of SEO, from the very first step to the final tasks. Going through these steps one by one will greatly assist your Google ranking. We recommend not skipping or omitting any of these SEO website stages.
1-Choose Your Domain Name Carefully
Today, your domain name can have a significant impact on your Google ranking. Therefore, one of the SEO steps is to select a name that is relevant to your work and easy for people to remember. When choosing a domain name, consider the following:
Shorter domain names are better.
Try to include your primary keyword related to your business.
Don’t forget the readability of the domain name.
2-Consider a Reputable Hosting Service for Your Website
Today, the loading speed of web pages is considered an important factor in Google’s ranking. Users don’t have the patience to wait for your website to load slowly. They expect to find their desired results within seconds. So, choose a hosting service that is reputable and offers high-speed performance for your website.
3-Research Keywords for Your Website
One of the most critical SEO steps is conducting keyword research related to your business. Start by defining your business and then investigate which keywords you should work on to achieve your desired results. For instance, if you’re starting a digital currency exchange, keywords like “digital currency exchange,” “buy digital currency,” “buy Bitcoin,” and “buy Tether” could be your top priority. However, for a new website, it’s better to focus on long-tail keywords.
4-Create a Website Structure
If your website will only have a few simple pages, this step may not be as crucial. However, it’s still wise to define the primary pages of your website and determine the relevant keywords in advance. Most websites today use a hierarchical structure, with the homepage at the top, followed by the most important pages. This structured approach will make it easier to guide users to their intended destination.
5-Pay Attention to Visual Site Navigation
We mentioned the importance of designing the overall site structure, but visual navigation is another critical aspect of website design. During site design, consider what actions users will take on each page and what elements need to be readily accessible. Ensure that the homepage features the main menu and that important keywords are included for each page. Make sure the site menu is responsive. Also, give significant importance to the site footer. This approach will guide users efficiently throughout the site, providing them with easy access to your content. Additionally, include a search bar to help users find content quickly.
These are the first five steps in SEO for a new website. Properly executing these steps will set the foundation for your website’s SEO success. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and consistently updating and optimizing your site will lead to long-term success in search engine rankings.
6-Pay Attention to Page URLs and Structure
As mentioned earlier, the importance of your website’s name was discussed. Similarly, it’s essential to carefully select the names and URLs of your pages, based on keywords relevant to each page.
For example, suppose you have a category on your site about pet food. In this category, for dog food, the URL structure should be precise and follow the hierarchy:
www.yourwebsite.com/pets/dogs
Furthermore, within the dog category, specific options can lead to the URL structure for dog food:
www.yourwebsite.com/pets/dogs/dog-food
This approach ensures that the URL of each page accurately reflects its relevant topic.
The next example that can help is if your website is about digital currencies. In the cryptocurrency category, your URL can be structured as follows:
www.yourwebsite.com/cryptocurrency
If you want to refer to Bitcoin in this category, the address should look like this:
www.yourwebsite.com/cryptocurrency/btc
In essence, this creates a proper site hierarchy.
7-Design a High-Speed Website
In the earlier discussion of the SEO site steps, the importance of site speed in relation to hosting was mentioned. Factors such as the plugins you install on your site can also impact its speed. Many of your actions during site design can influence site speed as well. In this regard, consider the following:
Avoid animations or images with large file sizes and dimensions.
Style and reduce the size of JavaScript and CSS code on your site.
Reduce the number of HTTP requests per page.
Use only essential widgets for each page.
Sometimes, valley-appealing elements can significantly slow down your site. So, research the impact of any widget on your site’s speed before installing it.
8-Optimize Your Website for Mobile
Today, more than 70% of internet users use mobile devices for web searches. Having a mobile-optimized website is also a positive factor for Google rankings. Therefore, ensure your website is 100% mobile-optimized right from the start.
9-Maintain Visual Hierarchy on Each Page
What users will see upon entering your website depends on the size of their screen and browser window. Hence, many users will initially see only a small portion of your website. Ensure that the most important information is displayed first for users.
10-Focus on Content That Is Indexable
One of the critical challenges in the SEO site steps is that some elements in site design may not be indexed by search engine algorithms. For example, text within images or content in Flash files or animations is not readable by Google’s algorithms. Therefore, during design, prioritize indexable content.
However, this does not mean you should avoid using images or animations in your site design. It means that you should not forget indexable content and prioritize it. Consider the following:
Avoid using Flash content in your site design because it is not indexable, and not all devices support it.
If you use videos, be sure to provide titles and descriptions.
Use “alt” descriptions for all images.
11-Focus on One Target Keyword for Each Page
Initial keyword research in this area can be very helpful. Choose one target keyword for each page of your site and include related keywords within the content of that page. Do not choose similar keywords for two different pages of your site.
12-Optimize Title Tags
The title tag is an HTML tag that tells search engines the main title of a page and which keywords it should be displayed for in Google search results (SERP). As part of your SEO steps, ensure that the title tags for each page are not too long, ideally between 50 to 60 characters, as this is the amount displayed in search engine results. Use the primary keyword once in the title tag for each page.
13-Image Optimization
Using optimized images can significantly aid your site’s SEO. In this regard, make sure that the size and dimensions of your images are within standard limits. Also, provide alt descriptions for all images. In WordPress websites, this is easily accomplished. In other websites, you can add alt descriptions with a simple right-click on images. Be sure to include your target keywords in the alt descriptions.
14-Optimize Page Headings
When creating content for your site, headings play a crucial role in keeping users engaged with the page. Additionally, they are an effective way to tell Google what a page is about. Use relevant keywords naturally in headings for each page. Ensure that it doesn’t sound forced, as this will greatly help with the SEO of that page.
15-Optimize Page Content
One of the essential SEO steps is to create unique and relevant content for each page. Duplicate content will not be helpful in this case. Also, avoid keyword stuffing, as search engines will easily detect this and penalize your site. Instead of overusing the primary keyword on the page, use its synonyms naturally within the content.
16-Write Unique Meta Descriptions for Each Page
While meta descriptions may not have a direct impact on your site’s ranking, they do influence the click-through rate from search results. Meta descriptions appear below your site’s listing in search results, and relevant keywords in meta descriptions will be displayed in bold. So, try to naturally include the target keywords for each page in the meta descriptions.
17-Internal Linking Should Not Be Forgotten
In the SEO site steps, internal linking is a way to inform Google about the content of your pages. Link to each page with its target keyword from other pages. This encourages users to navigate to different pages within your site, increasing user engagement, which is a positive factor for search engines.
18-Create a Sitemap and Submit It to Google
A sitemap is a file that contains the map of your website. A sitemap tells Google’s crawlers which pages on your site are most important and affects the indexing of your pages. So, pay close attention to this aspect.
19-Plan the Future of Your SEO
If you think we’ve covered a lot in these SEO site steps, there’s no alternative but to become accustomed to them. SEO is a continuous process, and it won’t yield overnight results. You need to be active on the web and continually produce valuable content to convince search engines that your site’s activity will continue.
Create a structured plan for performing SEO tasks and stick to its execution. SEO is a guaranteed activity for internet success but is not a quick, one-time solution.
In Conclusion
By following these 19 SEO steps, you can ensure that your website is in line with Google’s guidelines. This ensures that your site won’t be penalized and that it starts its online journey in the best possible way. The only task left is to continue with dedication until you achieve your desired results. Undoubtedly, these 19 steps won’t be the only activities related to SEO, and after these, there will be new tasks that you need to include in your plan. We hope that the information provided in this section will help you achieve the best possible results in the online world. Feel free to share your comments and suggestions on this matter.
