After all the hard work that goes into launching a new website, it’s important to make sure you take the necessary steps to optimise your site for search engines. Here are 10 enormously important SEO steps to take after a new website launch.
1. Research your keywords
When it comes to SEO, keyword research is essential. By targeting the right keywords, you can improve your website’s visibility and organic search traffic. There are several tools and techniques you can use to aid in your keyword research. Here are some tips on how to do some basic keyword research:
Use keyword research tools
There are a number of different keyword research tools available, such as Google’s Keyword Planner (you will need a Google Ads account) and SEMrush. These tools can help you find the right keywords to target for your website.
Research your competitors
Another great way to find keywords is to research your competitors. By looking at what keywords they are targeting, you can get a good idea of the types of keywords that are worth targeting for your own site.
Make use of Google Ads
Google AdWords can also be a helpful tool for keyword research. By using Google Ads, you can see how often certain keywords are being searched for, as well as the average cost-per-click (CPC) for those keywords.
2. Optimise your title tags and meta descriptions
Make sure your title tags and meta descriptions are optimised for your target keywords. These are the short snippets that appear in search engine results, so it’s important to make them as compelling as possible to encourage people to click through to your site. Here are some tips on how to write SEO-friendly title tags and meta descriptions:
Including your target keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions and webpage URL is a must for SEO. These are the first things search engines will look at when determining your page’s ranking, so make sure they are as relevant as possible.
Keep them short and sweet.
Title tags and meta descriptions should be kept to around 150-160 characters each. Anything longer than that and they will likely be truncated in search engine results.
3. Optimise your website content
Once you’ve researched your keywords, it’s time to start incorporating them into your website content. Keyword optimisation is the process of ensuring that your website content is properly optimized for the search engines. Make sure your website content is relevant to your keywords and is of a high quality. Content that is well-written and informative is more likely to rank well in the search results.
4. Add internal links
Add internal links to your website content, as this will help to keep people on your site for longer and also help with SEO. You should also make sure that the anchor text (the text you use to link to other pages on your site) is keyword rich, so it will help with your SEO efforts. Search engines love this practice, so make sure you do it!
5. Add external links
In addition to adding internal links, you should also add external links to your website. This will show search engines that your website is a valuable resource and will help to improve your SEO rankings. Just be sure to link to high-quality websites that are relevant to your niche.
6. Optimise your images
Images are important for any website, but they are especially important for SEO. When you upload images to your site, make sure to optimise them by using keywords in the file name and adding alt text (a brief description of the image). This will help your SEO efforts and also make your site more accessible to people with disabilities.
