We always hear the question “We are thinking about redesigning our website. When should we think about search engine optimization?”. The simple answer is at the beginning. When considering redesigning you website, ensure that you consult with a search engine optimization company at the beginning, not at the end. Here are some examples of issues that can arise when your web developer is not well versed in search engine optimization:
Removing a page from the site that was driving traffic
You need to be careful on eliminating content from the site. We always recommend to 301 redirect the old page to a existing page that has similar content. If no logical page exist, then redirect the page to your home page.
The Designer places key text into images
The web designer has a background in print and does not understand the importance of plain text for search engine optimization. You want to have keyword-targeted text on the page to add relevancy for your site.
Javascript files not placed into includes
Optimizing the code to ensure the fastest load time is an important factor for not only SEO, but for site visitors. Who wants to wait around for a web page to load? You have around eight seconds before someone will abandon the site.
Renaming web pages
Another mistake we see often is the web developer changes the file name. Since the old URL no longer exists it is recommended that a 301 redirect is implemented pointing to the new page URL. We also see web developers rewrite the URL without using the best keywords in the file name, if any at all.
At SMT we have experience working with third party or even in-house web developers to ensure that our clients are incorporating search engine optimization best practices into their designs. Contact us to learn more about our Internet Marketing Consulting services.
Tags: seo, search engine optimization, internet marketing, internet marketing consulting