Websites can take time to get back on the money and resources you put into them.
This does not mean that you have to sit back and wait for that day to come.
In fact, there is a lot you can control with search engine optimization.
There are specific SEO factors that you can take advantage of to make quick wins with your new website.
I recommend following the following SEO monitoring tactics so you can measure your website’s visibility in search and position it for success.
1. Preparation of analysis and diagnostic tools
To see how well your site is performing and to measure improvements and gains along the way, you’ll need to get Google Analytics or a similar website analytics tool to track your visitors and behavior within it.
There is a lot you can learn in terms of insights from web analytics and it helps to have an objective standard or baseline to work from areas of traffic, content, conversions, and more.
Also, you should get Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools accounts.
These will provide more information about how search engines see your site and provide additional keyword performance data that Google Analytics lacks.
2. Draw an optimal site engineering plan
Much like outlining a school paper or book flow, we should do the same with the content of our website.
Adult books often aren’t one chapter with everything crammed into it. Likewise, a website shouldn’t have everything crammed into one page.
Most of the time, the home page communicates the progress of the brand or organization and directs users to other pages on the site. Think about the depth of your content.
Whether it’s informational, e-commerce, or other types of topics, arrange them in a logical manner and move from general to specific.
Don’t try to cram too much into single pages.
Add subpages when topics and subtopics require it.
Long-form content is great for technical and specific topics.
However, it is also wise to allow the user to click and dig in on their own terms versus confusing them.
Moreover, search engines can see the vertical depth of content as well as the breadth of top-level pages and sections.
3. Be strategic with your internal link structure
Links to your site from other sites provide authorization status for pages and the site in general.
The value sharing process does not stop at the page that receives the link(s).
How you link to pages within your site can have a significant impact on page value and link value distributed throughout the site.
Know or keep in mind that you don’t want to link to every other page on the site from every page.
Keep your high-level navigation focused and only link where necessary and appropriate.
This will help you pass page value to the areas you want in a focused way.
When every page contains written links to every other page, it’s messy, doesn’t help prioritize the value of link authority, and erodes the work you’ve done to structure your site properly for search engines.
4. Create quality content
More Content – Content that is relevant, high quality, and useful to your audience is always best.
Whether you’re lengthening existing pages, adding more, or digging deeper, go for it.
This is your chance to look at how you might go or launch a new site and put your foot on the gas.
If you have thin pages with little text or a lot of pages that have too much overlap or duplication of content relative to others on the site, find a way to optimize or remove those pages.
Going back to the site structure and internal linking details you shared, you don’t want to harm these formats and efforts.
5. Monitor and troubleshoot indexing
The number one priority is making sure you get the XML sitemap, robots.txt, and any on-page commands and indexing well in place.
From there, you can monitor how quickly search engines are indexing your pages.
It might feel like overkill, but you spend a lot of time in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to make sure your sitemap is validated and the indexed pages are the ones you expect and are prioritized.
Don’t assume you’re going to build it and Google will come along.
Get things sent in, watch for errors, and keep an eye on the end-to-end indexing process to make sure it’s moving as fast as it can and any errors are handled right away.
6. Page speed optimization
Like content, don’t settle when it comes to page load times.
Evaluate the page speed of your site using tools like the Google Chrome Lighthouse Audit Developer Tool.
Is it fast? Then make it faster!
Slow or not up to industry standards? Speed it up!
Don’t ignore speed or push it until later in the process.
Rely on development and IT resources as much as possible to push as fast as you can reasonably achieve.
Time is of the essence and you don’t want to invest in a lot of other areas of improvement with a sub-par speed profile.
7. Keep the code clean
If you have speed issues, indexing issues, or general concerns about your code, you should dig deeper.
A lot of content management systems include plugins and bloated icons that aren’t necessary or useful.
Developer shortcuts (I love developers – I don’t underestimate them) or funky things you don’t need can affect speed and indexing.
It can also cause you trouble when downloading or updating content if things break often.
Simple and clean code helps you across the full range affecting quick wins you selected.
8. Link building and citations
External authority and validation signals are important.
Based on what I indicated in the internal linking section, you should consider any and all relationships that could lead to another authoritative site linking to your site.
Think about partnerships, charities, clients, memberships, trade associations, credentials, and trusted directories that can and should link to your site.
Make a list and plan to make those connections on the web to reflect real-life relationships.
Beware of link buying traps and shortcuts that can get you in trouble as you progress through the process.
Other types of links or mentions that add credibility are often referred to as quotes.
These can come by creating Google Maps listings through Google Business profiles, by submitting to data aggregation services, and other notable directories and map sites on the web.
All of these links and mentions increase the footprint of your brand and point to your website as a hub or authority for your business or organization.
conclusion
Taking a proactive approach with a new website for quick wins can help reduce the time it takes to get the visibility you deserve for your new site.
New sites can take some time to build an authority status from external links and from having relevant content that search engines consider better than other sites featuring similar topics.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not something to set and forget.
However, if you dig deeper into the areas of quick profit and focus on what you can monitor and improve, you will give your site a head start and the opportunity for return on investment and work towards your goals in a faster time frame.
More resources:
- How to launch a new website: a complete guide
- Google: New website ratings may fluctuate for up to a year
- Ecommerce Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
Featured image: Who’s Danny/Shutterstock
