SEO Touch-Points throughout Website Design & Development

Step 1 – Information Architecture Development

 
One of the greatest parts of stepping into this role is having the chance to learn that the sitemap and IA are much more complex than I had experienced in the past. We need to judge consumer research, competitive research, business objectives, federal policy, etc.

It is easy to tell that in our case, search strategy is more useful and less very important. Ideally we will be able to attain the best of all worlds, but contributing to the massive research before the construction of a website gives us the chance to weigh keyword optimization & schema with messaging, etc. 

Long story short, having the opportunity to conduct thorough keyword research and use it as an power on the final sitemap rather than a concrete road map results in a final product which integrates comprehensive user research, search strategy, and modern IA strategies. What a great way to start a project.

Step 2 – Copywriting

 
Now that the sitemap for a new site has been resolute, we can conduct another round of keyword research, this time in a much more focused (and less exploratory) manner. The best part about mapping out keywords in this stage is having the skill to oversee their execution, and you don’t have to work alone. 

For an SEO professional, I feel it is incredibly important to gather feedback from all parties involved. Whether its working with your creative team to find out how the keywords mesh with their vision for a site, or discussing with the development team how keyword selections may affect technical execution, this stage is a great opportunity to encourage collaboration and accomplish your SEO objectives while gathering feedback from your peers. Once again, search is truly integrated.

Step 3 – Design

 
This is where as an SEO, you get to pull out your fine-tooth comb. While it may not be the most wonderful of tasks, making sure image naming conventions are in place and teaching designers about a/b testing can be incredibly rewarding in the big scheme of things. 

I personally am careful to never mess with creative juices, but sometime there are search ranking factors that need to be explored during the design phase that can impact how much copy goes on to a page and how well optimized your site is to send users through conversion funnels. 

Step 4 – Development

 
This is a very significant step, and there are a lot of hats in the ring. At this point the site is ready to be built and your guidance as a search specialist is extremely important to the performance of the website post-production.

 Have you mapped out your 301 redirects and talked to the development team about site speed and canonical content? Are you memorable with the CMS and its intricacies? What kinds of issues do you foresee for the development team in implementing your search strategy from a technical standpoint? These are all significant questions, and they have to be answered concisely. In the integrated marketing process this is where the real challenge begins.

Imagine having a client who paid for search addition and your first post-launch advice is to optimize site speed. This is also the point where you have total control over what you want to track and tag. If you can’t converse with development and map out tracking snippets for key events and conversions, you are putting yourself in front of a nice, thick brick wall.

Step 5 – Measurement & Growth

 
It is a pretty overwhelming feeling when a new site is constructed and your new search strategy is functioning after such epic teamwork. Now you have the liability of reporting on your strategy and providing insights that will continue to pick up the site over time.

 First, you can pat yourself on the back for covering all of your SEO bases the first time around, and next you can start to get eager about implementing some good old fashioned reporting. I am a strong believer that website performance doesn’t have a ceiling. 

Although your initial search strategy is solid and in place, there is always chance to improve the site. Good reporting will always lead to actionable insights, so use it to keep your search mojo flowing.

Conclusion

 
The bottom line is that search strategies should be nurtured in to the design and development procedure as much as possible, and it is a long process that requires organization and the willingness to collaborate. When done correctly, working through these five touch points can result in a strong product that is ready for testing and expansion. This process ensures the basics are in place, the right factors are considered, and team structure is taking place.