From Google:
If you're thinking about hiring an SEO [consultant], the earlier the better. A great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign, or planning to launch a new site. That way, you and your SEO [consultant] can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly from the bottom up.
The other day, I published an article about doing a website redesign process with search engine optimization in mind.
When implementing a Content Management System (CMS) for your website, there are some very important SEO requirements that you should consider.
When doing SEO on an ongoing basis, it's important to be able to edit certain characteristics of each page on your site in order to include your target keyword phrases:
- Page title
- URL
- Headings
- Link text
- Meta keywords
- Meta Description
Including your target keyword phrases in these locations on a given page will indicate to Google and other search engines what that page is about.
Often times, it makes sense to test keyword phrases for a given page. Then, modify based on success or lack of success. Also, it makes sense to try for harder and harder keyword phrases over time. For example, the HubSpot home page used to target "internet marketing software". Now it targets "internet marketing". We're on the 1st page of Google for both of those searches now. So, next we'll be targeting "marketing".
To do SEO effectively, you also need your CMS to be able to:
- Add new pages and sub pages to your site in order to target new keywords.
- Edit the content on your pages, as well as link to different pages on your site within text of other pages.
- 301 Redirect pages you want to remove - to other pages on the site.
- Change the text used in your navigation.
Your content management system should enable you to do all of these things. Most web designers and developers do not set you up and train you on a CMS that will enable you to be successful with SEO. And not all content management systems are created with SEO in mind.
Web developers want you to come back to them and pay them to make these simple changes. Unfortunately, it's tough to outsource SEO completely and most firms have no clue how to support you with an iterative SEO process. However, you need to consider whether you really want to be dependent on another firm for this or if you or an internal resource should be able to make these simple changes without expensive technical resources involved.
A good CMS should make it possible for you to do all of these things without touching any code.
Doing a website redesign without keeping these CMS requirements in mind will negatively impact your ability to increase traffic, leads and the sales that result from your ongoing SEO efforts. Don't overlook these needs when doing a site redesign.