New site: we optimize and promote to the TOP

Websites are necessary for businesses to promote online. But the whole process does not end with just creating a website. Users simply will not find your company in the SERP if it is further than the second or fourth page. Ideally, your site should be on the first page, or at least in the TOP 100. But how can this be achieved? There is only one way out - to please the search engines. And for this you need to optimize the site. Moreover, it is advisable to start external and internal optimization even at the site building stage.

How do search engines rate your site?

Search robots work according to certain algorithms. If your site meets the parameters of "quality", then it is higher in the search results. It is advisable to involve an SEO specialist to work on the site immediately, even before launch. This will prevent filters and sanctions from search engines, as well as ensure stable growth in the issuance.

But there are factors that developers or SEO specialists cannot influence. This is the user history and age of the domain name. The longer your site exists, the more search engines trust it. And this means that work on SEO does not need to be stopped immediately after launch. It will take at least a year of continuous work for the resource to reach the TOP for certain key queries, especially if they are high-frequency and commercial.

In this case, the progress will always be smooth. Sharp jumps and drops in activity are poorly ranked by search engines. Therefore, the result must be approached gradually.

Internal optimization

In order to ensure a smooth but stable result, the site is internally optimized at the development stage. There are six sequential steps that will make your site attractive to search engines:

1. Compilation of the semantic core. Allows you to highlight keywords in accordance with the subject of the site. It is for the key queries included in the semantic core that the resource will be promoted - a separate landing page is created for each key query.
2. Website structure development. At this stage, a clear vision of what the site will have a structure and how navigation will be organized is formed. If this is an online store, then you will need: the main page, categories (for example, household appliances), subcategories (for example, refrigerators and dishwashers) and product cards (where specific models are indicated).
3. URL setting. The site URL also affects search engine promotion. The “correct” page address is better perceived by users. It is desirable that the url consists of lowercase letters and remains human-readable on any page, even in the depth of the catalog.
4. Specifying metadata. For each page that will participate in the promotion, it is necessary to register metadata - title, keywords, description. Metadata helps search engines know the subject of the page, and also forms a snippet - the very lines that are visible after the name of your site in the search results for users.
5. Creation of high-quality text content. The texts should contain keywords by which users will find the page. But the content should not be a list of keys - it is important that the information presented in the text is useful and understandable for visitors. Unique, structured content that answers user questions is valued. The amount of content is selected based on the analysis of competitors in the TOP for your keywords.
6. Already before the launch of the site, it must be tested for technical errors. For example, there should be no duplicate pages or pages that don't have metadata written on them.

External optimization

When the site is already prepared, tested and launched, external optimization is carried out, that is, link building. High-quality backlinks to the site signal to search engines that the resource is popular. White hat SEO principles say that link building should be gradual and slow. Sudden “bursts of activity” can trigger sanctions when traffic drops.

It is important not only to smoothly increase the link mass, but also to place links on trusted, reputable sites. Moreover, the sites should be thematic, which will help ensure the greatest number of transitions to the site.

In the process of building a link profile, the following nuances are taken into account:

• the number of non-anchor and anchor links should be correlated as 60/40 or 80/20;
• an equal number of incoming and outgoing links on the site for placement (plus high attendance of this site);
• various sources: blogs, forums, social networks and advertising platforms.

What else to pay attention to

Not only the correct preparation for promotion is important, but also the correct promotion strategy. To provide the most realistic user story, you need to use different sources of traffic, from social networks to advertising. It is important to constantly analyze traffic and conversions, since behavioral factors that demonstrate user interest in a new resource are critical for a new site.

Sometimes it is beneficial to promote a site for queries of medium and low frequency. It is not necessary to throw all your efforts and means into the struggle for the TOP on highly competitive requests. And remember that one of the most important ranking factors is still time. Over the course of 6-12 months, the site will “grow” with external links, and there is no need to artificially speed up this process.