Developing an SEO Plan Prior to Site Development

It is widely understood in the industry that search engine optimization should be built in, as early as possible, to the entire site development strategy, from choosing a content management system (CMS) and planning site architecture to developing on-page content. As you will see in Chapter 6, SEO practitioners have significant input in both of these areas. Of course, many businesses learn about the need for SEO only after they have built their sites, in which case the time to start is now.

SEO plans have many moving parts, and SEO decisions can have a significant impact on other departments, such as development, other marketing groups, and sales. Getting that input as soon as possible will bring the best results for a business at the least possible cost (imagine that you develop your whole site and then learn you need to replace the CMS—that would be very, very painful!).

Business Factors That Affect the SEO Plan

Here are some examples of business issues that can impact SEO:

Revenue/business model

It makes a difference to the SEO practitioner if the purpose of the site is to sell products, sell advertising, or obtain leads. We will discuss this more in the later sections of this chapter.

Target customers

Who are you trying to reach? This could be an age group, a gender group, or as specific as people looking to buy a house within a 25-mile radius of Orlando, FL.

Competitor strategies

The competitive landscape is another big factor in your ...

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