Your site has been the same for years – the same colour scheme, words and offers. Finally, after years of waiting, you saved up enough funding for a new one. The team works for weeks and after all their hard work, everything is ready for a re-launch.
But where do you start?
When it comes to the relaunch process, SEO is necessary more than ever. Optimisation involves critical planning, transition and a post-launch phase, which ensures the previous site’s authority remains relevant in the new one.
The three steps require various levels of effort, time and resources – depending on the size and the goals of the site. If you want to do Brisbane SEO right, here is what you need to do:
Plan Thoroughly
Planning is always crucial for any project’s success. Re-launches should be devoid of any unpleasant surprises; with a well-thought-out plan, you can easily avoid these. It need not be elaborate or too fancy. Focus on the following initiatives first:
- Keyword mapping
- Page URLs
- Canonical tags
- Title and meta descriptions
Remember, you need not go to extremes with the planning. It can start with something simple, such as an Excel file with the page URLs for the site. If you are in the process of developing or staging a site, run your preferred crawler for exportation of HTML files.
Smooth Transition
The second SEO phase includes:
- XML sitemap
- 301 redirects
- Robots.txt
Once the site launches, return to your redirects list and check for old site links. Did the redirect take effect? Also, mind the sites that go to 404 pages or experience other issues. They should have 301 redirects. If you need help, go to redirectcheck.com for verification. Don’t forget to do a site search and browse through the results page; make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Post-Launch
After the launch, your job is not done yet. The completion of the launch signals the time for audit and site testing. During the final phase, some steps include URL and tag reviews, redirects, structures and others. Diagnostic tests are also necessary.
Relaunches need not be complex. All you need are three steps to ensure your website has a good SEO foundation.
