SEO is an essential tool for any website as it helps your site get found by Google users through relevant searches, increasing your traffic in the process.
In fact, studies show that websites using even basic SEO strategies can see traffic grow by up to 28.98% in just one year.
So, when should you start SEO for your new website? The simple answer: as early as possible. Many businesses delay SEO until after launch, missing valuable visibility and conversions. The ideal time to begin is before your website is even live, during planning and development.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know: how SEO works, what steps to take for a new or redesigned website, how long it takes to see results, and how Lumen SEO can help you launch with confidence.
Why Is SEO Important for Any New Website
SEO is crucial for anyone who wants to be found on the internet, whether that’s through social media, blogs, PR, or landing pages on your website.
Before we delve into why SEO is important for your website, it’s good to know what SEO is and how it works. In essence, SEO (also known as search engine optimisation) is a set of techniques which, when used correctly, can improve your website’s visibility and credibility.
The four techniques which encompass SEO are: keywords, content, technical, and links. You must action these tasks as soon as possible when building your new website.
If these techniques are built into the planning and developing process, you will start seeing the rewards from the moment your website is published. For a beginner, SEO can take a little longer to implement, so if this vital step is only started once the website is live, you’ll be missing out on long-term growth.
SEO is essential for anyone who wants to be found online, whether through search engines, social media, blogs, PR, or landing pages.
Before we dive into why SEO matters, it’s important to understand what SEO is and how it works. SEO (search engine optimisation) is a collection of techniques designed to improve your website’s visibility and credibility.
These SEO techniques fall into four key areas:
- Keywords: Targeting the terms and questions your audience is searching for
- Content: Creating valuable, relevant information that matches search intent
- Technical: Ensuring your website is fast, crawlable, and user-friendly
- Links: Building authority through quality inbound and internal linking
To see the best results, these techniques should be integrated from the earliest stages of your website’s development. When SEO is part of your planning process, not just an afterthought, you’ll start reaping the rewards as soon as your site goes live.
If you delay SEO until after launch, it may take longer to gain traction, meaning you’ll lose valuable early traffic and long-term growth.
Ready to Put SEO Into Practice?
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Enroll in our SEO essentials course here.
New vs Redesigned Website SEO: What’s the Difference?
People will often assume that a new website and a redesigned website can use the same SEO strategies to increase their traffic.
However, the steps required for each are actually quite different, as the goals, risks, and tactics vary between the two.
As a new website is being built from scratch, it has no existing SEO history, which means there is no prior domain authority, backlinks, or content for search engines and users to find online.
For an existing website which is going through a revamp, although the design is new, the old traffic, links, content, rankings, and Google-indexed pages still exist, even with the changes.
So, both situations require a different approach.
New Websites
- Keyword Research & Site Structure: Plan navigation and content around user intent and relevant keywords, ensuring user experience (UX) is as good as possible.
- On-Page SEO: Implement meta titles, H1s, H2s, etc., internal linking, and image alt text from the start.
- Technical SEO Foundation: Utilise a mobile-friendly design, fast load speed, SSL certificate, and an XML sitemap.
- Content Creation: Start with foundational pages (e.g. homepage, services, blog), then build content gradually.
- Google Indexing: Submit your sitemap via Google Search Console and monitor indexing issues.
Redesigned Websites
- Preserve Existing Rankings: Carefully map old URLs to new ones using 301 redirects.
- Avoid Content Loss: Audit current content before the redesign and don’t delete high-performing pages.
- Update Internal Links: Ensure links reflect any new URLs or structure changes.
- Re-crawl & Test: After launch, make sure to test redirects, crawlability, site speed, and fix broken links.
- Measure Pre/Post Impact: Use analytics to compare performance before and after the redesign to ensure optimal results.
How Long Does SEO Take to Work for New Websites?
As we saw earlier from the study mentioned, SEO is a gradual process, but how long does it actually take to work for new websites?
While you might see some immediate benefits from basic SEO techniques, significant, impactful results typically take three to six months or longer, depending on your industry competition and how well you implement SEO strategies.
This is especially true for brand-new websites that start with no prior rankings or domain authority.
With SEO, it’s important to stay realistic and set attainable goals. Remember, SEO is an ongoing process. Once you reach your one-month, six-month, or even one-year goals, you can set new targets and continue enhancing your website’s SEO performance.
Improve Your SEO Timeline in 4 Steps
- Publish Quality, Consistent Content: Develop a content strategy that focuses on regularly posting valuable, high-quality content. Google rewards consistency and relevance with improved rankings and visibility.
- Fix Technical Issues: Beyond aesthetics, your website must run smoothly. Address technical problems that affect site health, performance, and speed to ensure a great user experience.
- Build Links Continuously: Implement a sustained link-building strategy, whether through backlinks or PR. Gaining recognition from Google and potential customers boosts your site’s authority, visibility, and traffic.
- Avoid Common SEO Mistakes: Fix broken links and redirects, eliminate duplicate content, and improve loading speeds. These issues damage your site’s trustworthiness and will hinder your SEO progress.
Measure Your Progress
After implementing SEO, it’s essential to track your progress to see if you’re hitting your goals.
If you are, you can raise your expectations and refine your strategies. If not, revisit the four steps above, make adjustments, and continue monitoring.
Key metrics to watch include organic traffic, keyword rankings, bounce rates, and conversions. These can vary depending on your business and industry, but these are a good place to start.
You don’t need to monitor these manually; tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console automate the process, making it efficient and manageable.
And most importantly, celebrate the small wins along the way. SEO takes time, but starting early gives you a significant advantage.
How Lumen SEO Can Help
We hope you found this blog useful and now feel confident about when to start SEO for your website.
If you’re ready to begin implementing a solid SEO strategy but want expert support, Lumen SEO is here to help.
Our team can plan, implement, and monitor your website’s SEO, whether it’s brand new or redesigned, so you can focus on what matters most: running your business.
Still unsure? Check out our client case studies to see the real results we’ve achieved for businesses just like yours.
Ready to get started? Contact us today for a completely free site audit at 07711 052211 or email aled@lumenseo.co.uk.
