Search Engine Optimization: SEO Checklist for Launching a Website

Search engine optimization is certainly not a topic that can be tackled with a quick general roadmap. Besides experience, it is also important to have the know-how of the many different factors that contribute to a successful web presence. If you're on the verge of launching or relaunching a website, you probably won't be able to avoid a professional SEO concept to secure a good position in the search results.

Good planning is essential. This means SEO should be included right from the start of planning for sustainable search engine optimization. We have compiled a small SEO checklist to give you an overview of the most important and relevant topics. Even if you are already being advised by an SEO service provider, it makes sense to personally have a basic understanding of search engine optimization to enable effective collaboration.

Figure 1: SEO Checklist

Crawling and Indexing

To ensure your website is found and visited by users, accessibility should be ensured. The first point of the SEO checklist is the accessibility of a website. The prerequisite is that the website can be crawled by the search engine and included in the index.

A web crawler (also known as a bot, web spider, or web robot) is an automated program or script that searches websites for specific information. Essentially, web crawlers are used to gather and retrieve data from the internet. The terms “Crawling” and “Indexing” are often confused.

However, they are two different things. Crawling means that the bot (e.g., Googlebot) views and analyzes the entire content (texts, images, or CSS files) on the page. Indexing means that the page can be displayed in Google search results. One cannot happen without the other.

A robots.txt file is also helpful, which informs search engine crawlers about which pages should be visited and included in the index. So make sure you don't accidentally block search engines from your website through robots.txt. Additionally, creating an XML sitemap is worth considering to optimally reach all pages. All content should be easily accessible to visitors. You should avoid the following:

• Duplicate content

Duplicate content on your website, meaning very similar to identical content on two or more pages, is downgraded by Google in the ranking. The basic solution for duplicate content on your own site is always a 301 redirect from the duplicate content to the original.

• Error pages via links

An error page such as the 404 error code is a client-side error that occurs either because the URL was entered incorrectly, or the page was moved or removed from the website.

• Temporary redirects (Status code: 302)

A 301 redirect technically transmits the HTTP status code 301 Moved Permanently. With this command, you signal to search engine bots and web browsers that certain web content has been permanently moved to another URL and will be accessible there in the future. However, if you plan to move content only temporarily, you should use 302 redirects.

Design and Usability

The design and usability of a website are not direct SEO criteria, yet great value should be placed on a user-friendly design and ease of use of the website, and it is on our SEO checklist.

For example, the navigation should have the following characteristics:

• clear

• easy to use

• structured

If users cannot find their way around your website, they will quickly leave and not perform the desired actions. This leads to high bounce rates and short visit durations, which in turn negatively affect your rankings and conversion rate.

Mobile Optimization

For the (re-)launch, alongside optimizing the website in desktop view, it is equally important that the website is optimized for the mobile version. Nowadays, most accesses are made via mobile devices. In line with the principle "Mobile First," Google recommends optimizing the website primarily for mobile phones, as about 65% of search queries start here and may be continued on other devices. If the first impression on the mobile view is not convincing or is not adapted to individual user behavior, not only important users are lost but also significant and untapped potential.

 Loading Time

The next point on the SEO checklist is the loading time of your website, which plays a vital role as a ranking factor for Google. Make sure your pages load as quickly as possible.

These tips can help:

• Minimize the size of used images

• Compress CSS files

• Use HTTP/2

Ideally, the current loading time of websites should be under 3 seconds. Slow or long loading times can cause users to leave your website directly and visit another instead. In our white paper, you can learn how to improve your SEO ranking with fast loading times.

Web Analysis

A crucial prerequisite for ongoing website optimization is the evaluation of relevant key figures such as:

• Number of visitors

• Page views

• Session duration.

These and other KPIs can be captured using web analysis and represent the final stop of the SEO checklist. However, web analysis not only reads metrics but also:

• Questions interactions on one's own website

• Analyzes the behavior of specific target groups

• Creates a customer journey.

Figure 2: Web Analysis

A professional web analysis program is therefore indispensable. The best-known, moreover free and yet powerful program is Google Analytics. A good web analysis is preceded by a detailed tracking concept. We also offer a guide on the topic of "Successfully Getting Started with Web Analysis with Google Analytics."

Tools such as Google Analytics or Google Data Studio help to display various factors, for example, the content performance of a website. From the results of a web analysis, measures for improvements can then be derived.

Do You Need Assistance?

Besides the SEO checklist, our internetwarriors SEO professionals help you during a website launch to avoid risks and seize opportunities. We also offer long-term support for your website and/or online shop to enable you to achieve the best possible positions in search results.

If your website is already launched and you want to review it based on SEO criteria, then take advantage of our free SEO check.

Contact us anytime for advice.

We look forward to your inquiry.