Imagine this scenario - you are working on a new project and as part of the marketing effort you have decided that you need a website. However since there is a long way to go in order to launch the project, a decision was taken to leave the website for the end.
With that decision you have already shot yourself in the foot. Are you wondering why? Well, the moment you launch your website, you have to keep in mind that this is a new entity which needs yet to be ranked by search engines. Meaning, your portal is like a five-year old in a class of 30 pupils fighting for their teacher's attention.
Scary right, but do not worry with the following tips we will make sure to help you out with some basic SEO in order to prepare the online world for your presence.
1. Launch a coming soon page
Do not wait until your website is ready to have an online presence - prepare and launch a coming soon page to represent your business. The earlier you set this up, the quicker you can get search engines to crawl and index your page. It does not matter if you only have a few words in it, the most important thing is that your brand is out there and people can look for you. Do not forget to put the most important information - few words about you, contact details and link to your social media accounts if they already exist. If you can help users with a clear call to action (CTA) include it. The more you engage with your audience, the better for your future website.
2. Work on your social media accounts
Do not wait until you launch your website to start working on your online persona. Open your major accounts straight away and start building your audience. The more engaged they are, the easier it will be to divert your traffic to your website once it launches. Also do not forget to insert links to your coming soon page. In this way your target audience will know of your existing social media presence.
3. Work on your blog items
The biggest hurdle any online marketer encounters is when it comes to original content. However be prepared by having a number of posts ready. In this way you will not run out of original content. Also very important to mention that your content needs to be of the highest quality - so make sure to dedicate some time on it. Keep in mind that is going to be indexed by search engines, so make sure that the text it filled with important keywords that your business will benefit from.
4. Prepare your pages prior to the launch of the website
Before you even launch the website be sure that all of your pages have been optimized accordingly through the Content Management System (CMS). In this way once you launch and your website starts to get crawled, you know that the content is at the optimum level. Always keep in mind that content is key - be sure that the text is meaningful, that the page title is using vital keywords and that keywords are in place to help rank your website.
5. Search for guest blogging opportunities
Just because your website is not ready yet, it does not mean that you have to wait until its launch to promote your business. Search for third party blogs related to your business and check if you could act as a guest blogger. Keep in mind that fi the venture is successful, not only more traffic might be diverted to your website but you are also creating an opportunity for backlinks.
6. Submit your page to online directories
Before your proper website is even launched, be sure to submit your temporary web page to online directories. Do your homework and be sure that the directories you are using are reputable. In this way any traffic and authority gained from this exercise will be eventually transferred your web portal.
7. Check your online brand
Sign up to certain websites in order to constantly check how your brand is ranking online. The earlier you are aware of certain issues, the earlier you can act upon them.
Remember that online marketing does not start with the launch of the website, but much earlier than that. Always work smart and not hard ;)
Source
'7 proactive ways to jump-start your SEO before a site launch' accessed from http://searchengineland.com/7-proactive-ways-jumpstart-seo-site-launch-241657?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social on the 20th of March 2016.