Launching a new website is exciting—but without SEO, it’s basically invisible.
This short guide walks through a simple, proven SEO plan you can follow from day one. No fluff, no “SEO guru” nonsense—just the essentials that actually move the needle.
Phase 1: Technical Foundation (Must-Haves)
These steps ensure search engines can find, crawl, and understand your site.
1. Make Your Site Indexable
- Robots.txt – Tell search engines what they can and can’t crawl
- Sitemap – Help Google discover all your pages
- Canonical URLs – Prevent duplicate content issues
- HTTPS (SSL) – Security is a ranking factor
- Mobile-friendly design – Mobile-first indexing is the default
👉 If you’re using modern frameworks like Next.js + Vercel, most of this is already handled by powerful libraries such as next-sitemap
2. Meta Tags & Page Structure
- Title & description tags – Unique and descriptive for every page
- Open Graph & Twitter cards – Control how your links appear when shared
- Heading hierarchy (H1–H6) – One clear H1 per page
- Custom 404 page – Better UX, lower bounce rates
⚠️ Missing on many sites:
Structured Data (JSON-LD)
This helps Google understand what your site is (Website, Organization, Article, Product, etc.).
Phase 2: User Experience & Performance
Google rewards sites that feel fast and stable.
Focus on Core Web Vitals:
- LCP – Fast loading
- CLS – No layout shifts
- INP/FID – Fast interactions
If your Lighthouse score is 90+, you’re already ahead of most websites.Don't forget to run Lighthouse!
Phase 3: Content & Keywords (On-Page SEO)
SEO isn’t just code—it’s clarity.
3. Keyword Basics
- Research what your users actually search for
- Use keywords naturally in:
- Page title
- H1
- First 100 words
- URL
4. Content Hygiene
- Add meaningful alt text to images
- Avoid thin or duplicate content
- Write for humans first, search engines second
Phase 4: Tracking & Analytics
If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
Set up:
- Google Search Console – SEO control center
- Analytics (GA, PostHog, Plausible, etc.) – Track real user behavior
This tells you:
- What pages rank
- What keywords bring traffic
- Where users drop off
Phase 5: Authority & Backlinks (Off-Page SEO)
This part isn’t code—it’s trust.
- Get backlinks from relevant, reputable sites
- Share content consistently on social media
- Build in public, write, and ship useful things
No shortcuts here. Authority compounds over time.
Final Action Plan âś…
- Add your website to ahrefs and semrush. Even free tier gives you loads of information.
- Run Screaming Frog SEO Spider on your local machine to test the SEO in the website.
SEO isn’t magic.
It’s just clear structure, good content, and patience.
Ship early, measure often, and improve continuously. đź’Ş
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