SEO Step One – Turn Off Your Computer
It has been my experience that one of the most important steps in the SEO process happens before you even sit down to your computer. Pre-planning is essential for an effective SEO campaign, whether your website is new or you are taking on an existing website optimization project. I usually start with a large piece of newsprint paper which will eventually become the “map” to my site.
One of the key steps in the SEO process is the flow of traffic throughout your website from the index page. I have mentioned before that I prefer a shallow and wide website which means no single page ever being more than 2 clicks from the home page. By drawing the flow of traffic on paper before you sit down to the computer you become more aware of how traffic can move down into and between pages of the site. Internal linking structure is important to both the human visitor and the search engine bot who is going to index your site.
By mapping out your pathways you can see how your traffic will move from page to page and section to section. Mapping out your traffic flow also provides you with a trail with which you can place “breadcrumb navigation links” on each page. These links will allow both the visitor and bot to move with ease throughout the site. I even go as far as to use several color markers to indicate specific subject related pathways that I want the visitor to follow. Often times I will discover instances when I may want to establish a pathway from a page that is 2 clicks from my homepage to another page that is also 2 clicks away from the home page. By establishing this link the visitor can move from page to page with one click. While this may seem mundane, it really does add to the ease of use your site for the visitor. It also adds a new pathway (link) for the search engines to follow.
Do you pre plan your website navigation paths before you start coding? What is your first step designing an optimized web site?
