How to set up a new website for search

Get the foundations right before launch, so the site can be found from its first week.

What it is#

Setting up for search means doing the small, one-time jobs that let search engines find, read and trust a new site. They are far easier before launch than after.

Why it matters#

A new site starts with no history. Clean foundations let it be found sooner and spare you a long list of repairs later.

How to check#

Before launch, open the site on a phone and a computer, click every menu item and read each page as a stranger would. Ask: does every page say what it offers, for whom and where?

How to fix#

1. Plan the pages around what customers search for. One page per main service. See what keyword research is.
2. Use clean, readable addresses. See URL structure and slugs.
3. Write a unique title and description for every page. See title tags.
4. Use one main heading per page, then sub-headings in order.
5. Turn on https and choose one version of your address, with or without www.
6. Make sure the site is open to search engines. Many builders have a setting that discourages them during construction; switch it off at launch.
7. Add a sitemap and submit it in Search Console.
8. Set up tracking and a way to count enquiries. See how to set up a key event.
9. Claim your free business listing if you serve a local area. See local SEO basics.
10. Add a custom 404 page, a contact page and a clear call to action on each page.

Common mistakes#

• Launching with placeholder text or default titles.
• Forgetting to remove the search-engine block.
• Putting key text only in images.
• Expecting rankings in days. New sites take weeks or months to settle.

Do it in this order#

If time is short, do the work that cannot easily be redone later first: page plan, addresses, https and the search-engine setting. Titles, descriptions and tracking can follow in the first week. Content keeps growing for months, so treat launch as the start of the work and plan a regular slot to add and improve pages.

Once live, run through a basic SEO audit and then check your first ten minutes in PageSoar.