We recently started working with an ecommerce startup based in Boulder, CO and it brought to light a common question: when should a new company engage with a Colorado SEO firm? It depends a little on cash flow and the goals of the organization, but today we’ll walk through some best practices.
SEO During Launch
Getting a new brand off the ground involves branding and messaging, building the website and forging the relationships that will help you sell your products and services. SEO might not be at the top of your list but in a way, SEO should be built into all your ‘get off the ground’ tasks.
You might not think branding or customer use cases have much to do with SEO, but they do. Knowing who you are and who you want to reach are some of the best SEO questions you can ask at the beginning of your organization’s journey.
SEO During the Site Build
When you’re moving through site design and templates you might not have time for SEO. That’s probably OK. As long as your developers and designers aren’t cutting corners, they are building a framework for future SEO.
You might want to consider talking to an SEO firm right before launch (so you can bake good SEO into the new site) or right after launch (so you can quickly remove an SEO barriers).
The Road to Rankings
Whether you have A+ SEO at the time of launch or more like C+, Google probably isn’t going to jump you up in the rankings for a bit. There is a vetting period for brand new domains and no amount of optimization is going to speed up Google’s response to a new site.
This isn’t necessarily bad news. You can use that first 30 – 60 days to engage with your Colorado SEO firm, get your strategy lined up and launched right in time for Google’s algorithm to release your domain into the ranking pool.
Ongoing SEO
Most SEO firms will suggest ongoing SEO every month forever. Given the price tag that may not be the best option. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on cost as much as ranking gain. You want to see upward mobility in the rankings but most websites need a few months to be profitable. If you’re spending hundreds or thousands on SEO each month, that can hold you back from short term profit even if it’s setting you up for long term success. Have an honest conversation about your options for SEO on a monthly basis, quarterly basis etc.
If you have questions about the subject discussed today or anything else related to digital marketing, get in touch. We’re ready to talk.