Before I became a full time SEO I was developing websites for years, and while I enjoyed the finished result something always sat a bit uneasy with me about the web design/ development process; basically, its in the wrong order. I would expect most readers will have noted this or something similar themselves, so I guess this article is more of an attempt to help the enlightened explain and build a case for a better web development process (which ultimately leads to a more successful SEO campaign).
The Classic Web Development Process
The terminology used by different people/ agencies to describe each phase varies, but most of the web development projects I’ve been involved with looks something like this:
- Scope/brief development
- Sitemap development
- Concept design &/or wireframing
- Backend/CMS development, programming, database integration, etc
- Content
- Testing
- SEO (maybe)
- Go live
I don’t doubt others go at it in different ways, but I’d bet for 90% of sites this roughly looks like the process. More companies now seem savvy to the idea of calling in the SEOs at an earlier stage in the development cycle, but more often after the site is released that’s when the SEO part of the process usually comes in:
- On-site optimisation
- Link building/link baiting
This is where we hit a problem, step 10- you’ve got your website built, it looks awesome, the CMS is friendly and intuitive, it’s usable, accessible, the content’s great and it’s even been optimised for your keywords, but there’s 1 problem… nobody wants to link to it! It’s a problem I’m sure every SEO out there has come up against, the unlinkable site. Building links to corporate brochure websites is hard enough when you’re working with a leading brand with a PR machine behind them. When its not a household name, or at least an industry name, your attempt to try and build links for the job gets even harder. There’s simply no reason for other sites, particularly editorial sites, to link to you. I’d suggest this is the primary reason link building tactics like directory submission and article marketing are still pretty popular with SEOs- these are the easiest places to guarantee some link action without having to go through any major reawakening of the website and its content.
A Better Web Development Process
What I realised a few years ago, and some design agencies are starting to come on board with now, is that content should move up the list to sit above anything design related. (I might even go so far as to argue it’s better to develop the content first before committing to a sitemap, but that’s a battle for another day!) But beyond this, in the revised web development process I would move link building up the list as well; in fact, I’d move it to the start.
To contextualise- you’re in the boardroom/ meeting room/ pub, it’s day 1 of your web development process and you have a question on a piece of paper: WHO IS GOING TO LINK TO THIS WEBSITE? (and why?) You then go about working out what types of people/sites/bloggers/companies/organisations might link to your website. Don’t theorise here, find real life examples of a site you would like to get a link on. Then all you have to do is work out what you need to do with your new website to get that great site or blog to link to it once it’s live.
On a simple level this will almost certainly help to inform your content strategy, but really you should take this opportunity to think beyond clever FAQ’s or useful articles. If you think about what people really want to link to, what they’re crying out to link to, that’s when you’re going to start talking about building a really cool site. Maybe there’s a tool you could create as the centerpiece of your site that will save your visitors time and money. Maybe it’s a blog in a niche where nobody else is writing or a calendar of events which nobody else has published. Maybe it’s just looking at what your competitors are doing and making damn sure you do your thing better. Whatever you end up doing, it should be link worthy and it should be at the center of your website, not tucked away in a ‘resources’ section.
It’s worth pointing out that this is not just about SEO, it’s about your users first and foremost. The reason nobody links to those boring brochure sites with company news on the homepage and photos of smiley women from istock images is because nobody wants to visit them. Now ask yourself another question: WHY AM I BUILDING A WEBSITE WHICH NOBODY WANTS TO VISIT? A rule I use is if you’re bored building the website, you can be damn sure your users will be bored visiting it and your link building is going to be an uphill struggle.
