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How to Involve an SEO Expert during the Web Design Process Ross Dunn CEO, Stepforth Web Marketing - Feb 12, 2008

Costly website problems can be avoided if a business consults a search engine optimization (SEO) expert before and during website design. It's hard when prospective clients call us, excited about an expensive new website, and we have to tell them that their sites require redesign. Fortunately, however, an SEO expert usually needs to spend only a few hours to review your web design at certain crucial stages to save far greater expenses and headaches later on.

Stage 1: Concept and Marketing Strategy

You probably have a vision of the content and general site structure you are looking for. Before you meet with your web designer, contact your SEO expert who can provide you with marketing insights and ideas that perhaps you hadn't considered. As a result of this meeting, your website plans could change dramatically -- for the better. At this stage, a lot of money can be saved by firming up a more concrete, search engine friendly site plan.

Stage 2: Presenting the Vision to the Designer

It also helps to have your SEO expert meet with you and your web designer (in person or by telephone) when you lay out your vision and site plan. Your SEO expert is there to answer questions and ensure that your search engine marketing objectives are not thwarted should a grand design concept change the previous site plan.

During this meeting the designer will often provide a time schedule for deliverables and explain when you can weigh-in on each step of the design process. In the presence of the web designer, ask your SEO expert at what checkpoints it is best for him or her to check in on the progress. Set up those checkpoints and clearly state that the design cannot continue without an official sign-off from your SEO expert. Without this it is far too easy for the design process to build momentum and breeze by these key checkpoints. Important: Even if your designer claims to have SEO experience, you're still wise to include an independent SEO expert. Your designer�s SEO techniques may well be out of date.

Stage 3: Final Draft Review

Before you sign-off and agree to your final website, make certain to clear the final product with your SEO expert. At this stage any SEO mistakes that may have made it through the design and review process can be caught before final sign-off. Once you sign off on the final website, subsequent corrections get very costly.

There is no question that money can be saved -- and in fact made -- from having a search engine optimizer involved. After all, if your website is search engine friendly right out of the gate, you are one major step closer to profitable search engine rankings.

Note: A related video interview with Ross Dunn explains some of the typical SEO problems with new websites, "How to Avoid an SEO Horror Story on Your New Site with Ross Dunn" (6:25). http://www.wilsonweb.com/seo/dunn-seo-design-horror.htm

Ross Dunn is CEO of StepForth Web Marketing, a firm that has provided search engine optimization services since 1997. His company can help your website get much higher rankings for keywords that deliver results.