How does it work with SmartKeyword?
Write down requirements
Define content and information architecture
1. We define the new URL structure and navigation according to categories and major pages identified.
2. We design the website’s different versions, if necessary (mobile site, different languages, etc.), as well as the staging environment if it does not exist (specific robots.txt and limited access, etc.).
Page and internal linking optimization
Some website owners tend to solely focus on web design. However, it’s important to provide content that is relevant to the user's intention.
Once you know which categories are bound to change, you should ensure that you proactively protect or optimize SEO elements at the page level to be relevant: URL, page title, meta description, body text, ALT attribute, etc.
The redirects plan
When you modify the site hierarchy or certain categories, you can end up with many 404 errors that neither Google nor users like.
To fix that:
- SmartKeyword checks the indexing setup: noindex, canonicals, hreflang, pagination…
- Our expert team also designs the migration of tracking tools: JS analytics code, data layer, etc.
Preparation
End-to-end tests
Preparation and listing of the elements necessary for a good transition’s execution:
- Creation of new XML sitemaps
- Preparation of the new robots.txt
- Definition of the most important keywords to track during the relaunch
Go-Live and immediate checks
- Checking for any downtime (status code 503)
- Search Console actions (migration, publication of new sitemaps)
- Tracking tools adjustment, if necessary (Google Analytics, etc.)
- Easily accessible top-pages, functional redirections on these top-pages
- Indexable top-pages (no HTML/HTTP noindex tag).
- Checking that the robots.txt is correctly defined
- Checking that canonicals are correctly defined
Checks on redirects, HTTP codes and the website’s overall setup
The first step is to make sure all old URLs are redirected to new ones and check HTTP codes in detail.
We check that all pages and their optimization elements have been transferred from the old website (and pre-production) to the new one.
We also make sure that no title tag is missing, that the Hns tags are correctly implemented and in the correct order, and that all alt attributes are in place.
Tags and Performance checks
Feedback from our clients
Marketing managers, traffic managers, SEO specialists... from different sectors and sizes’ companies trust SmartKeyword to manage their SEO projects.
