I’ve received a few queries about optimizing new website builds - keeping SEO clearly at the forefront of the design.

I though it might be a good idea to write about this as my first contribution to the YOUMoz community. Here is how I tackle it.

Whenever I am approached for SEO on a new site build I set to work on constructing an SEO wireframe for the web-designers to construct the site around. According to this post by Alex on Creative Jar, wireframing is:

An important component of the specification process is the production of a wireframe. A wireframe is a schematic representation of a website/application that encompasses navigation, functionality, page content and potentially usability. Wireframes are invaluable in the planning stages as they enable the top level functional aspects of a project to be tested before any development takes place.

Although I am not a designer by any means, I use wireframes to convey my recommendations for on-page SEO to my clients and their web designers.

Specifically, I use wireframing to optimize the internal navigation, on-page content, and meta tags. The reason for this? If the individual pages are wired together (with SEO in mind) at the early stages of design, this makes for easier implementation of other key components for on and off-page optimization.

To plan an effective SEO wireframe strategy, I tend to run through the following workflow, although it changes from client to client:

• Indentify the 'number of' and 'key function' for each page
  • This could be sales, information, services and so on. This is very important, as it will dictate the efforts of the next step…
• Conduct keyword analysis
  • The objective is to research and identify high search volume keywords that have true relevance to the content on each page. Keep in mind that the point of this research is to implement these keywords into the meta tags, path names and internal wireframe.
• Build the wireframe navigation and name the paths with relevant keywords, keeping the most important information on the Top Level and 2nd level directories.
  • Mysite.com
  • Mysite.com/relevant-keywords-attract-spiders
  • Mysite.com/hyper-relevant-words-in-paths-love-spiders

• Optimize the promotional on-page copy
  • Take the client's content and optimize the copy to be hyper-relevant with the keywords that are now tied in the wireframe of the site – paths, page titles, metas and so on.

Once the paths have been named, I then link the entire site together through cross-linking, not only with the main navigation menu, but with keywords with the on-page copy.

Personally I use Dreamweaver to handle the task, but Alex has brought to my attention http://www.axure.com/ as being a good tool – they have a demo for download, so I think I’ll check it out.

At this point the wireframe has been optimized and is ready to send over to the design team. SEO wireframing is definitely an integral component for optimizing new-build websites.

It’s all in the foundations, man.