A website that is strong in SEO is one where target keywords match the pages, the site structure is organized, pages load quickly, and the content is easy to read on a smartphone. Deciding these things during production costs far less time and money than fixing them after launch. Check how SEO is built in from the moment you start choosing a production company.
The foundation of SEO is decided during production, before launch
For a website that is strong in SEO, the way it is built matters even more than the number of blog posts published after launch. That is because page composition, URLs, heading hierarchy and display speed can only be changed later by essentially rebuilding the site.
SEO is the work of making your pages findable in search results. In its official “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide,” Google states a policy of valuing pages that are helpful and easy to understand for people using search. The basics called for in that guide, such as how to write titles, clear URLs, headings and image descriptions, are things you put in place during production.
There are six items to decide during production.
| Item | What to decide |
|---|---|
| Matching target keywords to pages | One page answers one search intent |
| Site structure | Hierarchy, URLs and how internal links are placed |
| Display speed | Image size and loading mechanisms |
| Smartphone support | Readability and ease of tapping |
| Structured data | Markup that conveys content to search engines and AI |
| A system for adding articles | Whether the build allows additions after launch |
1. Match target keywords to pages
SEO starts with researching the words customers type into search and creating one page at a time that answers those words. Each page is built to serve one search intent.
For example, someone searching for “website production pricing” wants to know roughly what it costs. That person should be shown the pricing page. Someone searching for “how to choose a web production company” wants to know how to compare options, and needs a different page. If you cram both answers into the same page, it ends up answering both searches only halfway.
At the very start of production, match keywords to pages using the following steps.
- Collect as many search terms related to your business as possible
- Group the terms by the purpose behind them (wanting to learn, wanting to compare, wanting to hire)
- Assign a page or article to each purpose
- Include the assigned term in the title, the headings and the first sentence of the body text
If you skip this work, you end up with a website that cannot be found for any term at all.
2. Organize the site structure
Build the site structure as a hierarchy that is easy to understand for both search engines and customers.
- Keep the page hierarchy shallow enough that every page can be reached within 2–3 clicks from the top page
- Use short URLs in alphanumeric characters that make the page content clear
- Connect related pages with links placed within the text
- Arrange the menu to match how customers look for things
- Add breadcrumbs (the path from the top page to the current page) so visitors know where they are
When you place links within the text from a service page to related case study pages or articles, customers can move straight on to what they want to know next. It also makes it easier for search engines to read the relationships between pages.
3. Secure fast display speed
A slow website is at a disadvantage both in search evaluation and in keeping visitors on the page. Google provides a set of metrics called “Core Web Vitals” that measure how quickly a page loads and how responsive it is.
Here are the measures you can take during production.
- Resize images to the dimensions they are displayed at and export them in a lightweight format
- Do not install plugins or components you will not use
- Keep font loading light
- Set images below the fold to load later
Before launch, check the smartphone results using Google's free tool “PageSpeed Insights.”
4. Put smartphone readability first
Google takes the approach of evaluating search based on the content of the page as displayed on a smartphone (according to the mobile-first indexing guidance on Google Search Central). A website that looks beautiful on a computer but is hard to read on a smartphone will be at a disadvantage in evaluation.
Check the following points.
- Is the text large enough to read without zooming in?
- Are buttons large enough and spaced far enough apart to tap with a finger?
- Do tables and images stay within the width of the screen?
- Does tapping the phone number place a call directly?
Carry out production checks on an actual smartphone, not on a computer screen.
5. Add structured data
Structured data is markup that describes what a page contains in a form that search engines and AI can understand. Details such as the company name, address, phone number, pricing, frequently asked questions and article author are described in a set format.
Adding structured data can make your listing in search results clearer. It also makes it easier for conversational AI such as ChatGPT and Gemini to read your website's content accurately. Having the facts about your company consistent across the whole website and expressed in a structured form is a prerequisite for your name appearing in AI answers.
It can be added later, but since the markup has to be written page by page, building it in during production takes far less effort.
6. Build it so articles can be added
SEO results grow as you build up articles after launch that answer your customers' questions. For that reason, the site needs to be built so that articles are easy to add.
- There is an article index page and a category classification
- Each article allows you to set a title, a description and a featured image
- You can schedule publication dates and publish at a fixed interval, such as one article a week
With scheduled publishing, you can write several articles at once and release them a little at a time each week, which makes it easier to keep updating.
SEO pitfalls that often occur during production
The pre-launch “do not show in search” setting is left in place
A website under construction is set so that it does not appear in search. If you forget to remove this setting when you launch, the site will never show up in search. On launch day, confirm that the setting has been turned off.
Forgetting to redirect old addresses to new ones
When you rebuild a website, the evaluation built up so far will not carry over unless you set up redirects from the old page addresses to the new ones. For a renewal, always create a list of redirects.
Embedding text inside images
If headings or body text are turned into images, search engines cannot read them as text. Enter text as text.
The same title is used on every page
If every page has the same title, they cannot be told apart in search results. Set a title and description for each page that make its content clear.
Five questions to ask a web production company
When commissioning a build that is strong in SEO, ask the following.
- Will the match between target keywords and pages be decided at the very start of production?
- Is structured data included as standard?
- Will display speed be checked on a smartphone?
- Does the site support scheduled publishing of articles?
- In the case of a renewal, will redirects from the old addresses be set up?
Website production and SEO at Merci Ltd.
The websites built by Merci Ltd. are designed so that AI handles the coding into WordPress and structuring that is strong in SEO, GEO and LLMO is built in as standard. Our people concentrate on strategic design, identifying the strengths of your business and deciding how to present them, and on creating the design. For website copy, writing that states the conclusion first and well-organized frequently asked questions are built into the way we work.
FAQ
It generally takes several months after a page is published for search evaluation to build up. If the foundation is in place from the production stage, growth over that period is more stable.
There is a great deal of overlap. Both rest on a foundation of a clear structure and well-organized facts. AI search optimization adds to that a style of writing that conversational AI can read easily.
Yes, it can. However, if URLs or the hierarchy need to change, the work comes close to a rebuild. We diagnose the current situation and decide the scope of the fixes.
No company can reliably guarantee search rankings. Google itself warns people to be wary of providers who offer to guarantee rankings. Choose a company that can explain what it is going to do.
You need as many as there are questions your customers search for. A realistic approach is to start with questions about your main service and keep going at a pace such as one article a week.
Readiness for AI search can be built in at the same stage
The work of laying an SEO foundation is connected to the work of building a website that conversational AI can read easily. Our AI search optimization page explains in detail how to choose a build that prepares for both search and AI from the production stage.
