First and foremost, SEO is NOT something that is Done to a web site; it is an integral Part of a web site.

SEO should begin during the initial stages of pre-site development and continue until well after the site is launched into the marketing and maintenance phases of a web site. A good SEO plan should have its fingers in every part of a web site, from selecting a server platform to choosing marketing partners. Why? Because, every aspect of a web site has the potential to affect its search rankings in some way and if organic traffic is important to you, then SEO should be part of every aspect of your site.

SEO is Not a Quick Fix. I am fairly sure that most people realize by now that change in search engines happens slowly, especially when it comes to organic rankings. But when it comes to “fixing” a problem with search rankings, often it could take more time to analyze and fix the issues with a site than it did to build the site in the first place. Issues could be interdepartmental or require a fundamental change in the architecture of the site and its functionality. Some people or departments may be stubborn and decide that their issues are more important than the SEO issues, and they may be right. However, these things would need to be discussed and decisions made, taking time.

Once all the issues are decided and the changes implemented the waiting begins. The best case scenario means you will have to wait a few weeks for the changes to be indexed and start affecting the rankings. If karma (or Google) is not looking upon you favorably, you may end up in “The Sandbox”. The sandbox is a term given to a condition where your site is not penalized or banned, but still does not show up in search results for any but the most obscure of phrases. This condition is usually applied to new sites, sites which suddenly get a bunch of new inbound links or sites which undergo major changes. Once in the sandbox it is entirely up to the search engine as to when you get out. So far no one has a reliable method of getting a site pulled out of the sandbox. The average time for a site to remain in the sandbox seems to be around the 6 month area, though I personally had one in for almost a year.

If you include SEO in the planning stages of a web site, many issues can be avoided from the beginning and there would be no need to “fix” your ranking at all or risk putting an established site in the sandbox. — to be cont.

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