SEO foundations for a new website

Create useful, crawlable pages around real search intent rather than keyword volume theater.

01

Map one intent to one useful page

Start with the question and the desired type of answer: explanation, comparison, local provider, product, tool, or example. A page should fully serve one dominant intent while linking to adjacent needs.

Avoid creating near-duplicate pages for trivial keyword variations.

EXAMPLE

‘Website builder comparison’ needs aligned criteria and tradeoffs; ‘how to connect a domain’ needs a safe sequence and troubleshooting.

MISTAKE TO AVOID

Publishing one thin page per keyword from a spreadsheet.

NEXT ACTION

Write the query, intent, answer format, proof required, and next question for each page.

02

Make meaning explicit in the document

Use a descriptive title, one clear H1, informative headings, concise opening answer, semantic lists or tables, and contextual internal links.

Structured data can reinforce visible meaning but cannot replace it.

EXAMPLE

A guide opening answers the question in two sentences, then provides steps, mistakes, examples, and related tools.

MISTAKE TO AVOID

Hiding the answer below a long brand story to increase time on page.

NEXT ACTION

Give a new reader 30 seconds to identify the page’s answer and structure.

03

Measure qualified discovery

Track indexed pages, search impressions, useful clicks, and the downstream actions that matter. Review pages that are seen but not chosen, and pages chosen but abandoned.

Update important content when the facts or user need changes, not simply to alter a date.

EXAMPLE

A domain guide grows qualified visits and sends readers into the connection checklist or registrar handoff.

MISTAKE TO AVOID

Treating ranking for an irrelevant broad phrase as success.

NEXT ACTION

Choose one discovery metric and one business or usefulness metric for each content type.

USE THE GUIDE

Turn these decisions into a build specification.

Open the brief builder