SEO for a Website: How to Set It Up Right From the Start

Introduction

Most websites get SEO wrong in the first 30 days — they skip the foundation and jump to content
Broken foundations cap how high you can rank, no matter how good your content is
This guide covers exactly what to set up, in the right order, for a website starting SEO from scratch

Phase 1: Technical Foundation (Day 1–7)

Do this before publishing content. A page can't rank if it can't be crawled.

HTTPS

Mandatory. Google won't rank HTTP pages for competitive queries.
Confirm: your URL starts with https:// and shows a padlock
Redirect: all HTTP → HTTPS, www → non-www (or vice versa, pick one consistently)

robots.txt

Lives at yourdomain.com/robots.txt
Default for most sites: User-agent: * Allow: /
Block: admin pages, login pages, checkout, search results, duplicate content
Never accidentally block your own content

XML Sitemap

Lists all pages you want Google to index
Lives at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Most CMS platforms (WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow) generate this automatically
Submit to Google Search Console after setting up (Step 2)

URL structure

Decide now — changing URLs later breaks rankings and links
Pattern: yourdomain.com/category/page-title or yourdomain.com/page-title
Rules: short, readable, keyword-included, hyphens not underscores

Page speed

Target: LCP < 2.5 seconds
Check: Google PageSpeed Insights
Quick wins: compress images, use a CDN, minimize JavaScript

Phase 2: Google Search Console Setup (Day 1–3)

GSC is free, essential, and takes 10 minutes to set up.

Setup steps

Go to search.google.com/search-console
Add property → Enter your domain
Verify ownership (DNS record is easiest; HTML file upload also works)
Submit your sitemap: Settings → Sitemaps → paste yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Wait 24–72 hours for data to start appearing

What to check after setup

Coverage tab: are your pages indexed? Any errors?
Core Web Vitals tab: any speed issues Google has flagged?
Enhancements tab: any structured data errors?

Note: a new site won't have ranking data for weeks. Set this up now so data accumulates.

Phase 3: On-Page Basics (Day 1–30, Ongoing)

Every page you publish needs these elements correctly set.

Title tags

Format: Primary Keyword — Modifier | Brand
Example: Best Running Shoes for Flat Feet — 2025 Picks | ShoeSite
Max 60 characters
Every page needs a unique title

Meta descriptions

Summarize the page and invite the click
Max 155 characters
Not a direct ranking factor, but bad metas kill CTR

H1 (main headline)

One per page
Contains the primary keyword
Different from the title tag — add one extra angle

H2 / H3 subheadings

Organize content logically
Mirror the sub-questions people have about the topic
Keyword-relevant, not keyword-stuffed

Image alt text

Every image needs descriptive alt text
Helps accessibility + Google Image search + page relevance signals
Bad: img_2034.jpg / Good: woman-running-shoes-flat-feet.jpg

Phase 4: Content Strategy (Day 30–90)

With the foundation set, now publish content that can actually rank.

Choose your keyword targets

Start with GSC data (once it has 30+ days): what queries do you already appear for?
Look for position 11–20 — you're close, and fixes have fast payoff
For a new site: start with long-tail, low-competition keywords (3–5 words, specific)

One page = one primary keyword cluster

Don't target the same keyword on multiple pages (keyword cannibalization)
Map out which page targets which keyword before publishing

Content that earns rankings

Answers the full search intent, not just the keyword
Longer than the minimum needed — not padding, just complete
FAQ section targeting related "people also ask" queries
Internal links to and from relevant existing pages

Internal linking from day one

Every new page should be linked from at least one existing page
Your homepage should link to your most important category/landing pages
Never publish a page with zero internal links pointing to it (orphan page)

Phase 5: First 90 Days Expectations

Month 1

Technical foundation live
GSC data accumulating
Core pages published with correct on-page optimization

Month 2

GSC starting to show query data
Identify first set of optimization opportunities
Fix any indexing errors surfaced in GSC Coverage tab

Month 3

First ranking movements visible (usually long-tail keywords)
Expand content on performing pages
Start building first backlinks (directory listings, community mentions)

Realistic expectation: most new sites see meaningful organic traffic in month 4–6. Sites with existing domain authority move faster.

Common Setup Mistakes

Launching without submitting sitemap to GSC
Using a WordPress SEO plugin but leaving all fields blank
Targeting the same keyword on 3 different pages
No internal linking structure (every page is an island)
Publishing thin content (< 300 words) hoping to rank competitively
Ignoring mobile — Google indexes mobile-first

Quick-Reference Checklist

Technical

HTTPS active
robots.txt correct
XML sitemap submitted to GSC
URL structure decided and consistent
PageSpeed Insights score checked

On-Page (per page)

Unique title tag with keyword, under 60 chars
Meta description under 155 chars
One H1 with primary keyword
H2s covering subtopics
Image alt text on all images
At least 2 internal links to/from this page

Content

Answers the full search intent
FAQ section
No duplicate content

FAQ

Should I do SEO myself or hire someone? Start yourself — GSC data is free and the basics aren't complicated. Hire when you can't keep up with the content production, not before.

Does my website platform matter for SEO? Somewhat. WordPress, Webflow, and Next.js give you full control. Wix and Squarespace have improved but still have some technical limits. The platform matters less than your content and links.

How soon will my new website rank? A brand new domain with no authority typically needs 4–8 months before ranking competitively. It can be shorter for very specific, low-competition long-tail keywords.

CTA: Once your site is live and GSC is connected, SerpDo automatically surfaces your highest-impact fixes from your real search data. Get your first task →