Essential items to consider when starting a new site in terms of SEO?

[savageseo]

I've just launched a new site and have undertaken the following:

• Keyword friendly page titles
• Meta description
• Not a great deal of content on the site yet - but have a blog which we're trying to update as much as we can
• Analytics and Webmaster tools set up
• Dmoz submission
• Facebook, Twitter and Google+ page
• Google places set-up - waiting for postal pin

I've signed up to here to help me to start building a link profile.

However, would like to hear any more hints, tips or help on items I should be doing for a new site looking to move up rankings.

Thanks

[RobertFisher]

Agreed, agreed, agreed.

Best

[AlanBleiweiss]

this is why I love this community - we have each offered information that helps - and the combination of information is excellent!

[NakulGoyal]

You have some great points already from Alan, Robert and Phillip. I would identify your competition as well as understand your customer. See where your target audience is and where they are. Look at how your competition is presenting themselves and getting in the face of your customer. All that you need to do is to do a better job then them. It's easier said then done, but it's possible. Think how Startup companies get to become well known. They provide a better service then somebody else.

[PhilipGledhill]

"What does the client wish to accomplish with this site?" and "The meta description MUST answer the query."

Excellent advice. But, as they say, common sense is not common practice. I hope your badgering (Oops... I mean encouraging) will change that

[RobertFisher]

Savageseo

Alan has given you an excellent list and rather comprehensive as well. I will take another tact. When I look at a new site, I look at it from the POV of "What does the client wish to accomplish with this site?" Without answering that question, you may rank but not well for converting whatever you wish to convert.

Once that question is asked along with how much can they spend, etc. I want to know what are the queries around what they are wanting to accomplish. Notice I did not say Keywords, I said queries. What question(s) does the site purport to answer in order to give value? Let's take a drug store and an Ace bandage. What is the person asking about them? Maybe, how to wrap an ankle or what size tape to use, what size elastic bandage, etc.

Then, well armed, you have to do keyword analysis to determine what is going on around those queries. If the site is a local business, you must use whatever geolocation methodology you possess around keywords along with non geo located searches.

Then, the most overlooked item I see on sites we take over is this: The meta description. Most just want to stuff keywords or city names, etc. and that, IMO, is what makes my clients get more conversions. The meta description MUST answer the query. Seems so simple, most typically a total fail for people because "Google doesn't look at the meta description." (I've heard that a few times.)

So, once there, all the rest that you and Alan have are all over it. Remember content must be great and fresh and relevant to the query as well. Only then, will your client's customer have the greatest opportunity to buy from your client.

Hope this helps,

Robert

Quick Edit: Remember to insure they are optimized locally.

[AlanBleiweiss]

Breadcrumb navigation is always a good idea to have. It reinforces topical focus, and content relationships.

For a blog, Google authorship is good.  As is either the "All-In-One SEO" plug-in or the Yoast SEO plug-in.

Sitemap.xml file and robots.txt file as well.

Then you can learn about canonical tags and get those set up on the site and in the blog.

Really anything in the SEOmoz "Learn SEO" section is worth learning.

Also, a handy reference is the "periodic table of SEO".