Skipping Early SEO Can Break Your Business
- Kevin Davidson
- Dec 10
- 4 min read
A Practical Guide for Start-Ups & Small Businesses
One of the most frequent questions I hear from new clients is, “Should I have started SEO earlier?”
My honest reply is always the same, "Yes, because SEO delivers the strongest results when it begins early."
If you are launching a business or shaping one right now, you have probably heard someone mention that you need SEO. Yet many founders, freelancers and small business owners do not fully realise how early it should be introduced.
The truth is that SEO is not something you add after everything else is finished. It is a foundation that supports every part of your online presence.
This does not mean you must learn every SEO skill straight away. It simply means timing matters more than most people expect. Starting SEO at the right moment saves money, avoids unnecessary rebuilding, and ensures your website is structured for long term growth instead of quick fixes later.
This guide breaks the timing into four practical stages, helping you build a website that actually works, attracts the right people, and grows sustainably over time.
Why Timing Matters
Most business owners begin with branding, social media or paid advertising and only think about SEO once they realise traffic is not coming naturally. By then, delays often lead to:
A website that does not match real search demand
A structure that confuses Google
Technical problems that slow down performance
Lost months, sometimes years, of organic visibility
SEO grows gradually, and the sooner you plant it, the faster your audience can find you.
So, When Should You Introduce SEO?
There are four important stages and each supports your visibility in a different way.
1. Before You Build Your Website
This is the stage most people overlook, but it prevents the biggest problems later.
Before choosing templates, writing copy or planning pages, you need clarity on:
What your ideal audience is searching for
The language they us
Their priorities and pain points
Who your search competitors arre
Whether demand exists for your service
This is strategic research and it shapes every decision you make.
SEO at this stage includes:
Choosing the core topics you want your business to rank for
Identifying buyer intent keywords tied to enquiries or sales
Reviewing competitor website
Mapping the pages your website need
Defining the purpose of each page
Starting here makes your website easier to build and far more effective in search.
2. While You Are Creating Your Website
This is the point where SEO becomes part of the build rather than a separate task.
You do not need advanced techniques yet. You just need to build with SEO in mind.
Key elements include:
(a) A Clear Website Structure
A simple, tidy menu helps both visitors and Google understand your site.
Example:
Home
Services
Service 1
Service 2
About
Blog
Contact
(b) On Page Essentials
At this stage you only need titles, meta descriptions, headings and clean URLs. Perfecting them can come later.
(c) Technical Foundations
Choose fast hosting, a responsive theme, lightweight plugins, compressed images and mobile friendly design. These decisions have a significant impact on SEO.
(d) Content That Matches Search Intent
Your early drafts should answer what your audience is already trying to find. This increases your chance of ranking naturally.
3. When Your Website Goes Live
Your launch is a major SEO milestone. Once your site is published, you want Google to notice, crawl and index your pages.
SEO at launch includes:
Submitting your sitemap in Google Search Console• Checking your pages are indexed so they can appear in search
Setting up Google Analytics to track performance
Reviewing your on page basics including titles, descriptions, headings, alt text and internal links
Adding a blog or resources hub to show future growth
These steps help Google understand your site from the start.
4. After Your Website Is Live
This is the stage most people think of as SEO. By this point, your foundation is built and now you focus on growth.
What matters here:
(a) Regular, High Value Content
Blogs, guides, case studies and educational articles build authority. Focus on buyer intent keywords and problem based topics.
(b) Topical Authority
Publishing closely related content shows Google you are a trusted expert in your niche.
(c) Internal Linking
Every new article should link back to your core service pages to strengthen them.
(d) Backlinks
Collaborations, interviews, podcasts and guest articles increase your credibility and search authority.
(e) Ongoing SEO Reviews
Checking indexing, site speed, content performance and technical issues keeps your site healthy.
So, When Should SEO Begin
Here is the simple breakdown:
The ideal moment is before you build your website
The next best moment is during the build
The third best is at launch
The final option is after everything is live
But even if you start late, it is still better than never.
SEO influences how clearly you communicate, how well Google understands you and how easily your ideal customers can find you.
Introduce it early and your website becomes one of the strongest assets in your business.
I offer a range of SEO services designed to help new businesses achieve long term visibility, from SEO checklists to full audits and consultancy support.
Book a call today to explore the best option for your business.
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