How to update an SEO strategy when a business changes

The follow article is an excerpt from a recent blog I published. To see the full blog that covers all 5 examples of business changes, click here.

Are you working with a client who’s changing their business direction right now and needs new copy and content? Are they adding new products/services or changing their branding? Maybe your client is starting a new business and needs your help with content and marketing?

SEO is probably the last thing on your client’s mind right now but if they’re making website changes it’s something they’ll need to think about. 

I’ve written this comprehensive guide so that your content or marketing decisions for your client have a positive impact on SEO. 

How to update an SEO strategy when your client’s business changes

How is your client’s business changing?

Which of these describes what your client is doing to their business right now? Pick one and scroll down until you find the relevant section relating to the business change.

1. Adding new products/services to the existing business 
2. Removing existing products or services in the current business
3. Starting a second business
4. Changing the current business (eg a new niche, a new brand)
5. Closing a business and starting a new one

This article will only cover the first two examples. To read all 5 business changes and SEO recommendations, click here.

1. Adding new products/services to the existing business

If your client is adding new products or services to their existing business, their website needs to be updated to reflect these new offerings. 

Technical SEO: Website structure

Before you add new pages, have a look at the existing website structure. I’d recommend following the existing website architecture (or layout) to keep the website uniform and make it easier for customers to find the new information. 

For example, if each product is on a separate page, create a new page for the new product or service. If the products or services are grouped together in categories, follow the same with the new product or service.

On-page SEO: Keyword research and on-page optimisation

For a new page, perform keyword research to find relevant keywords to use in the page copy. 

From the keywords you find, pick one primary keyword that best describes the new product and gives your client a reasonable chance of ranking for the keyword in Google. Use this primary keyword in the page title, meta description, in at least one H2 heading and throughout the copy where it fits naturally. If the page contains images that directly relate to the keyword, you can use the primary keyword in the alt text. 

Link to other relevant pages on the website using internal links.

Want an easier way to remember all of this? Get my free On-page SEO Checklist by signing up to my weekly email list. 

I’ve also written a blog all about on-page SEO.

Off-page SEO: Building backlinks and website authority

Off-page SEO is all the things you do to improve SEO that don’t directly involve the website, such as content marketing and other promotional activities in your business.

Your client should be actively promoting their new products and services and trying to build backlinks to the website. If your client is working with a marketing consultant or agency, this is something they can help them with.

Local SEO for new products and services

If your client has a Google My Business listing, the listing should be updated with the new products and services information, photos and a post.

2. Removing existing products and services from the business

If there’s a product or service your client no longer offers, their website will need to be updated and these products and services removed. Customers don’t want to have their heart set on something that no longer exists.

Technical SEO: Removing old content

Before you “Marie Kondo” your client’s website and send pages to the trash, think about the impact on your client’s SEO. Yep, deleting content creates some extra headaches for a website.

Deleted pages can still be indexed on Google. Google can send users to the deleted pages but instead of seeing the old page, the user will come across an error which is known as a 404 error. This tells the user the page no longer exists and the user leaves the website.

Deleting a page also gets rid of any link juice the website might’ve received from another website. Link juice is like superpowers that a web page receives from another website. It’s another website’s “tick of approval” for your client’s website. Google loves this.

To get around these issues, I’d recommend not deleting the page but doing what’s called a “301-redirect”. What this does is tell Google that if a user tries to visit an old page, it should resend the user to a new page instead. Usually the new page would be the Home page or another relevant page on the website.

A 301-redirect helps the website not lose link juice as well as provide a better user experience. 

On-page SEO: Changing internal links

Any pages that link to the deleted page should link to other relevant pages that still exist. That way, you’re directing users to another page they’d be interested in reading. This keeps them on the website longer.

If you don’t change internal links, the user will be redirected to the Home page. This isn’t a bad thing, but you’ve lost an opportunity to have them read more content.

Local SEO: Remove any references to the old product or service

If your client has a Google My Business listing, they’ll need to remove any references to the old product or service, which includes in the listing itself and any posts your client has published on GMB.

Social media tip

Let your client know to remove the old website information from their social media profiles. It’s ok if they forget since the old URL will redirect, but it’s better to promote a live page on social media than one that no longer exists.

One final word

If you’re a copywriter or content writer, then you may not have much say in the direction your client takes with their business website. But by knowing the impacts of these changes on website performance and SEO, you can create a better content strategy that will help your client grow and convert website traffic into leads and sales.

Some of the changes I’ve suggested in this blog should be done by a web developer or your client’s marketing team. If you’re an SEO copywriter who is tech-savvy, you could even offer to do it yourself and expand the services you offer your clients.

If your client needs new copy and content, outsource the keyword research to me so that you know the exact keywords to use to help your client perform better in Google. Business changes mean new keyword opportunities to search for!