Internet Marketing Tycoon

**pates11380** · 07-17-2008, 01:15 PM

What should come first. A redesign of my website or more SEO of the website?

Basically we want people to convert more and to get more active posters on the website. We have decided that at some point we need a redesign. The guy I set up the forum with wants to pay for an SEO service before we pay for a redesign. Personally I think if the SEO service is going to work, we need to get a redeisng so that our site looks professional and that people stay.

Could I please have your suggestions! (if you want to check the site, it's in my sig link).

**willcode4beer** · 07-17-2008, 01:27 PM

Do it together.
Do a redesign with SEO as part of it.

Give this thread a read so you can incorporate the fundamentals in your redesign. You don't really need to hire an SEO company. Although, after your redesign, you may want to hire a company for PR and marketing purposes.

**pates11380** · 07-17-2008, 02:50 PM

It won't be long till we get a redesign. Can anyone suggest or refer a professional designer?

**vangogh** · 07-17-2008, 08:12 PM

If you're planning on doing both do them both together. How your site is developed, how the code is structured, how the information is organized all play a part in SEO.

When people contact me asking for SEO, it's common one of the recommendations I have is redesigning and redeveloping the site. If you go out and get the site redesigned and then hire an SEO you may find the SEO wants to redesign the site again. If you hire an SEO and then contact someone to redesign the site it's possible the redesign will undo a lot of what was done specifically for SEO.

Your best bet is to find a designer who knows SEO or an SEO firm that also does design. The two overlap quite a bit and many companies do both.

Having said all that you mentioned the site being a forum in which case it's unlikely a redesign is going to dramatically change the code. I'd think the redesign will be a theme or template and so it's probably safe to hire two people or companies that don't need to work so closely together.

Ultimately to have a successful site you're going to need to bring traffic to it and have that traffic stick around and interact with the site. Depending on your current traffic and current stickiness the SEO or the design could provide a greater return.

Do you currently get traffic?
Does that traffic interact with the site or does it quickly leave?

If you're not getting much traffic you might want to focus there first. Measuring what the traffic does will let you know how much or little a redesign is needed. If you do get traffic and it bounces quickly you probably want to go for the redesign.

The decision is really dependent on your current situation. Neither the design or SEO is automatically the better first step.

**blogdog** · 07-17-2008, 10:48 PM

You actually have a really good opportunity here. Version 1.0 of your site has been a learning experience to bring about version 2.0.

Many times, a site is designed and then SEO is done as an afterthought. Do them both at once like vangogh says and your in a unique position to maximize both.

**blogdog** · 07-17-2008, 10:50 PM

...and willcode4beer (i was typing too fast)

**francis84** · 07-18-2008, 10:57 AM

Go with the two together: as you redesign your website, optimize the changes on it.