On-site optimization has become more important than ever to capitalize on changing user search behavior and the new search algorithm updates. Aged and established B2B sites that had never done any previous SEO have the luxury of a strong search engine trust factor, something that only time can bring. A little onsite SEO and they see dramatic results relatively quickly. New B2B sites that build SEO right into their web design get off on the right foot and don’t have to worry about scrambling to catch-up down the road. If you’re looking to redesign or re-launch your B2B website, optimize it as you go!

Here are 3 benefits of incorporating SEO into the initial design process:

Your content is ready to rank.
Optimizing your content to incorporate important keywords is one of most important components of onsite SEO. If you create your content with SEO in mind, you’re already a step ahead of the game. As the search engines crawl and index your site, they will know exactly what kind of search queries your site matches, so you can rank well for targeted visitors from the get-go. You can start collecting data on your visitors and their search behavior from the day your site launches and know what keywords are working and what keywords aren’t much sooner than if you waited 6 months to optimize your content.

You can create a strong internal linking structure.
Developing an internal linking structure helps move your visitors along through your site, as well as helps boost the SEO value of internal pages. For most sites, your homepage is going to receive the lion’s share of the links, but the search engines don’t just rank homepages. Your internal products and services pages have the potential to rank as well. By linking from one page to another, you are spreading out the link juice that first page has earned to other pages, making them more important in the eyes of the search engines.

A good internal linking structure can also help increase your conversion rate. You want to lead your visitors down a predetermined path of conversion that keeps distractions at a minimum. By linking related pages together you can provide all the information your visitors need to make a purchasing decision without ever having to leave your site. It also helps keep your visitor focused—too many links and they don’t know where to go next!

You’ll be able to build SEO friendly URLs.
I can’t tell you how many sites I’ve come across that have the worst URL structure! It’ll be a string of numbers, letters and keywords that is far too long and has no SEO value. The problem is that because the URL structure is tied directly to the way the site was built there is no way to optimize them without redesigning the entire site! Save yourself some headaches down the road and build a URL structure you’ll be happy with for the life cycle of your site.

Business blogging is one of the most valuable marketing tactics a company can employ online. And in light of Google’s recent “freshness update”, having a business blog to drive your SEO is more important than ever. However, running a successful business blog is not as simple as many site owners think. It is a huge time commitment (with no end date) and the potential for taking a wrong turn is very real.

Here are 4 things that could end up killing your company blog

You can’t get at least one post published each week.
Blogs need fresh content in order to survive and help build your online brand. I’d rather one of my SEO clients not even bother with a blog if they can’t commit to at least one post a week, and it’s no secret that I am a big proponent of business blogging. New blog posts not only tell the search engines that they need to come back and re-crawl your site, they also help keep your brand involved in the online lives of your target audience. One haphazard blog post every now and again isn’t going to help build a loyal readership.

You’re relying too heavily on guest posts.
This is still your company’s business blog; shouldn’t you be the main voice your readers are hearing from? Guest posts are a great way to supplement your own writing, not replace it entirely! Even if you are closely monitoring what kind of content is going live on your blog, if you are just serving as the curator and not the actual expert responsible for producing great content, you are missing out on some of the long-term value of business blogging.

You’ve thrown SEO out of the window.
Even great blog posts need a little help in getting found and read by searchers. While you don’t have to optimize every word of every blog post, incorporating elements of SEO into your company blog and new blog posts is going to go a long way in helping them rank well.

All that matters is monetization.
If you’re a professional blogger or just writing a personal blog for fun, there is nothing wrong with trying to monetize your blog. However, a business blog should not be slathered with ads. Every one of those ads acts as an exit point from your blog (and your brand) into the great unknown of the Internet. Your blog should focus on keeping your readers engaged for as long as possible, and eventually pushing them over to your company website. Is potentially losing a customer to an ad worth the few bucks that click will get you?

Choosing which SEO firm, consultant or expert to outsource your website’s SEO campaign to is a big decision. You might look at a dozen potential SEO partners before you decide which one is right for you. But working with an SEO company is not like getting married; you don’t have to tough it out for better or for worse. If six months into the relationship you notice that things aren’t progressing as smoothly as you had imagined, it might be time to ditch your SEO partner.

Here are 3 signs that it’s time to look for greener pastures:

You’re constantly chasing them down.
I take pride in my customer service and do my best to get back to my SEO and consulting clients as quickly as possible. I think that customer service is an important component of the SEO client-provider relationship, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly. As an SEO client, you deserve to work with a nice company! Your SEO partner should actually be your partner and you shouldn’t have to spend two weeks, a dozen emails, five phone calls and a smoke signal to get a hold of someone when you have a question.

It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Some SEO companies might be afraid that if they give too much of their process away, a client might decide they don’t really need that SEO company and will leave. While I understand the reason behind the fear, (who will buy the cow when the milk is free?) your SEO provider should not be hesitant to explain their SEO method and process. A good SEO firm is going to understand that having an involved and educated client is going to make for a much stronger partnership and effective SEO campaign in the long run.

A good SEO campaign relies on the client as much as it does the SEO firm! You understand your business better than anyone else, and while a good SEO provider will take the time to learn your business, you need to provide an outline for them to work with. How will they get that direction from you if they aren’t willing to explain what they are doing or why they need your input?

You’re not seeing results.
I’m not trying to say that if you aren’t seeing the results you wanted inside of three months that you should dump your SEO partner. Remember, SEO is an incredibly long term process and depending on your company’s sales cycle, age of site, competition and other factors, it may take 6 months to a year after launching your SEO campaign before you see big results. What I am saying is that you should see a steady upward progression over time. What you don’t want to see when combing through your analytics is huge peaks and valleys with how many visitors your site is getting—this is a good indication that your SEO provider is employing black hat practices. If that is the case, drop them as fast as you can!

After a few months after implementing your link building campaign, a good SEO provider should be able to show you some tangible products from their efforts. What business profiles have they created? How many blog posts have they written and promoted on social networks? Did they send out any online press releases? Even if you aren’t seeing the numbers in your analytics just yet, a good SEO provider should be able to show you exactly what they’ve done for your company.

It’s incredibly important to organize your monthly blog commenting activities for multiple reasons. First and foremost, you don’t want to have multiple people from your company commenting on the same posts each month, especially if they have differing opinions! Secondly, you want to create a schedule of quality, related blogs that you know are frequently updated so you don’t have to waste time searching for a new blog to comment on.

Watch this week’s SEO video lesson here!

For more link building video tips and lessons from Nick Stamoulis, check out the Brick Marketing link building video lesson archive .