According to various SEO studies, up to 30–40% of sites record a drop in organic traffic after a release due to errors in the structure and redirects. The reason is simple: many people think that how to plan a website is about design and content, but in fact, a successful release begins much earlier, at the strategy stage. To create a website plan, it is important to think like a business, like a marketer, and like a search engine at the same time. This is a mature approach to Website Development, where each stage has logic and purpose. We tell you how to update or rebuild a site so that SEO is not just preserved, but becomes a point of growth.
The Foundation: How to Plan a Website Structure for SEO
A strong site always starts not with visuals, but with logic, and the question of how to plan a website structure is fundamental for SEO and healthy project growth. Even before design, you need to decide: which pages are the core of the site, which support them, and which work as auxiliary pages. For the user, this means clear navigation without unnecessary clicks, and for Google, a clear map of meanings and priorities.
In practice, we use the Siloing or Topic Clusters approach, because it is closest to how people actually search for information. Content is not scattered throughout the site, but is united around topics and subtopics. As a result, the site looks holistic, not like a set of separate pages. Typically, the structure is built like this:
- the main topic (pillar page),
- logical subdivisions,
- detailed pages with specific queries.
Such a hierarchy enhances relevance, simplifies internal linking, and helps search engines understand the brand’s expertise faster.
It becomes obvious how to plan a website layout so that everything on the page has its place. First, we determine which blocks on the page are responsible for SEO, which ones for trust, and which ones for conversion. This removes the typical conflict between UX and optimization, when it’s beautiful but doesn’t work. Therefore, when the question arises how to plan out a website, the answer always comes down to one thing: start with the logic of the user. If the path through the site is intuitive for a human, it will almost always be understandable for Google.
Roadmap to Success: Project Plan for Developing a Website
We see a website not as a random collection of pages, but as a project that develops step by step and leads to a specific result. That is why we build a project plan for developing a website as a clear roadmap that helps to meet deadlines, control quality and clearly explain to the client what is happening at each stage.
- It all starts with a briefing, where we together define goals, audience, limitations and growth points.
- Next comes analytics and prototyping – this is where the site framework, page logic and the relationship between them are formed.
- Then we move on to strategy: here we answer the question “how do you plan a website development”, but not “how to do it”, but “why”. It is at this stage that a business plan for a website is born, which determines how the site helps to sell, attract leads or strengthen the brand.
- The next stage is design and development, where everything is created on a prepared foundation; content filling, integrations and technical optimization.
- The final chord — QA: checking speed, adaptability, transition logic and analytics.
When a client asks how to plan a website project, the answer is always the same: as a business process, not as a creative experiment.
Creating a Strategic SEO Plan for a Website Launch
A competent SEO plan for a website begins long before you click the “Publish” button. This is not just page optimization, but a systematic approach that allows you to maintain existing positions and create a foundation for growth. The key steps at this stage look like this:
- Analysis of the current site structure — we determine the pages that bring traffic and those that need to be merged or updated.
- Redirect and correspondence map — we form a plan for transferring old URLs to new ones to avoid loss of traffic and 404 errors.
- Technical audit — we check status codes, canonicals, internal linking, speed and adaptability.
- Content optimization — we make sure that key pages remain relevant and are structured under Topic Clusters.
A must-have tool at this stage is Google Search Console. It helps to understand which pages are actually working in search and track potential problems even before launch. For deeper technical analysis and structure migration, we use Screaming Frog — crawling the site, checking redirects, canonicals, and internal logic. This is routine work, but it is what saves SEO and allows you to avoid unpleasant surprises.
The work does not end after launch. It is important to:
- track indexing and errors;
- monitor position changes and user behavioral signals;
- analyze short-term fluctuations without panic, looking at the trend;
- adjust content and technical settings if necessary.
A well-planned release almost always returns traffic within a few weeks and creates a foundation for further growth. Understanding how to plan a website launch helps turn a regular release into a thoughtful process that preserves the site’s position and supports its development.
Design and Maintenance: Beyond the Launch
The visual part of the site also requires a strategy. When we plan a website design, we already know exactly the structure, content and SEO restrictions. This allows us to create a design that not only looks beautiful, but also works on conversion, does not interfere with indexing and increases the effectiveness of the site. For example, when planning layouts, we take into account:
- navigation logic and user paths;
- visibility of key elements for SEO;
- optimization of loading speed;
- adaptability for different devices;
- integration of analytics and CTA blocks.
After the release, the stage of site support and development begins. Here the question often arises what is a website maintenance plan in practice. This is a set of regular actions that ensure stable operation and gradual improvement of the site:
- updating content and products;
- monitoring the technical health of the site (redirects, errors, security);
- optimization of loading speed;
- testing new features and integrations;
- regular audit of SEO and user behavioral signals.
The key here is regularity. Unfortunately, all these actions cannot be done once and forgotten if you want the site to develop and stay in the TOP. No matter how perfectly everything was done at the beginning, without attention the site gradually degrades. You can assign this task to your core team, or outsource it to professionals.
Our team at Hetman will take care of the entire process — from thoughtful design to regular support after launch. We will make sure that the site works stably, brings traffic and conversions, and your business develops confidently. Contact us for a consultation — we will show you how to turn the launch of the site into a strategic advantage.