New Website SEO: The First 30 Days (A Simple, Winning Strategy)

Starting SEO on a brand new website feels weirdly stressful.

Not because it’s complicated. It’s more like… you’re doing all this work, and Google is just sitting there, arms crossed, like: cool story. Come back later.

The first 30 days are basically that. You’re not “ranking” yet in most cases. You’re building proof. Building structure. Building enough signals that your site is legit, focused, and worth crawling often.

So this is a simple plan. Not an agency style 97 step checklist. Just what to do in the first month so you don’t waste time, and you don’t accidentally build a messy site you’ll be cleaning up for the next year.

What success looks like in the first 30 days

Before we get into the steps, here’s what I actually want for you by day 30.

• Google can crawl everything important. No weird blocks. No broken structure.
• Your pages make sense. One topic per page. Clear internal links.
• You have a small set of pages that are genuinely useful, not just “SEO content”.
• You’re targeting keywords you can realistically win with a new site.
• You’re publishing consistently, even if it’s just 2 to 8 pieces.
• You have a repeatable content system. That matters more than one “perfect” blog post.

If you do that, rankings can start showing up in weeks 4 to 12 depending on niche, competition, and whether your content is actually good. But day 30 is the foundation phase.

Alright. Let’s do it.

Days 1 to 3: Setup the boring stuff (that breaks SEO when ignored)

This part is not exciting. It’s also the part that quietly ruins everything if you skip it.

1) Connect your site to the right tools

• Google Search Console: verify your domain property, submit your sitemap.
• Google Analytics (or Plausible, etc): you need basic traffic and engagement visibility.
• Optional but helpful: Bing Webmaster Tools.

Then go into Search Console and check:

• Pages are being indexed (or at least discovered).
• No manual actions (rare, but still).
• Coverage issues aren’t screaming at you.

2) Fix technical basics early

Do not fall into the trap of “I’ll fix this later after content”.

Later becomes never. Or later becomes “now I have 120 URLs and I’m terrified to change anything”.

Quick checklist:

• Your site is on HTTPS and canonical URLs are consistent (www vs non www).
• Your sitemap is valid and auto updates.
• Your robots.txt isn’t blocking important sections.
• Your site loads decently on mobile.
• You have one primary version of each page (avoid duplicates like /home and / both indexable).

If you want an easy way to spot on page issues early, run an audit with an on page checker. Even a basic one helps you catch missing titles, thin pages, no H1, etc. If you want a specific workflow, check out the on-page SEO checker and use it like a weekly “catch issues before they spread” routine.

Days 4 to 7: Choose your niche focus and map your site (don’t wing this)

Most new sites struggle because they publish random topics.

One week it’s “best CRM”. Next week it’s “how to write cold emails”. Then a random “AI tools” listicle. Google can’t tell what the site is about, and honestly neither can a human.

So day 4 to 7 is about focus.

3) Write down your core topics, not keywords

Start with 3 to 5 topic buckets that your business actually wants to be known for.

Example for an AI content marketing SaaS:

• AI SEO content creation
• Programmatic SEO basics
• On page SEO improvements
• Content strategy for organic growth
• SEO automation workflows

These become your categories and internal linking spine.

4) Build a simple site map

Nothing fancy. Just:

• Homepage
• About
• Contact
• Blog
• 3 to 5 core pages (your “money pages”)
• 1 to 3 supporting pages per core page (to start)

If you already have pages and you suspect they’re not helping, you can run a quick cleanup process and tighten things. There’s a good practical breakdown here on how to improve page SEO if you want the exact types of fixes that matter early on.

Days 8 to 12: Keyword research for new sites (aka stop chasing impossible keywords)

This is where people waste months.

They pick keywords that look good on paper, but they’re not winnable for a new domain. Or they pick keywords that are winnable but useless for business.

You want the middle. This is where the insights from our SaaS SEO playbook for organic growth come in handy. It guides you in selecting the right keywords that strike a balance between competitiveness and relevance to your business.

5) Pick “low authority friendly” keywords

In the first month, prioritize keywords that have:

• Clear intent
• Low to moderate competition
• Long tail phrasing (usually 4+ words)
• A narrow problem you can answer better than anyone else

Examples (generic patterns you can adapt):

• “how to do X for Y”
• “X checklist for beginners”
• “best X for [specific use case]”
• “X vs Y for [audience]”
• “how to fix [specific SEO problem]”

The other trick that works well early is targeting keywords where the current top results are… not great. Outdated posts. Thin content. Forum threads ranking because nobody wrote a real guide.

That’s your opening.

6) Create a list of 20 to 40 targets, then choose 8 to publish first

Yes, 20 to 40. You need a bench. A pipeline.

But you’re only going to publish the first 6 to 10 (depending on your pace) in the first month. The rest become month 2 and 3.

If you don’t want to do this manually, this is literally what an automation platform should handle. For example, SEO software scans your site and generates a keyword and topic strategy, then turns those into scheduled articles. That “pipeline” part is the underrated win. Consistency beats motivation every time.

Days 13 to 18: Publish your first “core pages” (not just blog posts)

Most people start SEO with blog posts. Which is fine. But new sites also need strong core pages that explain what you do and who it’s for.

So before you crank out 10 articles, make sure your core pages exist and aren’t flimsy.

7) Build 3 core pages that you can internally link to

Think:

• Use cases
• Industry pages
• Product category pages
• Service pages
• “How it works”
• A main pillar guide if you’re content heavy

Core pages should:

• Have clear H1 and structure
• Answer the “what is this and why should I care”
• Include FAQs (real ones)
• Link out to supporting content
• Have a CTA that doesn’t feel desperate

If you want help tightening on page structure, outlines, headings, and making sure your page actually covers the intent, an AI editor can speed things up without turning it into fluff. This AI SEO editor is one option if you want a guided editing flow for SEO specifically, not just “rewrite this paragraph”.

Days 19 to 23: Publish supporting articles and build internal links like you mean it

Now we start building topical depth.

Your goal is to create small clusters:

• 1 core page (pillar)
• 2 to 4 supporting articles that link to it
• supporting articles also link to each other when relevant

8) Write the first 4 to 6 supporting posts

Here’s a simple structure that works especially well for new sites:

1. Problem definition (2 to 5 short paragraphs)
2. Why it happens (context, examples)
3. Step by step solution (real steps)
4. Mistakes people make (this section is gold for SEO)
5. Tools or templates (optional)
6. Quick recap and next step

Keep paragraphs short. Don’t pad. Don’t “SEO write”. Just answer the query thoroughly.

9) Internal linking rules for month one

Internal links are one of the few things you fully control. Use that advantage early.

• Every blog post should link to one relevant core page.
• Every blog post should link to one other supporting article if it fits naturally.
• Every core page should link to 2 to 6 supporting posts.
• Use descriptive anchor text. Not “click here”. Not “this guide”. Actual words.

Also. Don’t overthink it. You’re not trying to sculpt PageRank in week three. You’re trying to make your site easy to navigate and easy to understand.

If you want a quick comparison mindset for tools and workflows, these are relevant reads:

• SEO Software vs Surfer SEO (good if you’re deciding between on page optimization workflows)
• SEO Software vs Jasper (useful if you’re stuck between “AI writer” and “SEO automation platform”)

Days 24 to 27: Optimize, update, and fix pages that are almost good

This part is where you start acting like a site that’s been around for a while.

Because the truth is, SEO is not “publish and pray”. It’s publish, review, improve, repeat.

10) Do a quick on page pass of every new URL

On each page, check:

• Title tag: specific, not generic, includes main query naturally
• H1 matches intent
• Headings break up the page logically
• You answered the question early, not 900 words in
• Add 1 to 2 internal links you missed
• Add 1 external link if it improves trust (not required, but it can help)

If you want a straightforward checklist style process for each URL, use this improve page SEO guide as your pass. It’s basically the “catch the easy wins” list.

11) Add simple CTR boosters (without being spammy)

This is small, but worth doing:

• Use numbers where relevant
• Add “2026” only if you actually keep it updated
• Add a benefit, not just the keyword

Example:

• Bad: “On Page SEO Checklist”
• Better: “On Page SEO Checklist: 17 Fixes That Actually Move Rankings”

Days 28 to 30: Measure the right things (and plan month two)

In the first 30 days, the metrics are awkward. Rankings are volatile. Impressions can trickle in slowly. And traffic might be basically nothing.

So measure the right stuff.

12) What to track in Search Console

Look at:

• Indexing: are your pages actually indexed yet?
• Impressions: are you showing up for anything?
• Queries: what unexpected keywords are appearing?
• Pages: which URLs are getting impressions first?

If a page is getting impressions but no clicks, that’s usually:

• Title and meta aren’t compelling
• You’re ranking too low (needs more links and relevance)
• The query intent is mismatched

13) Plan month two around what Google is already rewarding

Here’s the simple play:

• If Google starts showing you impressions for a certain topic, publish 2 to 4 more articles in that cluster.
• If one page is indexing slowly, check technical issues and internal links.
• If your core pages are weak, expand them and link to them more often.

Consistency is the game. Not one viral post.

The simplest winning strategy (recap)

If you want the whole month on one page, it’s basically this:

1. Setup Search Console, analytics, sitemap, fix crawl issues.
2. Choose 3 to 5 topic buckets you can own.
3. Build 3 core pages worth linking to.
4. Create a keyword list of 20 to 40 long tail targets.
5. Publish 6 to 10 pieces in the first month, clustered by topic.
6. Add internal links deliberately.
7. Do one optimization pass.
8. Use Search Console data to choose month two topics.

And if you want this to be more hands off, where the keyword plan, article generation, internal linking, and scheduled publishing are baked into one workflow, that’s the pitch behind SEO software. It’s basically trying to replace the messy early stage SEO grind with an automated content machine. Not magic. Just consistent output, structured around SEO.

One last thing.

You don’t need 100 posts to “start SEO”. You need a site that makes sense. A few strong pages. And a publishing rhythm you can keep when you’re busy, tired, or distracted.

That’s how you win month one. Then month two gets a lot easier.