I just completed a assignment to bring a web presence back from the dead. At least it was dead as far as Google was concerned. Moving your website to a new platform like WordPress can kill your page-rank in a heartbeat. The URLs generally change, the content is updated, new pages added, and old pages deleted. It can be a real bummer to learn that no one knows you have a new site. The long standing myth about developing an effective SEO strategy is in the timing. It's often an afterthought, instead of being included as part of the migration plan. If you're contemplating a site upgrade or full migration, don't forget to include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a part of your Internet game plan. PRACTICAL ECOMMERCE Magazine published a SEO Site Migration Checklist last week with valuable information you can use to prevent the SEO drop associated with a site migration. In my experience, it takes 3 to 6 months to rebuild a site's visibility if SEO is not a considered during a migration. I recommend you share the article link with your web professional. Also check out their article 22 Free Keyword Research Tools. Here are some other tips for getting ahead of the SEO curve.

WordPress SEO by Yoast

I've been moving many of my clients to the WordPress platform. It's the number one way to become the master of your digital domain. Having the ability to manage your web content makes a WordPress migration worth the effort. Including this plugin is vital to your SEO success. It allows you to view and adjust your SEO efforts while you're post. You know instantly how it will look on a search results page before you publish. WordPress SEO by Yoast

Key Phrase Thesaurus by Make Technology Work

To get even further ahead of the SEO curve, you need to develop a personal thesaurus of key phrases qualified prospects would use to search for your products or services.  I recommend using the resources mentioned in  22 Free Keyword Research Tools to choose the right words, then use my Key Phrase Thesaurus Workbook to build a SEO tool you can use before you publish your next blog post.