I am building a new social networking website. The website is already live on its domain name but i still have about 1 month of work. Main structure is done and i'm just doing cosmetic work now. My question is: When do i start doing SEO work? Should i wait until its 100% done and then start submitting it to directories, search engines, etc.. or should i do it know. Most search engines take about 3 months anyways before you get listed so is it a good idea to do it now.
I recently built a local automotive listings site and decided to get a start on directory submissions before it was completely finished. It didn't go well. I got more rejected notices than I've had a for a site in the past. It seems directory owners are a superficial bunch, as the script was working and there were thousands of cars in my database, but the design (the last thing I do) wasn't pretty. After I made some design improvements and added a shiny logo, my approval rate went back to what I usually get. I figure directory owners see a site looking unprofessional and reject it because it looks like a spam site thrown up quickly.
Before launching a website you should ensure all seo work is carried out already. When i say SEO I mean search engine optimising the site. After, SEM - search engine marketing. That is ongoing.
I agree with vicdigi in that it should be implemented from the start, and then carried on throughout the growth of the site. Though, for now you should be focusing on Optimization internally (in HTML) as implementing it now should be a LOT easier then going back in and doing it later. Once you are done & can go live, then you can market it (submit to Directories, do link exchanges, etc). Though, if you have a few friends with PR pages, see if they will link to you so that you could maybe start with a bit of PR NOW.