Search Ranking Secrets
Running a startup is rife with challenges, primarily because money is tight. As an entrepreneur, you have to find ways to do more with less for all business operations. Marketing is not an exception when it comes to finding ways to economize processes. SEO is inherently cost-effective yet offers extensive reach, so it is an excellent option for startups.
But reaching the top of search rankings is easier said than done, specifically when you have to beat established brands already there in the market.
The good thing is that Google hardly cares whether you’re a startup or a leading brand. The only thing that matters is using the relevant and legit strategies to secure the top rankings. But you may have to enhance it with creative ideas and a lean approach. Although it sounds like a lot of work, you can achieve the goal easily. Let us share a few valuable search engine secrets entrepreneurs must know.
Begin With Realistic Goals
Running on a tight budget makes it crucial to begin with reasonable, achievable goals. Most entrepreneurs go wrong because they expect too much from the little effort they invest. Link-building experts at Outreach Monks recommend being aware of the expected timelines for results before putting your plan into action.
Remember that SEO takes time to fetch results, but the good thing is that you can sustain them with little effort. Pen down your quarterly and yearly targets with KPIs like the search traffic for specific keywords, bounce rate, average time spent, number of purchases, and brand awareness. Ensure that your goals are achievable within your time and budget constraints.
Build A Robust Foundation
Entrepreneurs are often enthusiastic about beginning with SEO, but you must have a robust foundation before building up. An SEO-friendly website is the first thing you require for your foundation. Implementing SEO guidelines at the development stage gives you the right start and enables viable outcomes within a minimal time span.
Investing in your website should be a priority because a poorly built one does more harm than good. Ensure aesthetic value, UX excellence, responsiveness, and fast loading speed. Also, technical issues on the backend can affect your results. Look for a seasoned professional to build, maintain, and update the website according to guidelines and best practices.
Go The Extra Mile with Keyword Research
Conducting keyword research is the cornerstone of a successful startup SEO strategy. Start early to gain an advantage because waiting to optimize for specific keywords is the worst mistake you can make. Begin by picking the keywords you wish to rank for and optimize your site to get sustainable results for your business.
You must follow a few rules while researching and optimizing keywords. Focus on commercial keywords that drive lead generation rather than traffic. Entrepreneurs should also be niche-specific instead of targeting random keywords. Also, consider user intent while finalizing your SEO keywords.
Leverage Free SEO Tools
This one is a no-brainer for startups on shoestring budgets. Even established businesses use free tools to elevate their SEO efforts without spending a dollar. Luckily, there are plenty of options to go big with your search engine strategy without spending a fortune.
You can find tools for researching competitors, keywords, and industry trends. They enable you to understand where the traffic is coming from, where they are hanging out, and what they are clicking on your website.
There are also options to audit your website and backlink profile. Using the unpaid versions of these tools gives you a good start though you can upgrade to paid ones for additional features down the line.
Elevate Your Content Marketing Game
Nothing gets better than creating unique, high-quality, and informative content for your SEO strategy. Google and customers love it alike, so it can boost rankings and credibility simultaneously. Ensure your website has top-notch content, enhance trust with your business blog, and move ahead with guest blogs in niche-leading sites.
You can look for a real guest posting service to help you with prospecting, outreach, and publishing content on leading blogs. Connecting with bloggers is a challenging task, and you need good networking to reach out to the relevant ones. It is best to leave the job to experts so that you can focus on growing your startup.
SEO for startups is the same as for running brands, but you definitely have to invest more effort to come at par with the leaders. A good basic plan has to be there, but do not expect it to be enough to reach the top of search rankings.
You must go the extra mile with creative content and consistent keyword research and optimization. Also, ensure a sustainable approach that focuses on maintaining your ranking rather than only reaching up there. The effort in creating a viable SEO plan for your new business may appear massive, but the outcomes have huge paybacks.
