Traffic is one such thing that every startup craves. Whether it's an e-commerce startup or a service based, everyone is looking for ways to drive massive traffic to their website. And guess which platform can make it happen? The answer is none other than Google!
Let's take a real-life example to get a better understanding of this. Whenever we need something, we go to Google. We don't even care whether we get the expected results or not; we head over there. This is the kind of demand Google has, or, in other words, userbase! Imagine if you could drive this user base to your website. What will happen? You will receive a significant amount of traffic, which startups typically desire.
To make this happen, you have to opt for the practice of SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization. Now, what is it exactly, and how does it come into play? Well, you don't have to worry about all these questions as we will answer each one. Our whole focus will be on talking about SEO for startups, nothing else. So, let's begin.
SEO Basics
What is SEO, and Why is It Important For Startups?
As already discussed, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. If we break it down, it's all about optimizing for search engines. It's a practice where we optimize our content and website in such a way that it gets ranked higher in search results.
This optimization involves the execution of various strategies such as Keyword research, On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, Technical SEO, and Local SEO (all these strategies will be discussed in detail in upcoming sections).
For startups, this practice is very crucial because they are not only facing competition from multinational corporations but from other startups as well. With the market being readily accessible, it's only a matter of time before competition heats up. Stay ahead of the game by taking action now. To gain a competitive edge, startups need to make the most of SEO. Let's see what SEO has for startups.
Cost-Effective Marketing
One thing that every startup has to be careful about is the expenditure. Marketing a startup without a budget can be challenging. But you can still make an impact. In most cases, it is very tight. SEO acts as a savior for them as it offers cost-effective marketing. Startups through SEO can expect organic traffic without paying tons of money.
Long Term Investment
Another benefit that SEO offers is long-term investment. Startups can invest in SEO and can have its results for a long time. If you have cracked the optimization formula, your website will rank higher for a long time. In contrast, the traffic through ads will be stopped once you stop paying for it.
Enhancement of Reputation
Ranking above in search results drives traffic and builds trust for your website. It enhances the website's overall reputation and is perceived as a credible source, which is very important to have!
Important Terminology
Keywords
Users enter these words in search engines while looking for something. For example, if you are looking for laptops, you might use keywords such as "best laptops 2023". Overall, these words describe the intention of users.
SERP
It stands for Search Engine Results Page. It is the very first page that appears when a user enters a query. You can find various websites here. The ones that appear on top with a tag of Ad have paid Search Engines to get featured over there, while the ones below them are ranked according to SEO!
Title and Meta Descriptions
These are the HTML elements of your website. In SERP, only this much content is visible; thus, it plays the most important role in driving traffic to your website. The title appears at the top, and the meta descriptions are below. Together, these give users an idea of what they can expect from your website; thus, it must be optimized perfectly.
How Google Search Engine Works?
It all starts with crawling. It's a process in which search engines visit web pages through links and then later create a collection. Whenever a search engine finds a webpage, it analyzes its content and stores information accordingly. Later, this information is used to produce search results.
Whenever a user enters a query, the search engines match it with the database, and the ones that match the most with it appear in the SERP. Moreover, the search results not only depend upon the keywords but also on the content and website quality. Improving all these factors is what we call Search Engine Optimization.
Keyword Research
The very first phase of SEO is keyword research, which is a foundation step for a successful SEO strategy. Startups must precisely analyze which keywords align best with their services, targeted audiences, and competitors.
For example, let's take a startup that deals with eco-friendly cleaning products. For them, the targeted keywords can be organic cleaning products, non-toxic cleaning products, eco-friendly cleaning solutions, etc.
Proper keyword research ensures the right audience visits your page, your content serves what the users intend to see, and also, by targeting your competitors' keywords, you can take a competitive edge.
Long-Tail Keywords
Startups can focus on long-tail keywords, which are longer versions of short-tail keywords. This strategy can be effective in targeting specific and niche markets. These keywords are more detailed, have less competition, have high conversion potential, and better targeting. For example, the keyword "best deals for leather shoes" will drive those users who strongly desire to buy, increasing the chances of conversions. Additionally, these keywords have less competition as they are more specific.
Source: SimiliarWeb
On-Page SEO Optimization
Engaging Content Creation
During content creation, two things startups need to remember are ensuring keyword integration doesn't seem forced and the content should keep the audience hooked throughout. SEO-friendly blogs are a combination of quality content with the right amount of keywords.
Optimization
Not just the content, the title, meta description, headings, image title, and alt text also play a significant role in ranking the website higher in terms of SEO. Try to embed your most important keywords at the start of the title and meta description. The meta description should be crafted in such a way that it gives a concise idea of your content.
When it comes to images and their alt text, naming them properly will help search engines get their context correctly, which will eventually help in SEO. The title should be in the H1 heading, and use other headings when required as it will provide readability to both the readers and search engines.
Linking
There are two options for linking: internal, which links to your webpage, and external, which links to an outside website. Both of these links will enhance the user experience as well as the SEO. Search engines can easily crawl a website with proper linking or a sitemap; thus, their data will be stored more accurately by the search engines, resulting in them appearing at the top of search results.
Technical SEO
Now comes the behind-the-scenes part! How well you perform here will determine the front-end performance. Technical SEO is all about optimizing your website and its functionalities. It includes responsiveness, site speed, and site structure.
Responsiveness
While developing a website, startups must ensure it is responsive, i.e., screen-friendly for all devices. Be it mobile, tab, desktop, or a larger screen size, the website should appear properly over there.
Site Speed and structure
The site should take less time to load the content, as slow websites are ranked lower by search engines. You can improve your page loading speed by optimizing its content, links, and images.
Apart from response time, the site's structure should be well structured as it provides search engines more context about your website. A well-structured website with a proper schema gets a higher rank by search engines, ultimately improving visibility.
Local SEO
Local SEO comes into play when a startup wants to target a specific geographic area. In this, startups can make themselves visible in queries such as "near me" or in which the geographic location is mentioned. It also lists them on local maps, thus offering them more traffic.
Google My Business
Google My Business is a powerful tool for local businesses to help them create a robust online presence. Startups can create a profile over here and upload various media types, such as photos, videos, and much more. It also gives them a feature to receive reviews and ratings, which will further help them attract more customers.
One of the promising features of this tool is categorization. You can select your business category, and Google will improve your visibility. It will not only increase the chances of lead conversion but will also minimize the competition. One factor that affects this visibility is the rating, reviews, and engagement you receive in your profile, so always ask your users for so and make sure the ones you receive are positive.
SEO Challenges for Startups
Budget Constraints
The very first challenge comes during budgeting. Even though SEO is cost-effective, it, too, requires an investment. Startups with a limited budget may find it challenging to spend heavily on SEO.
The best way to cope with this is to go for Long-Tail keywords. As already discussed, it is less competitive and has higher chances of lead conversion. Startups can also turn to DIY SEO to save their budget a bit. It's all about learning the basics and implementing them on your own.
Another thing on which a startup can work is local SEO. It's okay to start with a specific geographic area and then go for expansion!
Dealing With Algorithms
Have you ever wondered how Google algorithms work? It's a mystery to most of us, and trying to figure out which strategies will help you succeed and which will lead to failure can be frustrating. The biggest problem is to find out what went wrong. In addition, if the algorithm changes, it calls for changes in SEO strategy, which will again cost time, energy, and money.
To avoid this, startups must stay informed regarding the news of the SEO industry. Apart from this, they also need to have a generalized strategy so that the performance doesn't get affected too much in case the algorithm changes. The SEO strategy can be diversified by targeting multiple keywords and having a solid technical SEO foundation.
Competition From Established Brands
Every startup has to deal with a very obvious challenge. Established brands have more capital and resources, providing them an upper hand in the competition. But this can be minimized if startups target a specific niche and don't go for a broader audience. It's all about taking a single step at a time.
In one of our sections, we have already mentioned that it wouldn't be a bad idea to focus first on local SEO and then opt for the expansion. Another way through which startups can stand out is by offering unique content. If they can pull off content differentiation, it will set them apart from other competitors.
Conclusion
Throughout the article, we have seen how SEO can be used for the growth of startups; thus, it's high time for them to acknowledge the importance of SEO and take the first step in implementing it.
The best part of the strategy is that it doesn't require much effort or money. It's a strategy that is tailor-made for startups! With few resources, proper research, and consistent efforts, startups can make the most of this strategy and drive organic traffic to their website.
The important thing that needs to be taken care of while implementing this strategy is to monitor the performance and be patient continuously. Continuous monitoring will allow you to spot algorithm changes and adjust strategies whenever required. Moreover, the results may take time, so you must be patient and use SEO as a long-term strategy.
