A Beginner’s Guide To Start-Up SEO
Follow these search engine optimisation strategies which will assist in giving your start-up website a strong online presence.
It can be a daunting task for start-ups to create a strong digital presence for their brand. Unfortunately, the days of ‘build it and they will come’ are long gone and a significant effort is now required to attract and retain an online following.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the method of applying on-page and off-page techniques to your website to ensure that it is visible towards the top of the search engine results for relevant queries. It is an incredibly complex skill and requires regular effort in order to maintain a good position in the search results. However, there are some important steps that start-ups can easily take which will create a strong foundation for their future SEO strategies.
Website Development
It is vital that your start-up website is created using current technology which can provide a fast performance regardless of the amount of traffic visiting it. Page load speed is an important aspect of SEO at present. Website visitors don’t like to hang around waiting for a slow site to load, therefore it is essential that your website passes the Google Page Speed Insights test.
Your site should also be compatible with mobile devices. Google have noted that mobile searches have now surpassed those carried out by desktops and therefore they’ve shifted their focus towards rewarding sites that are adapted for a mobile audience.
Backlinks
Links from other websites act as signposts towards your new site. Listing your company with online area directories will assist in your local SEO campaign which is essential for attracting a relevant and targeted audience, particularly if you’re a bricks and mortar business.
It is also vital that you spend some time building an online following on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Google measures the interaction that is carried out on these platforms as social signals which assist in giving your site a boost in the SERPs. Write engaging messages which link to your content and tempt your audience to visit your site.
Content
However much you integrate SEO techniques into your marketing campaign, it is essential that you’re aware of your visitors first and foremost. Your audience will want to engage with interesting and informative content that serves their needs as readers and consumers.
Therefore, it is imperative that you provide natural text that is easy to read and isn’t stuffed full of keywords that you’d like to rank for. Ideally you should choose a handful of keywords and phrases and sprinkle them organically throughout your content.
Do your research and consider which terms to use with care. It is best not to attempt to rank for the most popular and competitive terms at first. Instead, keep your focus on just a few phrases that are less common but could potentially convert well in terms of click-through-rates (CTR) and ultimately sales.
If you apply these strategies to your start-up site, then you should start to see a reasonable flow of traffic appearing on your pages. The best way to increase that initial visitor count is by providing regular unique content on your site and by outsourcing your digital content work to an affordable and professional SEO agency.