SEO for startups with little money and little time
Let me tell you how I see SEO for startups. I have done SEO for online shops for years and I look at projects as an investor. I will tell you what I would do first in your place.
A startup runs short on all. Little time, few people, tight cash. So you cannot do all. You need to pick. Here is my order.
Learn what your client wants
Before you write a word, listen. What does your client ask when they hit the issue you fix. What words do they use. That is gold.
I do this. I talk to real clients. I read mails and chats. I look at what people type on Google in plain words.
If you sell billing software, nobody looks for your name. They look for how to send an invoice or what to do if I mess up a number. That is your job. Answer that better than the rest.
Do not chase a thousand topics. Pick a few searches that bring real clients. The ones close to buying or asking for help. The rest can wait.
What I do not know. I do not know which exact term will work for you. Nobody knows before testing. I start with few and I watch Search Console.
One page for each question
Each key question needs a page. Just one. Clear. You get it in a minute.
I write like this. Title that says what is inside. Short sum at the top. Then steps or straight answers. At the end I say what I do and how to reach me. No fluff.
Do not copy lines from the rest. Tell your way of work. What you see each day with clients.
Make sure each page has a reason. If it does not answer a real question, out. Better few strong pages than lots of weak ones. I have seen small sites doing well with little but very clear content. I like that.
And do not open a blog just to post for the sake of it. Post when you have something useful to say. When you can, tell stories from your daily work with no private data. People feel when you talk about stuff you lived.
Keep tech simple
You do not need a perfect site. You need a site that loads and that reads well.
Check this. It loads fast on mobile. You can read with no weird zoom. Each page has its own title that tells the topic. Google can crawl and see your pages with no silly blocks.
I check the basics. No dupe pages by mistake. Links inside your own site point to your key pages. If you talk about your service in a post, link to your service page. That simple. That is internal linking. You tell Google which pages count.
Structured data, that code that tells what your page is about, I add it if it is easy. For posts or FAQs. I do not obsess. Basics first.
If you use a normal platform and a light theme, you are fine. Do not swap tech each month. That takes time from sales, which pays the bills.
Track with Search Console and skip paid links
Tracking is free. Use Google Search Console to see which queries show you and which pages get views. Use plain analytics to see which pages bring contacts. That is enough at the start.
I check each week. Which pages gain views. Where I get clicks and where not. If a title gets no clicks, I change it and I make it clearer. If a page gets views but brings no contacts, I fix the end and I make clearer how to ask for help.
Do not spend on links at the start. I mean it. I see startups paying for links with no content worth linking to. That burns cash. First build pages that answer well. Later people will link because you add worth.
What you can do for free is be where your trade is. Answer in serious forums, join real directories from your town or trade, team up with shops that do not fight you. That brings visits and at times normal links. With no pay for them.
My order is this. Learn the client, build few clear pages, keep tech plain, and track. Repeat. When that works, think of more. Not before. That way you save cash and you learn what people want.
If you would rather we do it together, see Startups.