A guide to SEO for startups

For startups, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the smartest long-term bets you can make. It builds your online presence, drives people to your website, and—most importantly—gets you in front of the right customers without burning money on ads.

Unlike big companies, you don’t have the luxury of throwing resources at every marketing channel. You need strategies that scale and deliver returns over time. SEO is exactly that.

People often think SEO is about keywords and links—and it is—but that’s only part of the picture. The real power of SEO is bringing in targeted traffic. It reaches people searching for exactly what your startup offers, making them far more likely to convert into paying customers.

With this guide, you’ll learn how to build a powerful SEO strategy that drives real results for your startup. Let’s break down the key steps and tactics to position your business for ongoing success in search engine rankings.

How SEO helps startups get users without ads

SEO is a way to help your website appear higher in search results like Google so more people can find it. You do this by using the right words, creating helpful content, making your site fast and easy to use, and getting links from other websites.

The goal is to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher you rank, the more people will see and visit your site.

For startups, SEO is so important because it helps you get visitors without paying for ads. By making your site show up when people search for topics related to your business, you attract more traffic without draining your budget.

While it takes time, SEO is one of the few strategies that scales. The more you invest in it early, the more it pays off later, turning your site into a steady source of free traffic.

Why SEO is one of the few scalable growth hacks

Startups should care about SEO because it’s one of the few marketing strategies that scales with time. It’s a compounding machine.

The early days are slow—optimizing your website, producing content, building links—but those efforts don't disappear. Once you rank, you stay ranked. The traffic comes in on its own, over and over.

SEO becomes a flywheel: the more you build, the faster it spins, delivering a stream of users without constant ad spend.

Think of it like building a product. You start by writing code, fixing bugs, and testing with users. At first, it feels like you're getting nowhere. But over time, the early work begins to pay off, and things click into place. SEO follows the same arc. Your first efforts seem small and slow, but over time, those pages rank, backlinks grow, and traffic starts flowing in.

Here are four reasons why your startup should focus on SEO now:

1. Find customers where they need you most

Even if your startup is niche, there are likely people searching for related products or services.

For example, if you’re developing a new fitness app, you can target users searching for terms like “workout,” “exercise,” or “fitness apps.” By optimising for these keywords, you attract customers who are already interested in what you offer.

A study by Google and Millward Brown Digital found that 71% of B2B researchers begin their search with a generic search rather than a branded one.

This means that if your startup wants to be discovered, it's important to optimise your website for relevant keywords to appear in those generic searches rather than just those that include your brand name.

2. Drive free traffic to your startup

SEO drives free organic traffic to your website, which can be a cost-effective way to grow your business. Unlike paid advertising, which stops delivering once the budget is exhausted, SEO continues to work over time, building momentum as your content ranks higher.

Research by HubSpot shows that inbound marketing (which includes SEO) costs 61% less per lead than outbound marketing.

This is very important if you have a limited marketing budget but need to generate leads for growth.

3. Stay ahead of the competition

The best place to hide a startup is on page two of Google.

Yes, a study by Moz showed that 71% of clicks on Google search results go to the top 5 listings.

This means that if your startup is not showing up on the first page of search results, you're missing out on a significant amount of potential traffic and visibility.

With SEO, you can improve your search engine rankings and increase your visibility. Because SEO is not just about being found; it's about being found first.

4. Close more deals for your startup

A study by Search Engine Journal, SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, compared to outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising), which have a close rate of just 1.7%.

When a potential customer finds you organically through SEO, they're often further along in their decision-making process—they're actively looking for a solution.

Contrast that with outbound methods, where you're interrupting someone with your message. Organic leads are self-driven, and that intent results in higher conversion rates. SEO puts you in front of people who are already primed to act.

The 3 types of SEO that matter

When people think of SEO, they often think of keywords. And while that’s a part of it, SEO is a much broader discipline, and startups need to approach it holistically.

There are three main pillars you need to focus on: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.

1. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is about making sure the content on your website is relevant, useful, and optimised for search engines. It includes things like your title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and—most importantly—your content. Good on-page SEO isn’t just about sprinkling keywords around. It’s about creating high-quality content that answers the questions your customers are asking.

If you’re building a product in a niche market, this is where you can really shine. Create blog posts, case studies, or guides that demonstrate your expertise. Over time, this content will build trust with both search engines and users.

2. Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO is about building credibility. The most important part of off-page SEO is backlinks—getting other websites to link to your site. Backlinks act as votes of confidence for search engines. If reputable sites are linking to you, search engines assume your content must be valuable.

For startups, this can be tough at first, but it’s worth investing in outreach, guest blogging, or PR to get your name out there. The more you build relationships with other relevant websites, the more likely you are to earn those valuable backlinks.

3. Technical SEO

Finally, there’s technical SEO. This is the part most founders don’t think about, but it’s crucial. Technical SEO ensures that your website is structured in a way that search engines can easily crawl and index it. Things like page speed, mobile-friendliness, and site architecture all matter. Google wants to serve users the best content as quickly as possible, so if your site is slow or difficult to navigate, it won’t rank as well.

As a startup, you can give yourself a competitive edge by investing in the technical foundation early. Make sure your website is fast, mobile-responsive, and free of errors.

You can read more about each type of SEO here on HubSpot.

Your step-by-step SEO startup guide

When you're running a startup, every decision counts. You need growth, but you can’t afford to waste time or resources on strategies that don’t deliver. That’s why a well-planned SEO strategy is one of the smartest moves you can make.

Whether you're just starting to build your online presence or looking to scale, this guide will help you navigate the complexities of SEO and turn it into one of your most reliable growth channels.

Step 1. Start looking for keywords

Keywords are words people type into search engines to find stuff.

The cornerstone of any good SEO strategy is keyword research. You need to know what your customers are searching for to make sure your content appears in those search results.

Start with free tools like Google Keyword Planner or try paid options like SEMRush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest to find relevant keywords. Focus on finding a mix of high-volume keywords (terms that a lot of people search for) and low-competition keywords (terms that aren’t dominated by competitors).

Here's five key things to consider when choosing your keywords.

• Relevance: Choose keywords directly related to your products or services, so they accurately reflect what your business is all about.

• Search volume: High search volume means lots of people are looking for that term, but don’t aim for overly broad or competitive keywords, as they can be difficult to rank for. There's very little chance you're going to rank first for 'healthcare' as a growing startup.

• Intent: Understand what people want when they search for these keywords. Are they just looking for information, or are they ready to buy? Align your keywords with the intent of your audience to attract the right kind of traffic.

• Competition: Some keywords are very competitive and hard to rank for them. Look for gaps where you can carve out space, especially with long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are more specific phrases that have lower search volume but higher intent. Your startup probably won't rank for "project management software", but you may rank for “affordable project management software for healthcare businesses”

• Relevance to content: Your chosen keywords should fit naturally with your content. Avoid keyword stuffing (excessive use of a word on a webpage) which can hurt your rankings. Instead, create valuable, relevant content around these terms.

When you know what your target audience is searching for and using tools to find the best opportunities, you can optimise your content to attract high-quality traffic

Step 2. Study your competitors’ SEO (and then beat them)

One of the best ways to get ahead in SEO is by studying your competitors. If they’re ranking for the keywords you want, figure out why. What are they doing well? And more importantly, where are they missing the mark?

Start by making a list of your competitors. These are the sites that come up when you search for the keywords you want to rank for. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to break down what they’re doing.

• Which keywords are they going after?
• What kind of content are they producing?
• Who’s linking to them?
• Where are they in the ranks?

But here’s the thing: don’t just copy them. That’s not how you win. The trick is to figure out where they’re weak. Maybe their content ranks well but doesn’t answer the question fully, or it’s outdated. That’s your opening. Make something better.

Step 3. Update your site to attract and keep customers

This is where you update the content and structure of your website.

When you think about optimising your website, treat it like building a product. Not just for users, but for search engines too. A well-designed product is intuitive; your website should be easy for search engines to crawl and understand, just like a good interface is easy for humans to use.

It’s not just about making something pretty. Like any great product, your site should solve real problems. That means content that answers questions, fulfills needs, and doesn’t waste anyone’s time. If you can nail that, you’re ahead of 90% of the competition.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Use keywords the right way

There’s a misconception that you can sprinkle keywords like magic dust and watch your site rank higher. But Google’s gotten smarter. You can’t just throw keywords everywhere. They need to be in the right places—titles, headers, meta descriptions, and the content itself—but always naturally. Think of it like design: the best design disappears into the experience. Done well, it’s invisible.

The worst thing you can do is keyword stuffing. Not only does it make your content unreadable, but Google will actually penalize you for it. Search engines don’t reward brute force anymore—they reward relevance. Aim for clarity, not clutter.

2. Write content that actually matters

Here’s the thing: content is not filler. It’s not there just to make your site look full or to hit a word count. If your content isn’t providing actual value, you’re wasting everyone’s time—your users’ and Google’s. The goal isn’t just to rank. The goal is to create something so good that when people land on your page, they stick around.

Google cares about this too. They’ve started focusing more on Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). This means your content should show that you know what you’re talking about, that you’re an authority in your field, and that you’re creating content that people can trust. If your content does all that, you’re not just playing the SEO game—you’re creating long-term value.

3. Descriptive URLs

URLs are often overlooked, but they’re important. A URL like “https://www.example.com/seo-tips” tells both users and search engines exactly what’s on the page. On the other hand, “https://www.example.com/page1” is meaningless. Clear, descriptive URLs make a difference. Google loves them because they’re easier to understand, and users are more likely to click on them.

4. Be mobile-friendly or get left behind

More than half of internet traffic now comes from mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re not just missing out—you’re actively driving people away.

Google knows this, which is why they’ve switched to mobile-first indexing. If your site looks bad on a phone, it doesn’t matter how great it looks on a desktop—Google will prioritise the mobile version.

Responsive design isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential. If you ignore mobile users, you might as well be ignoring half the internet.

5. Speed is everything

No one likes waiting for a slow site. If your page doesn’t load fast, people leave. And if people leave, Google takes note. They want to promote sites that give users a good experience, and speed is a huge part of that.

A study by Google showed that as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds, the likelihood of someone leaving increases by 32%. A few extra seconds can cost you a lot of traffic. Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to see what’s slowing you down, whether it’s bloated code, uncompressed images (it's usually this), or poor server performance.

6. Use internal links to build an information web

Internal links are one of those things that work both for search engines and users.

For Google, they’re a signal of your site’s structure—how your pages are related and which ones are most important. For users, they make navigation easier and keep people on your site longer.

Think of it like this: internal links help Google understand your site better, and they guide your visitors where they need to go. It’s like building a web of information that’s easy to follow. If you do this well, both Google and your users will thank you.

The websites that succeed in the long run are the ones that put people first. Make your site fast, relevant, easy to use, and packed with real value.

Do that, and you’ll have something that not only ranks well but builds trust with your audience over time.

Step 4. Develop a backlink strategy

A big part of SEO is convincing other websites to link to yours. When reputable sites link to you, it’s like a vote of confidence. The more quality links you have, the more authority Google assigns to your site. But this doesn’t happen on its own—you need a strategy.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Cold outreach: Identify websites with high domain authority in your industry. Reach out and offer something valuable—whether it’s writing a guest post or sharing some research. Don’t just ask for a backlink without giving something in return.

• Guest blogging: Writing guest posts is still one of the most effective ways to build backlinks. Look for sites in your niche where you can contribute valuable content. Include a link to your site in the bio or even within the content, if appropriate.

• Create shareable content: The best kind of content is the kind people want to share. Think infographics, original data, or anything else that adds unique value. When your content is high-quality, people are more likely to link to it naturally.

• Monitor your backlinks: Use tools like Ahrefs or Majestic to keep track of who’s linking to you. Not all links are good—some can actually hurt your ranking if they’re from low-quality or spammy sites. In that case, you’ll need to disavow them to prevent harm to your SEO.

With a proactive and thoughtful approach, you can steadily grow the number of quality links pointing to your site, improving your visibility in search results.

Step 5. Regularly monitor and adjust

SEO isn't something you set up once and forget. Search engines are always updating their algorithms, competitors are constantly refining their strategies, and user behavior is always shifting.

This means you need to keep an eye on how your SEO is performing and adjust your tactics when needed. If you don’t, you risk losing traffic and rankings. The best way to track your SEO is by using data. Let's take a look at how to do that.

How to use data to track performance

Tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs give you insights into how your site is doing. Look at key performance indicators (KPIs) such as:

• Organic traffic: Is your SEO bringing in more visitors?

• Bounce rate: Are people sticking around or leaving right away?

• Session duration: How long are users staying on your site?

• Conversion rates: How much of your traffic is turning into sales or leads?

The real trick with SEO isn’t just tracking the data—it’s learning from it. The more you iterate based on what you see, the more your site will evolve into something that users, and search engines, can’t ignore.

Audits and updates

Every once in a while, you should do a full audit of your site.

Search engines prioritise fast, user-friendly, and secure sites. Audits help you catch technical problems—slow load times, broken links, or crawl errors—that could be hurting your rankings.

Make audits a routine part of your SEO strategy to stay ahead of any challenges.

Another thing to keep in mind is algorithm updates. Google updates its algorithm hundreds of times a year, and some of these changes can affect your rankings.

For example, the Core Web Vitals update made speed and mobile usability critical factors. If you keep up with these changes and adjust accordingly, you can stay ahead.

By using tools like MozCast or following reputable SEO news sites like Search Engine Journal, you can stay informed about algorithm updates and adjust your strategy before your rankings suffer.

Then there’s keyword strategy. The keywords that worked a year ago might not work today. Search trends shift, and so does user intent. If you’re not regularly revisiting and refining your keywords, you’re missing opportunities.

Check your backlinks

Backlinks are tricky. The right ones can boost your site’s authority, driving traffic and improving your rankings. But bad backlinks—from low-quality or spammy sites—can do the opposite. Worse, they can tank your rankings and even get your site penalised by Google.

Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush help you monitor your backlink profile, showing you which links are helping and which are hurting. Some common signs of bad backlinks include:

• Low-quality websites: Links from sites with little content, poor design, or no clear purpose can signal to Google that the link isn’t valuable.

• Irrelevant sites: Links from websites that have nothing to do with your niche can appear unnatural and harm your SEO.

• Spammy links: Backlinks from link farms or sites filled with ads and affiliate links are a red flag.

• Excessive link exchanges: If you've engaged in too many "I'll link to you if you link to me" deals, Google might see this as an attempt to manipulate rankings.

Once you've identified harmful backlinks, the next step is to remove them. In some cases, you can reach out to the site owners and request they remove the link.

However, for persistent or uncooperative sites, you'll need to use Google’s Disavow Tool. This tool lets you tell Google to ignore certain backlinks, preventing them from negatively impacting your rankings.

But be cautious—disavowing backlinks should be a last resort. It's important to evaluate each link carefully. Disavowing good-quality links by mistake could harm your rankings.

Final thoughts on SEO for startups

SEO isn’t a quick hack, but it keeps paying off. The more you build quality content, get backlinks, and optimise your site, the more valuable it becomes. That's why it's a powerful lever for startups with limited budgets but big ambitions.

Startups need growth fast, which makes SEO feel slow at first. It’s more like planting a tree than flipping a switch. But once it takes root, it can drive significant traffic and growth without draining your budget.

The key is that SEO aligns with building a good product. Search engines reward sites that provide real value. If you create content that genuinely solves problems for your audience, you’ll naturally start to rank higher.

Bottom line: if you focus on delivering value and stay consistent, SEO can become one of your startup's most reliable growth channels.

Appendix: A Glossary of SEO Terms

Anchor Text: The clickable words in a hyperlink. The words you choose for anchor text can influence how search engines view the link’s relevance.

Backlinks: Links from other websites pointing to yours. These are like endorsements, and search engines use them to assess the trustworthiness of your site.

Black Hat SEO: Unethical SEO practices intended to manipulate search engine rankings, such as keyword stuffing or purchasing backlinks. These tactics can lead to penalties from search engines.

Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate can indicate irrelevant or unengaging content.

Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. High conversion rates mean that the traffic you're driving is effective.

Crawling: The process by which search engines scan the content of your website to understand it. Crawling is the first step before indexing.

Domain Authority: A score that estimates how likely your site is to rank on search engines. Developed by Moz, the score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better chances of ranking.

Disavow: Sometimes, low-quality or spammy sites will link to you, and that can hurt your ranking. In those cases, you can tell Google to disavow those links, meaning they won’t be taken into account when calculating your site’s authority.

Indexing: The process of storing and organising the content found during crawling. Indexed content can appear in search results.

Keywords: The words or phrases that users type into search engines. These are the backbone of SEO, as they signal what content people are looking for.

Keyword stuffing: This is when you overuse keywords in your content in an attempt to rank higher. It used to work, but now it’s penalised. Focus on using keywords naturally in a way that helps users, not search engines.

Long-Tail Keywords: Longer, more specific search phrases. These often have less competition and cater to niche audiences, leading to more targeted traffic.

Meta Tags: Short snippets of text in your website’s HTML code that describe the content of a page. The most important meta tags are the title and description.

Organic Traffic: Visitors who land on your website through unpaid search results. This traffic is often of higher quality since users find your content naturally.

Ranking: The position your content holds on the SERP. Higher rankings mean better visibility and more traffic.

Robots.txt: A file that tells search engines which pages they are allowed or disallowed to crawl on your site.

Schema Markup: A form of microdata you can add to your site to help search engines better understand your content. It enables enhanced SERP features like rich snippets.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page): The page that appears after entering a search query. The goal of SEO is to rank as high as possible on this page.

Sitemap: A file that lists all the pages on your website, helping search engines find and index your content efficiently.

White Hat SEO: Ethical SEO practices that focus on providing value to users and following search engine guidelines for success.

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