Startup Business Owners – Your SEO Blank Canvas

Sitting down for the first time to outline the online objectives for your new business venture can be a particularly daunting task. Typically, you’re entering a business sector where competition already exists and you may look upon these competitors as tremendous obstacles in reaching your own business targets.

Your SEO structure will evolve, but get your SEO plans and objectives ready before you start developing your online business

I was involved with my first online business in 1997. The ability to reach certain Search Ranking targets were far simpler than today – the market was far less saturated. Conversely, the opportunity to track, analyse and develop a Search Engine Marketing strategy gives the 2009 Start-up the necessary ammunition to build their SEO arsenal.

As you begin to prepare your online marketing objectives keep the following 5 tips in mind to ensure your time and energies are optimised just as much as your search strategy…

1. Brainstorm and produce a list of 20-25 key ‘phrases‘ which make up your SEO Dream Ticket.

Do they look like realistic ACTUAL targets within your first year? If they’re generic words where competition within your industry is high, look at ways of filtering the key phrases into more achievable goals. My advice would be to add to each of these words or phrases with another demographic or descriptive term – ie. “widgets” should become “Widgets Hertfordshire” or “Hire widgets“. Setting your SEO expectations too high, too early, can take away from what should actually be seen as tremendous ranking results for any startup.

2. Track Everything and leave no stone unturned!

There are a range of tools available, mostly free, which allow you to see exactly what is happening on your website – how people find you, which pages they visit and the all important terms they type into Google to find your website.

3. Understand - But Don’t Become an Expert

Starting up a business and having access to reams of data can be tremendously off putting. I had a tendancy to look at data on a daily basis, overanalysing each Search ranking movement and trying to understand why certain keywords performed in certain ways.My advice in hindsight? Research your key data on a monthly basis – especially if you’re starting up from home on a budget. As a new website it will take time for your search positioning to bed in. Seeing rapid movements up and down the ranking can strike fear into most, it needn’t. Concentrate on your core business efforts and compile your analytics data for monthly review

4. Context is King. Your site content will make or break your online business.

Poorly drafted content not only detracts from the usability of your site, it provides Google with little opportunity to grant your site authority. Write your content with the end user in mind.Keep it simple, know when to produce both internal and external links and always field the opportunity to allow your site visitors to communicate. Don’t let them wander your site trying to find your contact page or telephone number. Keep everything within context and your site will quickly develop it’s own SEO pattern

5. Don’t take your eye off of your initial business goal.

The web is constantly evolving. New opportunities present themselves each and every day. Try your best not to deviate away from your initial online business objectives. If you receive a call from business X promising to send an email to 100,000 recipients for £x – be wary. Is your business in a position to capitalise on this opportunity? Does this opportunity make firm business sense? Does this opportunity seem to good to be true?

Follow these 5 key steps and help yourself to drive your own Search Marketing strategy today!

..I'm the one on the left.

About The Author;

Ian’s career within the Search Marketing industry spans longer than Google’s! Since 1996 Ian Rhodes has worked with a wide range of UK and International businesses developing strategic online marketing campaigns that deliver winning results.

Prior to his consulting career, Ian worked for one of the UK’s first online retail businesses delivering cost-effective online campaigns centred around SEO and Affiliate Marketing. His success led to him being recruited as the European Marketing Director for the world’s largest online travel company. In 2004 he practiced what he preached setting up, from scratch, his own highly successful online retail business turning over £2mill in the first 4 years of trading…purely through a mixture of SEO and Paid Search Advertising.

If you’re looking to build your online revenue or lead generation techniques simply click Contact Ian and see how you can work together to start building your online business today.