If you’re in the process of starting a new business, then you’ll almost certainly have your hands full with putting together a solid plan of action and readying yourself to begin trading. One important aspect that you shouldn’t neglect, of course, is how you plan to attract customers – consistently. In this article, we’re going to look at how soon you should worry about SEO as a new start-up (if at all).
How soon do I need to worry about SEO when starting a new business?
Put it this way: as a modern business owner, you are going to need to invest in search engine optimization eventually – particularly if you wish to remain competitive in an ever-congested marketplace. As such, you are far better off thinking about SEO in the beginning when writing your business plan, rather than waiting for a more appropriate time.
The time is now.
But why is it so important to think about SEO immediately when starting a new business?
When you build your business and position yourself online with SEO best practices in mind, you’ll have less to worry about down the line. Allow us to elaborate on that point…
1. Every new business needs a website
As a new business, you are going to need a website. However, if you have a website built without giving any thought to SEO, when you do eventually decide to invest, your website will require an awful lot of work to get right.
On the other hand, if you have your website built with SEO in mind, it won’t just be “pretty” with an awesome logo and great branding, but it will be optimised for long-term SEO success.
- Designed with search intent.
- Flawless technical SEO.
- A focus on the user experience.
- Mobile-first design.
- Optimised Schema.
- High-quality content/sales copy.
- Intuitive internal link building.
- Tracking and analysing KPIs.
These are just a handful of the important considerations a well-optimised website will be built with.
2. SEO can help with constructing your message
As a new business, you need to develop a brand, find your voice, and figure out exactly who you are going to be marketing your products/services to. SEO can help you tremendously in this regard.
Proper SEO requires extensive keyword research and can help you determine how to construct your message. When you have a deeper understanding of what your ideal customers are typing into Google, it can help you generate engaging content that will best resonate with them.
3. It takes time!
Another very important consideration is how long SEO can take to be impactful. Even if you start working on your SEO the moment you open for business, it can still be 6-months to a year before it begins to deliver an attractive and sustainable return on your investment.
Now imagine you don’t think about SEO and open for business as you are; when you eventually do decide to start working on your SEO, you’ll be even further behind.
SEO takes time and you should be investing in it from the very beginning.
4. Your brand is currently non-existent
As it stands, your brand is non-existent. Even if you work hard on growing your audience on social media (which is incredibly valuable), your online footprint is still going to be relatively small.
If you focus on SEO from the very beginning, you’ll be creating lots of highly relevant content and spreading your brand awareness. The fact is, if you want new customers to have faith in your start-up, your focus should be on being present online and developing a wide-reaching footprint as quickly as possible.
This is particularly important for establishing a local SEO presence. If you are a Dubai-based business for example, focusing on local SEO in Dubai sooner rather than later can help you show up more frequently on local searches and start engaging with your community / outshining your competitors.
5. Establish a return on your investment and expand your marketing efforts
The earlier you can establish a sustainable ROI with your SEO, the sooner you can start expanding your digital marketing efforts and incorporating other strategies, such as PPC advertising, video marketing, social media marketing, and more.
It might feel like an unnecessary expense in the beginning when you have an ‘untested business’, however so long as you invest in a reputable digital marketing agency that has a proven track record for helping businesses succeed, you’ll feel far more confident in achieving the desired results.
Final thoughts: Start as you mean to go on
Again, SEO is something that you will need to think about eventually if you wish to remain competitive. As such, you are far better off thinking about SEO now, while getting your new business established, as opposed to waiting for a year or two and then scrabbling to make up for lost time.
Build it and they will come!
