Startups: When Should I Focus on Search Engine Optimization?
I had a conversation with an ex-colleague today who is running a startup and was convinced he needed to hire an SEO expert to make sure his site and app received enough traffic via search engines. My response was that he should focus first on his core marketing message and ensure that his site is delivering on that message, and doing SEO should be a long-term optimization he could think about down the line.
There are a few reasons to that starting to do SEO too early can be risky:
Doing too much SEO early on can look unnatural search engines. Google is really good at recognizing patterns, and much like how humans can recognize different personality types, Google is good at recognizing types of sites. The problem is, a common pattern with spammy sites is that they have really great SEO right after they launch. If you have a brand new site and suddenly have hundreds of links pointing to you, without some notable event to go along with those links, you may be penalized.
It can distract from your core mission. At the end of the day, your main job when running a startup is to deliver a product or service that solves problems for your users. I've seen many startups get too focused on the techniques involved in marketing and SEO and it can reduce critical focus on delivering a great product.
Your marketing message will likely change as your application develops through its early phase. This can cause your SEO strategy to change with it, and investing too early in the wrong message can be a drag on essential resources.
In the early days, rather than focusing too much on those search engine referral stats, you may be better served by focusing on obtaining feedback from your customers. Real deep engagement with your early lead users can be the most valuable investment you make. Many startups find that their app changes significantly from where it started at the outset due to feedback they receive from their community.
So when should you focus on SEO? Once you feel confident that you have solved the user problem you set out to solve, and that consumers are happy with your product and usage is growing organically (e.g. via word of mouth). This is the stage when each dollar invested in SEO can truly have a huge impact on your growth curve. Investing in SEO any earlier than this may improve short term metrics, but is likely not adding to the long-term value of your enterprise.
There are a few reasons to that starting to do SEO too early can be risky:
Doing too much SEO early on can look unnatural search engines. Google is really good at recognizing patterns, and much like how humans can recognize different personality types, Google is good at recognizing types of sites. The problem is, a common pattern with spammy sites is that they have really great SEO right after they launch. If you have a brand new site and suddenly have hundreds of links pointing to you, without some notable event to go along with those links, you may be penalized.
It can distract from your core mission. At the end of the day, your main job when running a startup is to deliver a product or service that solves problems for your users. I've seen many startups get too focused on the techniques involved in marketing and SEO and it can reduce critical focus on delivering a great product.
Your marketing message will likely change as your application develops through its early phase. This can cause your SEO strategy to change with it, and investing too early in the wrong message can be a drag on essential resources.
In the early days, rather than focusing too much on those search engine referral stats, you may be better served by focusing on obtaining feedback from your customers. Real deep engagement with your early lead users can be the most valuable investment you make. Many startups find that their app changes significantly from where it started at the outset due to feedback they receive from their community.
So when should you focus on SEO? Once you feel confident that you have solved the user problem you set out to solve, and that consumers are happy with your product and usage is growing organically (e.g. via word of mouth). This is the stage when each dollar invested in SEO can truly have a huge impact on your growth curve. Investing in SEO any earlier than this may improve short term metrics, but is likely not adding to the long-term value of your enterprise.