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7 Hacks to Boost Google Rankings

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Grammarly is a multi-million-dollar bootstrapped company (no external funding) with an amazing story that has become the world’s leading online automated grammar checker and proofreader.

The most exciting thing happening at Grammarly today is its transition from a website application to a browser plugin that can be used anywhere you write online. Grammatical accuracy is so important these days for your startup’s brand as well as SEO rankings, and we at Addicted2Success have recently started using it—and love it.

One thing that Grammarly has done well is SEO, and below are the top tips for startups from Nikolas Baron, Grammarly’s head of SEO.

What is SEO / Search Engine Optimisation?

Google processes 3.5 billion searches per day. Put simply, SEO is the practice of creating, optimizing, and promoting web pages to maximize traffic from those searches. Fundamentally, SEO can help you reach a potential audience that expresses intent for what you offer at a higher ROI than most other channels.

1. Know when to employ an SEO person

The correct answer will vary greatly depending on the situation. Hiring a consultant or an agency is a great way of getting started quickly and getting a feel for the potential ROI of hiring someone full-time to manage SEO.

2. Understand the relationship between SEO and Social Media

A lot of social media platforms, including Facebook, don’t let search engines crawl their content. Also, Google has publicly stated that they don’t use social media metrics to inform rankings (including Google Plus). Check out the article on Blind Five Year Old to find out more.

“It’s not the actual social activity that matters, but what happens as a result of that activity”

However, links from around the web indubitably affect rankings, and maximizing your exposure on social media can help you capitalize on that. Social media can indirectly impact SEO by bringing in links, even though it won’t directly impact your rankings.

3. Get used to hearing the word influencer a lot more

What is an influencer? For SEO purposes, an influencer is someone who is going to be interested in writing about you, who has a very high authority web presence and can influence your end users.

Do actual research on who the influencers are in your niche and then try and promote your startup to those influencers. Knowing which platform to use the most for your startup, really depends on where the influencers for your niche are most available.

A lot of people put out social media posts or landing pages and then make the mistake of buying very dangerous black hat links or doing nothing. Create valuable content and pitch it to influencers. If that’s not working, it’s a good sign that you need to refine whatever you’re showing in the search results. If you can’t get influencers to buy into it, it’s unlikely that search engines will deem you worthy of ranking in competitive search queries.

4. Yes, you’re hearing it again. Content is very important

When you think about content, you need to think to yourself, “What is going to make people link to my page?” For some products and services, you can just have a homepage, and people will be interested enough to link to it. For the majority of products and services, it takes a little bit more hand-holding to guide someone through the fact that there is a problem, there are solutions, and this is how the solution works. Content can be a great way to get a foot in the door with people, to tell them about what you do and whatever you’re selling.

Only put something out there if you think it’s going to be valuable and catch on. Think about the influences you’re trying to reach. Does your content add anything new to them? Nikolas suggests focusing on one blog post per week that’s insightful, valuable, and unique as opposed to having five blog posts that might get some clicks, but don’t add any value.

There’s no specific number of words that is ideal. Think about what your competition is doing; that will help you determine how many words you should be using. When posting your content, also think about which platforms you post it on. For example, if you post something to Facebook that is not getting a lot of engagement, then this can affect your edge rank, which Facebook uses to compute how many followers will see your post. This means your next post may only get shown to half as many people. On Twitter, though, that’s not the case; you might just lose followers, or people might start to ignore what you’re saying.

Content and SEO is about conveying something and communicating it with that audience. You need to have authority, be trusted, and communicate clearly, and Grammarly is an excellent tool to help you out, especially if you’re startup that can’t afford to hire a proofreader.

Whoever writes the content needs to be knowledgeable and credible. If your startup is trying to stay lean, then one thing you could do is source content from your community. One big advantage that you and other startups have is that you will have really evangelical early adopters and users, despite the fact that your product might be a little buggy or unrefined. These are the right people to ask to produce content for you.

5. Good research is important, especially when it comes to keywords

One question you should ask yourself before doing any keyword research is “What are the profiles of the people I want to find my page?” Focus on search profiles because some keywords have thirty different variations, yet search engines know it’s exactly the same thing. The keyword clusters within these search profiles are also very important, and you should try to focus on around five or less of these, although these clusters could be made up of 100 keywords.

If you’re able to determine what the different profiles are, then you can create specific landing pages for those profiles, which include a lot of the keywords, and create content for the influencers of those various profiles.

6. Start looking at the future now

One trend that is really hard to ignore is the rise in mobile phone searches. People are searching for different things and people are getting a lot lazier with their search queries because when they ask a search engine a question, they expect the right answer. A great way to prepare for this is to go to your own site with your phone and try to do what you want people to do on your site. If you’re able to do it easily, that’s great; if not, you need to make changes.

You should also try to anticipate the future. As search queries get more natural and more human, try to imagine how people might express themselves when looking for your startup.

The other thing to keep in mind is knowing when Google has changed their search algorithm. The fastest way to check if this has happened is via Twitter. Some other great sites to check out these updates are Moz, Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land.

SEO books might not be that valuable because the changes to SEO happen so quickly, although some courses like the Distiled.net are worth checking out. As far as SEO experts, the one you should know is Neil Patel. For tips about reaching out to him and other experts, see our article from Vincent Nguyen here.

7. Finally, don’t forget the basics

Start using Google Webmaster Tools. This will show you how many pages are being crawled, if your pages are being crawled correctly, and if you have any duplicate content issues.

Backlinks

From a search engine’s point of view, the question is, “What are the reliable metrics to determine authority?” For relevance, you can look at the text on the page, the meta-description, and the number of pages. For authority, it’s fairly limited. Backlinks are extremely important and will be for the foreseeable future. It’s one of the only reliable signals that search engines can use. The disavow tool in Google Webmaster Tools can be used if you are unlucky enough to have someone put toxic links to your site: a text file tells Google which links will no longer count going forward

Hosting

Uptime matters for SEO results. If the Google bot is trying to crawl your site, and it can’t because your page isn’t loading, then Google will stop indexing your site, which will drastically affect your rankings.

Stay away from black hat techniques

Some quick black hat techniques can definitely still be used, but many of them are very short-term and will probably get you banned in a few weeks, so unless you want to change your domain every few weeks, stay away from them! Google is changing this regularly and two weeks could easily get down to one day in the future.

Feel free to visit Grammarly for more information about the grammar checker, and let us know in the comments section below what you think. You can also check out Nikolas Baron on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/nikolasbaron

Aussie Blogger with 500M+ views — Writer for CNBC & Business Insider. Inspiring the world through Personal Development and Entrepreneurship You can connect with Tim through his website www.timdenning.com

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Startups

5 Strategic Power Moves to Successfully Build Your Empire

Transitioning from idea to empire is a journey of strategic planning, execution, and constant evolution

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how to build your empire

The journey from a fledgling idea to a thriving empire is both exhilarating and daunting. The Startup Launchpad is not just a process but also a strategic framework that enables visionary entrepreneurs to become market leaders. This framework comprises five power moves, each a critical steppingstone in building a successful business.

These moves—Ideation, Business Plan, Online Presence, Strategic Marketing, and Launch and Growth—are the blueprint for turning aspirations into achievements. (more…)

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How to Avoid Startup Clichés and Buzzwords When Pitching Investors

Using jargon can make you sound like you’re trying to fill space instead of providing meaningful data

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How to pitch investors better

Entrepreneurs frequently seek startup funding through a variety of channels. Yet, none seem as challenging as successfully pitching to experienced investors. After all, investors are pressed for time and eager for opportunities. These characteristics make it challenging to motivate them, especially if you’re bombarding them with a pitch full of jargon. (more…)

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From Idea to Empire: 5 Power Moves for Your Startup to Thrive in Today’s Market

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that understanding market dynamics and choosing the right business model are crucial

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How to thrive in the startup market in 2024

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that understanding market dynamics and choosing the right business model are crucial.

A few months into the startup, I was quick to gauge why it is necessary to go beyond the nuances of operational efficiency and the art of sustaining a business amid growing competition.

Collaboration is key.

The HR and the recruiting teams work with departments to foster a culture of collaboration, but what’s indispensable to business performance is the sync between the marketing and sales teams. What we’d consider as entrepreneurs is the need to ensure seamless collaboration to predict and achieve business goals together. In turn, this will help secure long-term recurring revenue for the business.

Besides, entrepreneurs need to focus on revenue as they gear up to take their startup from $0 to $1 million. The journey is filled with critical decisions, from identifying your target customer base to choosing the right funding strategy.

So, what next?

Read on… because here are five practical, results-driven strategies that you as a founder can implement to make a mark in their industry.

#1. Embrace the Lean Methodology

What is lean methodology?

It is all about pivoting resources to create more value for customers with fewer resources. 

This principle encourages you to be more agile and allow rapid iteration based on customer feedback rather than spending years perfecting a product before it hits the market.

Want to implement it?

Here’s what you can do.

Build “Measure-Learn” Loop: What I did was develop a minimum viable product (MVP), a simple version of the product. You can do the same since it allows you to start the learning process as quickly as possible. After launching MVP, measure how customers use it and learn from their behaviors and feedback.

Here’s what I can recommend here:

  • Identify the core features that solve your customers’ primary needs and focus solely on those to develop your MVP.
  • Know the feedback channels where early users can communicate their experiences, suggestions, and complaints.
  • Analyze user behavior and feedback to make informed product development and iteration decisions.

#2. Focus on Customer Development

Let’s talk about taking our startup to the next level. 

It’s not just about getting customers – it’s about really getting to know them. We need to dive into their world, understand their struggles, and see how our product or service can make a difference in their lives. 

It’s like we’re detectives, piecing together the puzzle of our business hypothesis by actually chatting with our customers

What would you ideally do here?

Understand Customer Segments: I’d say, start dividing your target market into segments and develop a deep understanding of each segment’s demographics, behaviors, needs, and pain points. The idea is to get into their shoes and really feel what they feel.

Ensure your Product Clicks: When starting up, think of what you offer and consider whether it clicks with what our customers need. My thought was “Does my product solve their problems? Does it make their day better?” Put yourself through a tough grilling session to show customers the value proposition and ensure that the product’s promise matches what our customers are looking for.

I’d recommend the following actions here:

  • Talk to them – through surveys, interviews, or even casual chats. The goal? To gather real, raw insights about what they need and expect.
  • Use the collected data to create detailed profiles for each type of customer. This way, everyone on our team really understood we were serving. I think this should help your startup as well.
  • Try out different versions of our product with a few customer groups. It’s all about feedback here – understanding if you’re hitting the mark or if we need to pivot.

#3. Foster a Data-Driven Culture

The digital world is highly data driven since it fuels key decisions in a startup. 

I believe it’s essential for us to build a data-driven culture. This means, you’ll move from making decisions based on hunches or assumptions. Instead, the focus should be on data analytics and insights to guide our strategies and improve our outcomes.

What can you do?

Use Data Analytics Tools: You should be using these tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data related to customer behavior, market trends, and our business operations. Here, consider the adoption of pipeline forecasting that leverages AI to find patterns in marketing data. 

In turn, you’ll get areas for improvement since it can analyze historical data and predict the outcome for you to plan your.

Action Items:

  • Pinpoint key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business objectives and ensure they are measurable and actionable.
  • Next, you can consider training your team to understand and use data analytics tools. This might involve workshops or bringing in experts to build a data-savvy workforce.
  • Once everything is in place, regularly review data reports and dashboards. This gives us a clear picture of a startup’s health and helps adjust your strategies and predict future trends.

#4. Strengthen Your Financial Acumen

A good grip on financial skills is important to steer your business towards growth and making sure it stays on track. For this, you’ll have to understand the money side of things, which helps you manage your cash flow. Think of figuring out smart investment moves and sizing up any risks that come your way.

Here’s a tip on how you can get savvy with your finances.

Maintain Rigorous Financial Discipline: I’m really focused on cultivating a strong company culture, one that truly resonates with our mission. So, I’d suggest fostering open communication and encouraging a sense of ownership and collaboration among everyone in the team.

Action Items:

  • Get to know your financial statements inside out – I’m talking about the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. These are like the vital signs for your business’s financial health
  • Use financial forecasting that helps predict your future money moves. With this, you will have a heads-up on upcoming revenues, expenses, and how much cash you’ll need. Also, research on the available financial forecasting tools that can make predictions spot-on.
  • Don’t go at it alone. Regularly touch base with financial advisors or mentors. With them by your side, you’ll have a fresh perspective on your financial strategies to ensure you’re on the right path to hit your business goals.

5. Prioritize Team Building and Leadership Development

It is crucial to focus on building a solid team and developing strong leaders. This means putting our resources into the people who are going to propel our company forward. 

What you’ll aim for here?

Creating a culture where everyone collaborates and every team member has the chance to emerge as a leader.

What I would do:

Cultivate a Strong Company Culture: This culture should mirror our mission and foster open communication. It’s important that it encourages everyone to feel a sense of ownership and work together.

Invest in Leadership and Team Development: As founders, we’ll have to make way for opportunities for teams to enhance their skills, face new challenges, and grow in their careers.

Some concrete steps that you should consider taking:

  • Begin with clearly communicating your startup’s vision, mission, and values so that every team member is on the same page.
  • Conduct regular team-building activities and workshops to boost skills and strengthen a sense of unity and collaboration.
  • How about starting a mentorship program within our organization? The more experienced team members could guide and support the growth of newer or less experienced folks.
  • Alas… encourage feedback at all levels. We should keep striving to create an environment where open, honest communication is the norm and everyone feels safe to speak up.

I know it’s one thing to get your head around these ideas and quite another to actually make them a part of your everyday business life. But that’s where the real magic happens, right? It’s all in the doing. 

As a startup founder, this means more than just being a big dreamer. How about rolling up your sleeves to be the planner who pays attention to the smallest details. Ultimately, these tips and more tactics around it will help carve a leader in you who listens and cares and the learner who’s always ready to adapt

So, as you’re either starting out or moving forward on this entrepreneurial adventure, keep these practical tips right there.

May these be your guiding lights, helping you steer through the wild and exciting world of building a startup that’s not just a dream, but a thriving reality.

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12 Things I Learned in 12 Months of Working on My Startup

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Image Credit: Unsplash

A few weeks ago I launched my startup. It took exactly 12 months from the initial idea until the moment I saw my app in the App Store. And these were some of the most challenging, fun and exciting 12 months of my whole life. (more…)

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