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SEO agency for startup founders building sustainable growth

You know your startup needs SEO, but figuring out where to start, or who to trust can feel overwhelming. Should you build in-house, hire a freelancer, or work with a team that understands how to align SEO with product velocity, founder bandwidth, and burn rate?

We offer SEO packages designed for startups ready to increase qualified traffic, organic visibility, and demo-ready leads without burning through budget or time.

But we also know many founders want to understand the fundamentals before investing fully. This page breaks down what modern SEO looks like from keyword strategy to backlink development and how we help you execute it with clarity and traction in mind.

But we also understand that sometimes, you just want to get a handle on the basics before investing in an entire strategy. This guide will give you a strong foundation in the fundamentals of SEO for small businesses.

Contact our SEO agency to set up a discovery call to learn how our SEO services can help you grow your business.

Schedule a Discovery

Why Take the Stairs for SEO services?

We’re not the only SEO team out there, but we specialize in helping startup founders build visibility, credibility, and compounding growth through strategic search. Here’s how we approach SEO differently:

Tier-based keywords

We prioritize SEO efforts around tiered keywords, ranked by search intent, ranking difficulty, and buyer readiness. This helps you capture traffic that’s more likely to convert not just visitors, but real opportunities.

SEO checklists

Every engagement includes a clear SEO checklist, so you know what’s been implemented, what’s next, and how it ties back to your goals. No gaps, no fluff just execution you can track and trust.

Elite landing pages

We build high-converting landing pages designed to rank and convert.
Using a modular structure, accordions, sliders, anchors, we optimize for both Google and humans, helping users get what they need and take action faster.

The elements of an SEO strategy

A complete SEO strategy looks at every aspect of your digital footprint, from technical setup to audience intent. For startup founders especially, SEO is not just about traffic. It’s about compounding relevance, scaling your visibility as your product matures, and giving your brand a durable foundation in organic search.

Whether you’re launching a new product, raising your next round, or trying to break out of a paid media dependency, a strategic SEO plan can reduce your cost of acquisition, increase investor confidence, and support long-term lead gen without spending on ads.

This section covers the major components that every scalable SEO plan should include and why each one matters for founders building in a high-pressure, high-growth environment.

 

Keyword research is the cornerstone of every SEO strategy. It’s where intent, discoverability, and opportunity intersect. Instead of guessing what your users are typing into Google, proper keyword research gives you a data-backed roadmap of what they’re already looking for.

As a founder, your audience may include not only users or customers, but also potential investors, journalists, partners, or employees. Each of these groups may search differently. That’s why we prioritize segment-based keyword planning that maps to real buying stages and personas.

Our keyword research process includes:

  • Search volume analysis: How often is a keyword being searched each month across your target regions?
  • Ranking difficulty score: Is the keyword realistic to win, or are you competing with companies that have decades of domain authority?
  • Intent qualification: Are people using this phrase to buy something, learn something, or compare options?
  • Competitor gap identification: What are your competitors ranking for that you’re not? Where are the gaps?
  • Tiered keyword categorization: Keywords are grouped into Tier 1 (core), Tier 2 (supporting), and Tier 3 (expansion) levels based on your goals and timeline.

We then use this keyword map to drive content, optimize pages, and inform your overall go-to-market strategy.

Content creation is the fuel that powers search. And for startups, content creation is about more than just writing blog posts. It’s about showing up with the right answer, in the right format, for the right person, exactly when they’re looking for it.

We help you create a content engine that not only improves your organic rankings but also builds credibility and educates your market at every stage of their journey.

We create content that aligns with:

  • Top-of-funnel discovery: Blog posts, guides, glossaries, explainer videos
  • Middle-of-funnel education: Product comparisons, case studies, how-tos
  • Bottom-of-funnel conversion: Solution pages, demo CTAs, lead magnets
  • Investor visibility: Category overviews, thought leadership, traction highlights

A strong content strategy also supports backlink outreach, brand trust, and social amplification. It’s one of the highest-leverage tools in a founder’s arsenal.

We optimize everything from meta tags to mobile responsiveness.

Onsite SEO is everything a visitor and a search engine experiences on your site. That includes the copy, layout, loading speed, metadata, and even accessibility. It’s the digital equivalent of having a fast, well-lit, and clearly organized storefront.

For search engines, the question is: “Can we understand what this site is about, and is it trustworthy?”
For users, it’s: “Can I find what I need quickly, and does this business feel legitimate?”

Our onsite SEO services include:

  • Title and meta tag optimization: Clean, keyword-optimized titles and descriptions for every page
  • Heading structure review: H1-H4 architecture aligned for both readability and crawlability
  • URL and slug refinement: Simple, search-friendly structures without duplication
  • Alt text and accessibility checks: Ensuring every image supports SEO and UX
  • Page speed and mobile optimization: Because every second of load time costs you conversions
  • Schema markup and sitemap setup: To help Google better understand and categorize your site

We also conduct periodic SEO health audits to track improvements and flag technical errors before they hurt your performance.

Backlinks links from other websites pointing to yours are the most powerful off-page SEO signal. They’re a vote of confidence in your authority. In the eyes of Google, if others are referencing your content, you must be doing something right.

But not all backlinks are created equal. Buying links or spinning low-quality directories is a short-term game with long-term risks. We build backlink strategies that are rooted in:

  • Value-based outreach: Getting linked from blogs, podcasts, and directories where your audience already spends time
  • Guest posting and bylines: Publishing founder insights or expert content on external platforms
  • Infographics and original research: Creating assets worth citing (which naturally attracts backlinks)
  • PR and media mentions: Partnering with earned media strategies to attract high-domain links

We also track your backlink profile over time and compare it with competitors to identify opportunities for growth.

Search is not just about what people find, it’s about how they perceive it. That’s where reputation management comes in.

If someone Googles your brand name, what do they see on the first page? Are the results clear, credible, and compelling? Do your reviews, news mentions, and directory listings reinforce trust or raise doubts?

Reputation-building SEO includes:

  • Claiming and optimizing key listings: Google Business, Crunchbase, Product Hunt, etc.
  • Managing third-party reviews: Including prompts, responses, and distribution strategies
  • Monitoring branded search results: Making sure your site and social profiles dominate page one
  • Earning mentions on credible platforms: Through PR and thought leadership placement

Strong reputation signals influence clickthrough rate, time on page, and brand trust which all impact your rankings and conversions.

While social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, it amplifies every piece of content you publish.

When content gets shared, engaged with, and distributed through social channels, it drives traffic, earns backlinks, and increases brand searches, all of which support organic visibility.

We make sure your content is optimized for social sharing, that your brand voice is consistent, and that key posts align with your SEO priorities.

 

Keyword research is the cornerstone of every SEO strategy. It’s where intent, discoverability, and opportunity intersect. Instead of guessing what your users are typing into Google, proper keyword research gives you a data-backed roadmap of what they’re already looking for.

As a founder, your audience may include not only users or customers, but also potential investors, journalists, partners, or employees. Each of these groups may search differently. That’s why we prioritize segment-based keyword planning that maps to real buying stages and personas.

Our keyword research process includes:

  • Search volume analysis: How often is a keyword being searched each month across your target regions?
  • Ranking difficulty score: Is the keyword realistic to win, or are you competing with companies that have decades of domain authority?
  • Intent qualification: Are people using this phrase to buy something, learn something, or compare options?
  • Competitor gap identification: What are your competitors ranking for that you’re not? Where are the gaps?
  • Tiered keyword categorization: Keywords are grouped into Tier 1 (core), Tier 2 (supporting), and Tier 3 (expansion) levels based on your goals and timeline.

We then use this keyword map to drive content, optimize pages, and inform your overall go-to-market strategy.

Content creation is the fuel that powers search. And for startups, content creation is about more than just writing blog posts. It’s about showing up with the right answer, in the right format, for the right person, exactly when they’re looking for it.

We help you create a content engine that not only improves your organic rankings but also builds credibility and educates your market at every stage of their journey.

We create content that aligns with:

  • Top-of-funnel discovery: Blog posts, guides, glossaries, explainer videos
  • Middle-of-funnel education: Product comparisons, case studies, how-tos
  • Bottom-of-funnel conversion: Solution pages, demo CTAs, lead magnets
  • Investor visibility: Category overviews, thought leadership, traction highlights

A strong content strategy also supports backlink outreach, brand trust, and social amplification. It’s one of the highest-leverage tools in a founder’s arsenal.

We optimize everything from meta tags to mobile responsiveness.

Onsite SEO is everything a visitor and a search engine experiences on your site. That includes the copy, layout, loading speed, metadata, and even accessibility. It’s the digital equivalent of having a fast, well-lit, and clearly organized storefront.

For search engines, the question is: “Can we understand what this site is about, and is it trustworthy?”
For users, it’s: “Can I find what I need quickly, and does this business feel legitimate?”

Our onsite SEO services include:

  • Title and meta tag optimization: Clean, keyword-optimized titles and descriptions for every page
  • Heading structure review: H1-H4 architecture aligned for both readability and crawlability
  • URL and slug refinement: Simple, search-friendly structures without duplication
  • Alt text and accessibility checks: Ensuring every image supports SEO and UX
  • Page speed and mobile optimization: Because every second of load time costs you conversions
  • Schema markup and sitemap setup: To help Google better understand and categorize your site

We also conduct periodic SEO health audits to track improvements and flag technical errors before they hurt your performance.

Backlinks links from other websites pointing to yours are the most powerful off-page SEO signal. They’re a vote of confidence in your authority. In the eyes of Google, if others are referencing your content, you must be doing something right.

But not all backlinks are created equal. Buying links or spinning low-quality directories is a short-term game with long-term risks. We build backlink strategies that are rooted in:

  • Value-based outreach: Getting linked from blogs, podcasts, and directories where your audience already spends time
  • Guest posting and bylines: Publishing founder insights or expert content on external platforms
  • Infographics and original research: Creating assets worth citing (which naturally attracts backlinks)
  • PR and media mentions: Partnering with earned media strategies to attract high-domain links

We also track your backlink profile over time and compare it with competitors to identify opportunities for growth.

Search is not just about what people find, it’s about how they perceive it. That’s where reputation management comes in.

If someone Googles your brand name, what do they see on the first page? Are the results clear, credible, and compelling? Do your reviews, news mentions, and directory listings reinforce trust or raise doubts?

Reputation-building SEO includes:

  • Claiming and optimizing key listings: Google Business, Crunchbase, Product Hunt, etc.
  • Managing third-party reviews: Including prompts, responses, and distribution strategies
  • Monitoring branded search results: Making sure your site and social profiles dominate page one
  • Earning mentions on credible platforms: Through PR and thought leadership placement

Strong reputation signals influence clickthrough rate, time on page, and brand trust which all impact your rankings and conversions.

While social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, it amplifies every piece of content you publish.

When content gets shared, engaged with, and distributed through social channels, it drives traffic, earns backlinks, and increases brand searches, all of which support organic visibility.

We make sure your content is optimized for social sharing, that your brand voice is consistent, and that key posts align with your SEO priorities.

The hat tricks of SEO

In SEO, the term “hat tricks” refers to different categories of tactics that impact your rankings, and your risk level.

Think of these hats as the ethical spectrum of SEO tactics. The closer you stay to white hat, the more sustainable and future-proof your growth will be. You’ll see these divided into three categories:

  • White hat
  • Black hat
  • Gray hat

These hat tricks are groups of established techniques that businesses use to rank well on search engines. The color of the hats refers to how kindly Google looks upon the tactics, and whether you can unintentionally damage your rankings if Google notices that you’re using them.

To anyone who’s done SEO for a while, these concepts are ingrained into their way of doing business. But if you’re new to digital marketing and the SEO game, the idea of making a misstep and losing your ranking can be intimidating. Fortunately, once you understand the difference between the three, it’s very easy to tell them apart.

White hat

White hat SEO includes all the practices that align directly with search engine guidelines and are focused on delivering real value to your users.

These strategies are designed to enhance both your content’s discoverability and your visitors’ experience. They are typically more effort-intensive but yield the most reliable and sustainable results.

For founders, white hat SEO represents the safest way to build a reputation, earn domain authority, and scale organic reach without putting your brand or credibility in jeopardy.

Common white hat SEO techniques:

  • Publishing original, high-quality content that answers user questions
  • Using keywords naturally in titles, headers, and body copy
  • Creating blog posts that solve problems or offer actionable guidance
  • Improving mobile responsiveness, page speed, and site security
  • Using internal links to guide users to related pages
  • Structuring metadata, schema, and sitemaps for better indexing
  • Acquiring backlinks through value-based outreach, media, or research

Example for founders: Writing a 2,000-word guide on “How to prepare for your first seed investor meeting” that ranks for relevant keywords is a white hat tactic. You’re solving a real problem and earning traffic through helpfulness.

White hat SEO is slower than shortcuts but far more reliable. It’s the foundation we recommend to all early-stage startups, especially those preparing for growth rounds, press, or major partnership exposure.

Black hat

Black hat SEO is the opposite of white hat. These tactics are meant to trick search engines into ranking your content without delivering real value to users.

While black hat methods can produce temporary spikes in traffic or rankings, they almost always come with a high level of risk. If you’re flagged by Google’s algorithm or a manual reviewer, your site could be penalized or even removed from the index entirely.

Black hat tactics often focus more on manipulating the algorithm than creating a great user experience. As a result, they can hurt your reputation and your visibility and in some cases, destroy your domain authority permanently.

Examples of black hat SEO techniques:

  • Keyword stuffing: Repeating the same phrase unnaturally in the same paragraph or page
  • Cloaking: Showing search engines one version of a page and users another
  • Hidden text: Using white font on a white background to include extra keywords
  • Spam commenting: Posting irrelevant links in blog comments to gain backlinks
  • Link farms or paid link schemes: Paying for backlinks from low-quality, unrelated sites
  • Scraping: Republishing someone else’s content as your own

Why founders should avoid it: You might gain some short-term traffic, but you’re building on sand. A single Google core update can collapse your rankings and force you to start from scratch or worse, trigger a manual penalty that tanks your domain authority.

Investors, customers, and partners all use search to validate your business. You don’t want them to find spammy pages, plagiarized content, or blog comments full of link drops. Even if black hat tactics seem clever, they often cost more in credibility than they deliver in clicks.

Gray hat

Gray hat SEO lives somewhere in the middle. It’s not strictly against the rules, but it walks a very fine line between acceptable and risky.

These tactics may take advantage of loopholes or areas where Google’s rules are not clearly defined. Some agencies and consultants use gray hat approaches as a way to gain faster results without being as aggressive as black hat operators.

That said, gray hat strategies can easily become black hat if abused — and because Google’s rules are always evolving, what’s acceptable today might be penalized in six months.

Examples of gray hat SEO techniques:

  • Buying expired domains and redirecting them to your site for authority
  • Link exchanges: Swapping links with other sites without disclosure or value
  • Spun content: Slightly rewording existing articles to appear original
  • Private blog networks (PBNs): Creating multiple sites solely to build backlinks to your main site
  • Aggressively optimizing for branded searches using bots or Mechanical Turk traffic

Should founders use gray hat tactics?
That depends on your risk tolerance and how much SEO matters to your strategy. Some gray hat tactics can offer short-term growth, but they rarely lead to lasting authority. If you’re trying to build a brand that earns trust, raises capital, or enters an enterprise sales cycle, it’s usually not worth the risk.

We typically recommend that early-stage startups avoid gray hat SEO altogether. There are too many low-risk, high-impact white hat options available to justify skirting the edge.

Ready to take the first step?

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SEO FAQs

Our team fields a wide range of SEO questions from founders, especially those navigating go-to-market, fundraising, or new product launches.

If you’re wondering how SEO fits into your early-stage marketing plan, how long it takes to work, or how to allocate budget strategically, you’re not alone. The questions below are the ones we hear most often from teams just like yours. We’ve been in this business for a long time, and there are some questions we hear over and over again.

To help round out your SEO education, we’ve compiled some of the questions we hear the most. As always, feel free to reach out if you have an SEO question not answered here.

SEO is one of the only growth channels that compounds over time while reducing your cost per acquisition.

Unlike paid ads, SEO builds equity. Every blog post, page, and backlink increases your domain authority, which means you can rank for more keywords without spending more money. For founders, this means:

  • Generating organic leads without scaling ad budgets
  • Creating content that builds awareness, trust, and authority
  • Supporting long sales cycles with evergreen traffic
  • Improving investor perception by showing real traction signals

SEO is not just a marketing tactic. It’s a long-term growth asset.

SEO doesn’t work for every business model, but it’s especially important for new innovations or businesses that don’t have widespread user adoption yet.

SEO timelines vary depending on your industry, competition, site history, and available resources.
Unlike paid ads, SEO is not designed to produce immediate results. It’s an investment in long-term visibility, where momentum builds over time through consistent execution.

Some teams start to notice early traction within a few months. For others, progress takes longer — especially in competitive or technical markets. What matters most is a strategy built on fundamentals that support growth regardless of timeline.

Here’s a general framework of what we typically focus on across the first few phases:

  • Initial phase: Keyword research, technical audits, and foundational content planning
  • Early implementation: Publishing core pages and optimizing existing content
  • Mid-term focus: Improving internal linking, refining site structure, and publishing new assets
  • Ongoing growth: Tracking signals like impressions, clicks, and rankings — and adjusting strategy based on those insights

Founders who invest in SEO consistently tend to build a strong, durable growth engine that supports their brand long after the initial investment. While the timing may vary, the value compounds.

At first glance, SEO can seem incredibly complex, especially if you’re new to digital marketing for your small business. Fortunately, it’s not as daunting as it seems. The bottom line is, you’re trying to help search engines do their job by making it clear what you’re trying to rank for.

The average business owner can get started with SEO practices by:

  • Doing keyword research to find industry-related keywords that:
    • Have a reasonably high search volume
    • Aren’t impossible to rank for (don’t try to compete with national retailers)
    • Show an intent to purchase
  • Writing regular content using the keywords you’ve decided on:
    • Write about questions commonly asked by your prospects and clients
    • Write about current events or write listicles to entertain your readers
    • Write about industry-related questions that are commonly asked to search engines

Remember to organize your keywords to get the most out of them.

This question is one of the ones we hear more frequently, and unfortunately, it’s one of the most difficult to answer. It can be challenging to strike the right balance, and it will look a little different for every business.

Focusing on more keywords can create a larger number of small funnels that send traffic to your site, but going this route will also take you a lot more work and oversight. If you have a lot of budget or time constraints, you might want to focus on trying to rank for fewer keywords. It’s a matter of balancing the time and money you have to invest in SEO with the level of aggression you want to put towards this method of lead generation.

It will probably take some trial and error before you find the keyword balance that you’re happy with. That said, our general rule of thumb is that you should have one focus keyword that you spend a large amount of time and money on for each service or project you offer, so you can use that as a strong starting point.

A strong SEO strategy will help your business website get high quality traffic without having to pay for advertising. Organic search results land 8.5 times more clicks than PPC ads, meaning you get more results while spending less of your marketing budget.

Every aspect of your company’s web presence can benefit from SEO:

  • Brand awareness
  • Industry authority
  • Brand loyalty
  • Reputation management

Unlike finite ad campaigns, SEO strategies continue to work over the long run, giving you more return on investment as time goes on.

SEO is one of the few growth strategies that continues delivering value over time.
Rather than paying for each click or impression, SEO focuses on earning visibility by making your content easier to find and trust.

When done consistently, SEO has the potential to reduce your reliance on paid traffic, establish long-term authority, and improve discoverability across all stages of the customer journey.

The best marketing strategies often include both SEO and paid acquisition each serving a different role in your growth plan.

Paid ads can help you generate early-stage visibility, while SEO can help you create a durable, cost-efficient traffic stream over time.

The right balance depends on your product, audience, and runway. For many founders, SEO becomes a way to diversify acquisition and support brand authority without always increasing ad spend.

There’s no universal price for effective SEO. Costs will vary depending on your market, goals, and how much work you want to own versus outsource.

Whether you’re hiring an agency, working with a consultant, or building in-house, a flexible and scalable approach to SEO allows you to invest gradually without overextending resources.

The most important thing is ensuring that your SEO partner is aligned with your stage, communicates transparently, and focuses on outcomes, not deliverables for their own sake.

Startups benefit most from prioritizing foundational work. That includes:

  1. Identifying high-intent, relevant keywords
  2. Improving technical infrastructure (like page speed and mobile optimization)
  3. Publishing useful content that targets clear search intent
  4. Establishing proper analytics and reporting tools
  5. Laying the groundwork for future link-building and brand mentions

This combination of research, structure, and value creation is what positions early-stage brands for traction even if the timing of results varies.

Yes — and many do, especially in the early days.

Some founders start by learning SEO basics and managing small optimizations themselves. This works well for lean teams or when content creation can be built into your workflow.

As your company scales, SEO demands more time, consistency, and expertise — especially around content strategy, technical health, and off-site optimization. Whether you continue DIY or hand it off later, having a strong foundation will make every future step more efficient.

Look for strategic alignment, clear communication, and a shared understanding of your business model. Avoid SEO partners who:

  • Promise rankings or traffic guarantees
  • Focus on volume over relevance
  • Can’t explain their approach in plain language

Instead, prioritize teams that:

  • Build strategies specific to your stage and audience
  • Use reporting to inform real decisions
  • Educate you along the way so your team builds internal knowledge

The best SEO agencies work with you, not just for you.

Get started with a Nashville SEO agency

If you’re ready to turn your website into a reliable growth asset, we’re here to help you get started the right way.

Whether you’re launching a new product, preparing for a raise, or trying to reduce your reliance on paid channels, SEO can support your next stage of growth. But it needs to be done strategically, consistently, and with your long-term goals in mind.

At Take the Stairs, we offer flexible options to meet you where you are. No pressure. No bloated packages. Just honest, aligned strategy. Let’s find out if we’re a good fit. Set up a free discovery call, and we’ll walk you through how SEO can support your business goals now and over time.

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