Technical SEO audit & fixes
A full crawl to find and fix the indexing, speed and Core Web Vitals problems that quietly stop Google ranking a startup's site. Fixes are prioritised by impact.
SEO by industry
SEO for Startups
Search engine optimisation for startups that want more of the right enquiries from Google, Maps and AI search, delivered directly by one senior specialist with 8+ years of experience.
- 8+ years hands-on SEO
- No lock-in contract
- One senior specialist, no juniors
Why startups need SEO
Startups need growth that compounds, and paid acquisition gets expensive fast. SEO builds an owned channel that keeps working as the content library grows, bringing in users and leads without a rising cost per click, which matters when every pound of runway counts.
How your customers really find you
Early-stage SEO is about foundations and focus. Getting the technical setup right from the start, targeting the searches your first customers actually make, and publishing genuinely useful content beats chasing vanity traffic.
Most people do not pick the first business they think of. They search, compare two or three options, read reviews, and increasingly ask an AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews for a shortlist before they ever make contact. If your startup is invisible at any of those steps, the enquiry quietly goes to a competitor who is not necessarily better, just more findable.
Why SEO beats paid ads over time
Paid ads stop the moment you stop paying, and the cost per click only rises as more startups compete for the same keywords. SEO works the other way round: the pages, profile and authority you build keep bringing in enquiries month after month at no cost per click. For most startups, that means a lower cost of acquiring each customer as the work compounds.
This does not mean ads have no place. They are excellent for immediate leads while SEO builds. But SEO is the asset you own, and it is what makes your marketing cheaper and more resilient over time.
Where most startups go wrong
The commonest mistake I see is treating SEO as a checklist that any business can run the same way. Startups have their own search behaviour, their own competitors, their own trust signals and often their own rules. A template approach wins a few easy keywords and then stalls. Judgement, applied to your specific market, is what separates a startup that grows from one that plateaus, and that judgement is what you are actually paying a specialist for.
Want to see how your startup currently shows up on Google and in AI search? It's free.
Get a free consultationHow your customers search
Your customers rarely search the way you would describe your own business. They use plain, urgent, specific language, and they use it across Google Search, Google Maps and AI assistants. A plan that only targets one of these misses most of the opportunity. Here is how startups are typically found:
| What they type | What they want | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|
| best tools for early stage startups | Research | Search, AI Overviews and ChatGPT |
| how to get first customers | Problem-aware | Search and assistants |
| startup CRM free | High-intent | Search and AI |
| SaaS pricing strategy | Research | Search and AI answers |
My approach, step by step
My approach for startups is deliberately simple and transparent: four stages, each tailored to how your market actually works, with no jargon and no black boxes.
1. Audit and research
I start with a full technical and content audit of your site, a review of your Google Business Profile and local presence, and genuine keyword and competitor research for startups. This tells us exactly where you stand, what is holding you back, and which searches are realistic to win. You get an honest picture, including whether SEO is even the right priority for you right now.
2. Fix the foundations
Next I fix the technical issues that quietly cap rankings: crawl and indexing problems, slow pages, poor structure and missing or broken markup. At the same time I complete and optimise your Google Business Profile and make your business details consistent everywhere they appear. This stage often produces the quickest wins because it removes the handbrake the site has been running with.
3. Build content and authority
With the foundations solid, I build the pages and content that match how your customers search, structured so both Google and AI assistants can understand and recommend you. Alongside this I build credible authority through earned links and digital PR, deliberately and safely, never through the cheap, risky links that lead to penalties.
4. Measure, report and refine
Every month you get a clear, plain-English report on what changed, what it did for your rankings and enquiries, and what happens next, plus a strategy call with me directly. SEO is iterative: the data from each month sharpens the plan for the next, which is how results compound rather than plateau.
What SEO for startups includes
Every plan draws from the same core work, tailored to startups. Foundations-first technical setup, focused content around your earliest customers, and reporting tied to signups rather than vanity metrics.
Local SEO & Google Business Profile
The local signals that put you in front of nearby customers, a complete profile, clean citations and real reviews, so you show up when it counts.
On-page SEO & content
Service and location pages, plus genuinely useful content, built around the exact searches your customers make and written for people first.
Off-page SEO & authority
Credible authority built through earned links and digital PR, deliberately and safely, without the spammy links that trigger penalties.
AI search visibility
Content and structured data so ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and other assistants can understand and recommend you. Included from the Growth plan.
Reporting & a monthly call
Every month you get a straightforward report on what changed and what it produced, plus a call with me to plan the next steps.
Local SEO for startups in depth
For most startups, local search is where the money is. When someone searches with local intent, or simply searches on a phone, Google shows a map with three businesses, the local pack, above the normal results. Winning a place there is often worth more than any single keyword ranking.
Your Google Business Profile
Your profile is frequently the first and sometimes the only thing a potential customer sees. I make sure the categories, services, service areas, opening hours, attributes, photos and posts are complete and accurate, because Google rewards complete, active profiles and customers trust them more. Small gaps here cost real enquiries.
Reviews and reputation
Reviews influence both your map ranking and whether a customer chooses you over the business next to you. I set up a simple, compliant routine for asking satisfied customers for reviews and replying to every one, which steadily builds the volume and freshness of reviews that both Google and AI tools look for.
Local citations and consistency
Your name, address and phone number need to be identical everywhere they appear online. Inconsistent details confuse Google and erode trust. I audit your existing citations, fix the ones that contradict each other, and build the listings that matter for your sector and area.
Location and service-area pages
If you serve several areas, each one deserves a genuinely useful page, not thin, copied text with the place name swapped. I build location pages with real local detail that help customers and rank sustainably, so you appear across your whole service area rather than just your home town.
Ready to win more startups customers from search? Book a free consultation with me directly.
Get a free consultationAI search and ChatGPT for startups
Your customers increasingly ask AI assistants for recommendations instead of scrolling through Google. Google's own guidance confirms there is no secret setting for AI Overviews and that normal SEO fundamentals still apply, so the same work that wins Google rankings also helps AI tools understand and recommend you. What changes is the standard: AI systems quote specific, accurate passages, so clarity and structure matter even more. This is included from the Growth plan.
Asked in ChatGPT
“What is the best way for an early-stage startup to get its first customers online?”
An AI assistant answering that question typically breaks it into several smaller checks. Each one needs a clear answer on your site and profile, which is exactly what AI search optimisation puts in place:
| What the AI needs to establish | What I put in place |
|---|---|
| What channels work for early startups? | Problem-aware content and guides |
| Which tools do founders recommend? | Comparison and use-case content |
| How do I set up SEO from scratch? | Clear foundational content |
| Who can help without a big budget? | Transparent pricing and a direct point of contact |
No one can honestly guarantee a place in an AI answer, and anyone who does is overselling. What I can do is make sure the evidence these systems look for, clear content, consistent facts, genuine reviews and clean structure, is all present. That is what gives your business the best chance of being recommended.
What startup SEO should prioritise
With limited time and budget, the order of work matters more than the length of the checklist.
- Get the technical foundations right before scaling content
- Target the specific searches your first customers make, not broad vanity terms
- Publish genuinely useful content that compounds over time
- Measure leads and signups, not just traffic
Mistakes to avoid when choosing SEO for your startup
Startups is an area where SEO quality varies enormously. These are the warning signs I would look for, and the standards I hold myself to.
Red flags in an SEO provider
- Guaranteed rankings. No one controls Google, so no one can honestly guarantee a position. It is the clearest sign to walk away.
- Large numbers of cheap links. Bought links in bulk can trigger penalties that are expensive to recover from, and are a poor use of a sensible budget.
- Long lock-in contracts. Good work retains clients without tying them in. A 12-month minimum is protecting the agency, not you.
- Reports full of vanity metrics. Impressions and keyword counts look impressive but mean little. You should see calls, enquiries and revenue from search.
What good SEO looks like instead
- Honest expectations, including a clear view of how long results realistically take for your market.
- The person who sold it does the work, so nothing is lost in translation to a junior or an offshore team.
- Monthly reporting you can actually understand, tied to enquiries rather than jargon.
- No lock-in, because the work should keep you, not the contract.
Timeline and what to expect
Every startup is different, but this is the typical shape of an SEO campaign for startups, from the first fixes through to compounding growth. Treat it as a guide, not a promise.
- 01
Stage 1 (weeks 1-2)
I audit your site, research the searches that matter for startups, and agree what to fix first.
- 02
Stage 2 (weeks 3-6)
The technical foundations and your profile are put right, often the source of the quickest early wins.
- 03
Stage 3 (months 2-3)
Content, reviews and local signals start to lift your rankings.
- 04
Stage 4 (months 4-12)
Competitive startups searches and AI-search visibility build and compound, reviewed every month.
Simple pricing that grows with you
Three plans, billed monthly, with no lock-in contract, starting at £350 a month. AI search optimisation is built into the Leader plan.
Local
Get found locally
£350/mo
- Full technical SEO audit
- Google Business Profile optimisation
- On-page SEO for your core pages
- Local citations and directory listings
- Monthly performance report
Growth
Rank and grow
£650/mo
- Everything in Local
- Full technical SEO implementation
- Content strategy and 2 articles a month
- Off-page SEO and authority building
- Monthly strategy call with me
Leader
Dominate search and AI
£1,200/mo
- Everything in Growth
- Up to 4 articles a month
- Advanced off-page SEO and digital PR
- AI search optimisation (ChatGPT, AI Overviews, GEO)
- Priority support and reporting
Also need social media, paid ads or PPC alongside your SEO? I offer custom pricing for combined services, just ask.
Get a custom quoteSee where your startup stands on Google and in AI search, for free.
Get a free consultationSEO for startups: your questions answered
How much does SEO for startups cost?
My plans run from £350 to £1,200 a month. Local covers the essentials for a single location, Growth adds full technical work, content and off-page SEO, and Leader adds advanced content and AI search optimisation. Billing is monthly with no lock-in contract, and social media or paid ads are quoted separately. In the free consultation I will recommend the right plan for your startup rather than upsell you.
How long does SEO take to work for startups?
Early movement usually appears within about three months, especially for local searches. Stronger, more competitive rankings typically build over six to twelve months. The exact timeline depends on how strong your competitors are, the state of your site when we start, and how quickly fixes can be implemented. Anyone promising top rankings in weeks is not being honest.
Do you work with startups directly, or hand it to a junior?
You work with me directly, every month, with 8+ years of hands-on experience. There is no account manager relaying messages to a junior team, and no offshore outsourcing. The person who assesses your site is the person who does the work.
Will my business show up in AI search and ChatGPT?
That is exactly what the AI search optimisation targets, and it is included from the Growth plan. No one can guarantee a citation in an AI answer, because that cannot be bought or forced. What I do is make sure your content, structured data, business facts and reviews are all clear and consistent, which is what gives you the best chance of being recommended by ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and similar tools.
Do I need a website, or is a Google Business Profile enough?
A well-optimised Google Business Profile can win calls on its own, and for some startups it is the single biggest lever. But a website with proper service and location pages helps you rank for far more searches, build trust, and show up in AI answers. Most startups get the best results from both working together.
Is there a lock-in contract?
No. Every plan is billed monthly and you can cancel any time. I would rather keep you because the work is delivering results than because you are tied into a term. It also keeps me honest.
What do you need from me to get started?
Access to your website, Google Business Profile and analytics, plus a short conversation about your services, your best customers and your goals. I handle the technical and strategic work from there, and ask for your approval before making any significant change.
What makes SEO for startups different from generic SEO?
Foundations-first technical setup, focused content around your earliest customers, and reporting tied to signups rather than vanity metrics.
SEO for other industries
Your next step
Get a free SEO consultation for your startup
No obligation, just a clear view of where you stand on Google and in AI search, and the fastest way to improve it. I reply personally, usually within one business day.
- Reply within one business day, from me directly
- No lock-in contract, cancel any time
- A clear view of where you stand on Google and in AI search
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