Today’s Ask an SEO question comes from Aswin from Silver Spring, USA, who asks:
Hi, I am a beginner in SEO with basic knowledge. I do SEO for a startup car rental company.
I thought I should start with off page SEO instead of on page and started trying to get backlinks.
However, since the company is a startup, they have limitations in the services.
I’m stuck and don’t know how to move forward. Can you give me a strategic plan that I should follow?
I have tried to register the site in some site submission forums. I tried resource link building but there weren’t a lot of car rental resource pages.
I tried broken link building but the competitors are too big compared to a startup so they have pages dedicated to them in referring websites.
The only way that might work now is HARO. Please submit your vision.
Aswin, while backlinks are part of the ranking equation, this isn’t where I would start if I were doing SEO for a new website.
There are other things you should do first. But don’t worry, I’ll answer your link building question in a bit.
Here are the SEO elements that I will focus on first.
1. Set up your local listings
I assume the rental car company will want to attract local business.
For this reason, make sure that you have claimed, verified, and updated your Business Profile data on Google.
Fill in as much information as possible and be sure to add photos and videos.
You can also add frequently asked questions in the Q&A area by posting a question and then answering it as the owner.
You should also claim, check out, and update other local directory listings, like Yelp, Apple Maps, and Bing Places, to name a few.
There are tools you can use to help you with local listings, including Whitespark and Yext.
Check out this article for a full list: 9 Essential Local SEO and Listing Management Tools.
If you have questions about local SEO, be sure to check out the e-book, Local SEO: The Ultimate Guide to Improving Local Search Rankings.
Also, there are plenty of local SEO experts answering questions on Local search forum.
2. Conduct a technical SEO audit
This is one of the first things I do when working on a new SEO project – and I explain it using a car analogy.
The paint, body and trim can look amazing.
The car interior may be clean.
However, if the engine is not tuned or something is broken, the car will not start.
In this analogy, the engine is the technical part of your website.
You need to open the lid and make sure everything is working as it should.
There are plenty of tools that can help you perform an audit, including the ones that are built in smrashAnd SE orderAnd Ahrefs.
If any errors and/or problems are detected, you will need to confirm them manually.
Fix as much as you’re comfortable with and bring in a developer to help with more advanced bugs and issues (ie those involving server or advanced programming skills).
I also have a checklist you can use to help you get started: Technical SEO Checklist for the Non-Technical Marketer.
3. Optimize your pages
If you haven’t already, you need to do some keyword research.
There are plenty of resources available, including How to Do Keyword Research for SEO: The Ultimate Guide.
Once you have identified your keywords, draw them to your pages.
You may find during this process that you don’t have content supporting some of your important keywords.
In this case, you should create a content calendar of all the pages that you will need to develop.
When you start optimizing your pages, be sure to optimize your page titles, H1s, and body copy.
This article will provide you with more guidance on what to improve: How to Create Fully Optimized Content: 16 Essentials.
Attract links to your website
Well, now I will answer your original question about how to get backlinks.
I classify links into three categories: easy, moderately easy, and difficult (ie time consuming).
Start with easy links, such as unrelated brand mentions, that you can find through setup Google Alerts Or with a tool like Semrush.
If you see that your company has been mentioned on a website, and it is in a positive light, reach out to that site and thank them for mentioning them, and ask if they would link to your site.
Other easy links include local and industry directories. Phil Rozek, a local search expert, has a comprehensive list of local directories You must check.
He also has a great Engagement Opportunity Survey This will help you brainstorm.
Some fairly easy link building ideas include creating infographics, contests, and scholarships.
Once you have developed these elements, share them on social media and appropriate directories.
I will also be looking for any travel or local publications that accept guest authors.
Writing articles for high-ranking publications is a great way to get links.
The hardest link building ideas, simply because they take so much time, involve creating a guide, tool, industry report, or case study.
Interviewing on webinars and podcasts can often generate backlinks to your website.
While these ideas are more time consuming, they can really pay off.
Also, consider using a blog on your website to generate links.
You can post how-to guides, interviews, expert reports, and other long-form content.
Be sure to check out Link Building for SEO: A Complete Guide for more tips.
Plan your SEO strategy
Finally, when it comes to SEO, you need a strategy and a schedule.
While I gave you a few things to focus on, there is more that goes into SEO.
Be sure to download the e-book, SEO Strategy: A Complete Outline (+ Template), because it’s packed with information and templates to help you succeed in your SEO business.
More resources:
- Learn SEO: The 38 Best Blogs, Resources, and Posts
- Top 5 Link Building Strategies (With Examples)
- SEO for Beginners: An Introduction to SEO Basics
Ask an SEO is a weekly SEO advice column written by some of the industry’s top SEO experts, hand-selected by Search Engine Magazine. Do you have a question about search engine optimization? Fill out our form. You may see your answer in the next #AskanSEO post!
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