Today’s Ask an SEO question comes from Aswin in Silver Spring, USA.
“Hello, I’m a newbie SEO with basic knowledge. I’m doing SEO for a new car rental company.
I thought I should start with off-page SEO instead of on-page, so I started trying to get backlinks.
However, since it is a start-up company, the service is limited.
I’m stuck and don’t know how to proceed further. What strategic plan should I follow?
I have tried registering the website on some website posting forums. I tried building a resource link, but there weren’t many resource pages for car rentals.
I tried building a broken link, but my competitor is so big compared to the startup that they have a dedicated page to refer to their website.
HARO is currently the only valid method. Please provide your insight. ”
Aswin, backlinks are part of the ranking equation, but when doing SEO for a new website, you don’t start there.
There are other things to do first. But don’t worry. We’ll answer your link building questions in no time.
Here are some SEO items to focus on first:
1. Set up your local listing
I believe the car rental company wants to attract local business.
So make sure you’ve claimed, verified, and updated your Google Business Profile listing.
Enter as much information as possible and be sure to add images and videos.
You can also add frequently asked questions to the Q&A area by posting a question and answering as the owner.
You’ll also need to request, verify, and update other local directory listings such as Yelp, Apple Maps, and Bing Places.
There are tools like Whitespark and Yext that can help with local listings.
For a full list, check out this article: 9 Essential Local SEO & Listing Management Tools.
If you have questions about local SEO, be sure to check out our ebook. Local SEO: The definitive guide to improving your local search rankings.
Also, there are many local SEO experts answering questions on the local search forums.
2. Conduct a technical SEO audit
This is one of the first things I do when working on a new SEO project. Let me explain by comparing it to a car.
Paint, body and trim can look amazing.
The inside of the car may be fine.
However, if the engine is out of order or something is broken, the car cannot run.
In this analogy, the engine is the technical part of the website.
You should open the hood and make sure everything is working properly.
There are many tools that can help you perform audits, such as tools built into Semrush, SE Ranking, and Ahrefs.
If any errors or problems are detected, they must be checked manually.
For more advanced errors/problems (i.e. those related to servers or advanced coding skills) feel free to fix them and call the developer.
We also have a checklist to help you get started: Technical SEO Checklist for Non-Technical Marketers.
3. Optimize your page
If you haven’t already done so, you should do some keyword research.
There are tons of resources available, including How to Do Keyword Research for SEO: The Ultimate Guide.
Once you have determined your keywords, map them to your pages.
During this process, you may find that there is no content supporting some of your key keywords.
In that case, you should create a content calendar that contains all the pages you need for development.
When you start optimizing your page, be sure to optimize your page title, H1, and body copy.
This article provides further guidance on what to optimize for: How to create perfectly optimized content: 16 must-haves.
attract links to your website
Well, let me answer your first question about how to get backlinks.
I classify links into three categories:
Start with simple links, such as unlinked brand mentions. These can be found by setting up Google alerts or using tools like Semrush.
If your company is mentioned on a website and you find it to be positive, contact the website and thank them for mentioning it and link back to your site. Please ask me if you will.
Other easy links include local and industry directories. Local search expert Phil Rozek has an extensive list of local his directories to check out.
He also has a survey on great linking opportunities to help brainstorm ideas.
Moderately easy link building ideas include creating infographics, contests, and scholarships.
Once these items are developed, share them on social media and appropriate directories.
Also look for travel and local publications that accept guest authors.
Writing articles for authoritative publications is a great way to get links.
Whether it’s writing a guide, tool, industry report, or case study, it’s a difficult idea to build links simply because it takes time.
Webinars and podcast interviews often generate backlinks to your website.
These ideas take time, but they can actually pay off.
Also consider using a blog on your website to generate links.
Post how-to guides, interviews, expert roundups, and other long-form content.
For more advice, be sure to check out Link Building for SEO: The Complete Guide.
Plan your SEO strategy
Finally, when it comes to SEO, you need to have a strategy and timeline in place.
I’ve listed a few notable points, but there’s more to SEO.
Download the eBook SEO Strategy: A Full Year Blueprint (+Template). It’s packed with information and templates for a successful SEO job.
Other resources:
ask SEO is a weekly SEO advice column written by the top SEO experts in the industry, curated by Search Engine Journal. Have a question about SEO? Please fill out the form. You may find the answer in the next #AskanSEO post!
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