SEO for startups
SEO for Startups That Builds Growth You Own
White Peak’s SEO for startups builds an organic search channel while you find product-market fit. We start with technical SEO and keyword research, then add content and backlinks that bring signups, demos and sales from Google and AI answers.
Built for
Startups
Pre-launch, seed-stage and funded startups, plus new businesses opening their doors.
Organic growth
Traffic you own
Rankings and content keep bringing visitors after you stop paying for clicks.
Guarantee
SEO performance guarantee
If your Visibility score doesn’t improve over the previous month, you won’t be charged for the next month of SEO.
Bonus
No-Fee PPC
$0 PPC management while your SEO runs. Ad budget from $1,500 a month.
Is your startup a new local business serving one city?
Awards for our digital marketing agency
Why White Peak
Startup SEO from people who have started businesses
We’ve spent more than 55 years, combined, starting and growing businesses. We know runway is short. So our startup SEO puts your time and budget behind the searches most likely to bring customers.
Start before you need it
A new domain takes months to earn trust. Starting SEO early means rankings are ready when your launch and funding round arrive.
Win searches you can actually rank for
Big competitors own the broad terms. We find long-tail keywords and problem searches where a young site can win now.
Know what grows revenue
We track which keywords and pages bring signups, demos and sales, so your SEO strategy favors what moves your numbers.
Only specialists work on your campaign. Each team member specializes in one discipline, from technical SEO to content to link building.
AI search
Startup SEO for Google and AI search
Founders and buyers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews things like “What tools help with expense tracking?” A young brand has no history for those tools to draw on. We build the signals they use to find, trust and name your startup.
AI Visibility Tracking
We track how often AI answers mention your startup for the questions your buyers ask.
Answers AI Can Quote
Product, use case and blog pages give clear, short answers about the problem you solve.
Organization Schema Markup
Structured data spells out your company, product, founders and category for search engines and AI tools.
Entity SEO and Knowledge Graph
We connect your brand, founders, product and press mentions, so AI tools see one real company.
Consistent Brand Profiles
Matching details across your site, social profiles and startup directories tell AI tools the same story.
Optional upgrade
Add GEO for more AI mentions
Extra AI search optimization on top of your SEO plan, including:
- Digital PR, such as journalist pitching for press mentions
- Podcast bookings every month
What sets us apart
How startup SEO turns searches into customers
Google ranks sites that are easy to crawl, answer the search well and earn trusted links. A new startup site starts with none of that. Here’s how we build each one, then turn organic traffic into customers.
Technical SEO done right at launch
Many startup sites launch on builders or JavaScript frameworks that Google struggles to read. We fix crawl and indexing errors, site structure and meta data, then add schema markup that tells Google what you offer.
A fast site that keeps early visitors
Every visitor counts when traffic is small. We improve load times, Core Web Vitals and mobile performance, then check your speed again every quarter to protect user experience.
Backlinks that pass a 26-point quality check
A new domain has little authority, so link building matters early. Before we pursue any link, the site must pass 26 checks for relevance, real traffic and spam risk.
- Site relevance to your businessExcellentPass
- Real organic traffic, 500+ a month1,100/moPass
- Not on any known blacklistClearPass
- No "write for us" link-selling pageNonePass
- Trust Flow to Citation Flow ratio50%Pass
- Backlinks lost vs. gained0.15Pass
for outreach
Content buyers search for, kept current
Our writers publish 9 to 12 new blog posts a quarter. We cover the problems you solve, use cases and comparisons. As your product changes, we refresh your focus pages too.
We track signups, not just rankings
We track the signups, demo requests and sales your SEO brings in, and which landing page started each one. Each month, more of the work goes to pages that grow revenue.
How it works
How our startup SEO services work
A new category needs content that explains the problem, while a crowded one needs comparison pages and stronger links. Here’s how we build an SEO strategy around your startup’s market.
Audit your market
We review your site, analytics, backlinks and Google Search Console data. Then we study which competitors rank for your searches and why.
Find searches you can win
Keyword research finds the queries your buyers use, then we match each one to a single page. We start with long-tail keywords a new domain can rank for.
Optimize and build
Our specialists fix technical SEO, optimize your pages and publish content. Every plan earns niche-edit backlinks, and Launchpad and Performance add a guest post and a listicle link each quarter.
Measure and refine
You get a live dashboard and a monthly planning session. The signups and sales each page brings in decide next month’s work.
Choose from three fixed-price SEO plans. Compare the plans. Every plan has a six-month commitment and is billed monthly, with no deposit.
What we focus on
What startup SEO needs to cover
Startups compete with brands that have years of rankings. Your SEO has to build trust fast and win the searches big players ignore.
Domain Authority From Zero
A new domain has few backlinks and little trust. We earn quality links from relevant sites to build authority step by step.
Problem-First Content
Many buyers don't know your product exists yet. Content that answers their problem searches brings them to you first.
Long-Tail Keywords
Broad terms are out of reach early. Specific, lower-competition searches bring buyers who are ready to act.
Launch-Ready Foundation
Clean site structure, redirects and analytics set up before launch save months of fixes later.
Brand and Founder Trust
Buyers check who is behind a new company. Founder pages, press mentions and reviews help them trust you.
Pivots and Rebrands
Startups change fast. We handle new positioning, domain moves and redirects without losing the rankings you earned.
Find out where your startup can win in search
Book a free consultation. We’ll look at your site, your competitors and the searches you can realistically win. Then we’ll tell you straight what we’d do first and what it would cost.
Jen Tynan, Google review
What our startup SEO services include
Every plan includes the SEO work below, unless noted. Our specialists in Reno each focus on a single discipline.
SEO Strategy and Competitor Analysis
You get a roadmap built around your market, your competitors and your growth goals. We study what’s ranking, where competitors are weak and which searches bring buyers.
Startup Keyword Research
We find the keywords and questions your buyers search, including long-tail keywords a new site can win. Then we map each keyword to a single page.
Technical SEO
We fix crawl and indexing errors, redirects, canonicals and broken links. We build your XML sitemaps and set up robots.txt and llms.txt. New pages go to Google for indexing right away.
On-Page SEO
We sharpen titles, meta descriptions and headings on your focus pages. We also edit landing page copy so each page clearly answers the search behind it.
Content That Earns Rankings
Our writers publish 9 to 12 new blog posts a quarter, depending on your plan. When you need a new page, we create it too. Each year we rewrite your focus pages.
Quality Link Building
Every plan earns three niche-edit backlinks a quarter from relevant sites with a domain authority of 30 or more. SEO Launchpad and SEO Performance add a guest post and a listicle link each quarter. Every site passes our 26-point quality check.
Penalty and Risk Checks
We check for Google penalties and duplicate content, and audit backlinks. That matters when you buy an aged domain or inherit an old site.
Signup and Conversion Tracking
We set up Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and call tracking. Then we track the signups, demos and sales your pages bring in.
Website Speed and Core Web Vitals
Slow pages lose rankings and visitors. Every quarter, we check your site’s speed and improve load times, Core Web Vitals and mobile performance.
Hosting, Reporting and Planning
Every plan includes hosting and maintenance. You get a live reporting dashboard, and every month your strategist reviews results and plans the next round of work with you.
Which startup SEO focus fits your stage?
A startup before launch needs different SEO than a funded team or a new local shop. Pick your stage, and we’ll build the campaign around it.
Pre-Launch Startup SEO
Build the technical SEO foundation and first content before launch, so your new domain starts earning trust early.
Waitlist Pages That Rank
Signup pages built around the problem you solve.
A Clear Product Page
Plain answers about what you do and who it's for.
Launch Announcements
Launch news that earns early links and brand searches.
SEO for Growing Startups
Scale organic traffic with more content, stronger backlinks and pages for every use case and competitor comparison.
Careers Page SEO
Job pages that show up when candidates search.
Press Coverage That Builds Links
Funding news and media kits that earn backlinks.
Team and Founder Pages
Leadership pages that build trust with buyers and AI tools.
SEO for New Local Businesses
Get a new shop, studio or service business found on Google Maps and local search from opening day.
Map, Hours and Directions
A Google Business Profile set up before you open.
Reviews From First Customers
Early review requests that build local rankings.
Click-to-Call on Every Page
Mobile visitors can reach you in one tap.
SEO for other industries
We run SEO campaigns for a wide range of industries. Here are some of them. Don’t see yours? Book a free consultation.
- Accountants
- Architecture Firms
- Auto Repair Shops
- Chiropractors
- Cleaning Companies
- Construction
- Damage Restoration
- Dental Practices
- Ecommerce
- Electricians
- Financial Advisors
- Garage Door Companies
- HVAC
- Healthcare
- Insurance Agencies
- Law Firms
- Lawn Care
- Manufacturers
- Med Spas
- Moving & Storage
- Nonprofits
- Pest Control
- Pet Businesses
- Photographers
- Plumbers
- Professional Services
- Real Estate
- Roofing Companies
- SaaS Companies
- Schools
- Senior Living
- Shopify Stores
- Small Businesses
- Therapists
- Veterinarians
What our clients say about White Peak
Your SEO plan is just the start
Here’s what comes with a White Peak SEO campaign.
AI search work: entity SEO, schema and AI-ready content
Included
SEO performance guarantee
Included
PPC management for your Google, Microsoft, Yelp and ChatGPT ads
$0 management fee
Most agencies charge a monthly fee to manage your ads. With White Peak SEO, you pay only your ad budget.
Your bonus
Bonus: PPC management with no management fee
Startup SEO builds organic traffic that lasts, but it takes months. Ads can test messaging and bring in customers this week. That’s why White Peak SEO clients can add PPC with no management fee. You pay only your ad budget, and we buy and manage the ads.
Leads While SEO Builds
Ads bring in calls soon after launch, while your rankings grow.
Ads Show SEO What Converts
Ad data shows which searches turn into sales, so we target them organically.
More of the Results Page
An ad plus an organic listing gives you two spots for the same search.
A Backup for Every Dip
If rankings shift or ad costs climb, the other channel carries the load.
Ready to add ads? Get No-Fee PPC management.
Guarantee
Our Performance Guarantee
SEO performance guarantee: if your Visibility score doesn’t improve over the previous month, you won’t be charged for the next month of SEO.
Your Visibility score tracks how high you rank in Google for the keywords we agree on together. The guarantee covers SEO programs only. AI search visibility is not part of the guarantee.
SEO plans
Three SEO plans for startups
Three fixed-price plans for startups that sell nationally or online. Every plan optimizes your site for Google and for AI search, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews. In a free consultation, we’ll look at your site and market, then recommend the right plan and give you a clear price. Every plan has a six-month commitment and is billed monthly, with no deposit.
SEO
Visibility
Our entry plan for national and ecommerce SEO.
- Up to 10 focus pages and 30 keywords
- New and updated focus pages, as needed
- 9 new blog posts a quarter
- 3 niche-edit backlinks (DA30+) a quarter
- National rank tracking for every focus keyword
SEO
Launchpad
More pages, more content and stronger backlinks.
- Up to 25 focus pages and 75 keywords
- New and updated focus pages, as needed
- 12 new blog posts a quarter
- 3 niche-edit backlinks, plus a guest post and a listicle link each quarter
- National rank tracking for every focus keyword
SEO
Performance
Our highest limits, strongest backlinks, advanced tracking and some digital PR.
- Up to 35 focus pages and 100 keywords
- New and updated focus pages, as needed
- 12 new blog posts a quarter
- Everything in Launchpad's links, plus an AI-cited listicle link each quarter
- Podcast outreach: we pitch you as a guest 100 to 300 times a month
- Advanced GA4 and conversion tracking
AI search on every plan
- AI visibility tracking
- Entity and knowledge graph work for Google, Bing, ChatGPT and Claude
- Schema markup
- An llms.txt file for AI tools
- Blog posts written for search engines and AI answers
Every plan includes
- SEO performance guarantee
- Website hosting and maintenance
- Quarterly speed work
- Conversion tracking
- Live dashboard and monthly planning session
- You own your website and content
Upgrade your campaign
No-Fee PPC
$0 management fee. Google, Microsoft, Yelp and ChatGPT ads for an ad budget from $1,500 a month.
AI Search Optimization (GEO)
Extra AI search optimization (e.g. GEO), including digital PR such as journalist pitching for press mentions and podcast bookings every month.
Extra Link Building
More niche edits, guest posts and AI-cited listicle placements to outpace competitors faster.
Plans and upgrades are priced in your free consultation, after we’ve looked at your site, your goals and your market.
Startup SEO questions
Startup SEO is search engine optimization for a young company with a new domain and a small budget. It covers technical SEO, keyword research, content and link building. The goal is organic traffic that turns into signups, demos and sales.
As early as you can, ideally before launch. New domains take months to earn trust in search engines. Setting up site structure, analytics and first content early means rankings build while you work on the product.
A brand-new domain often takes three to six months before rankings move, and longer in crowded markets. Long-tail keywords usually rank first. Our post on why SEO takes so long explains what speeds it up.
Usually, if buyers search for the problem you solve. Paid ads stop when the budget stops, while organic search keeps working. If nobody searches for your category yet, we'll tell you and focus on problem searches and brand building instead.
It depends on your market, your competition and how much content and link building you need. We offer three fixed-price SEO plans with a six-month commitment and no deposit. In a free consultation, we'll give you a clear price.
Yes, on the right searches. Big brands rarely target narrow, specific questions. A startup can win long-tail keywords and problem searches first, then build authority for broader terms.
Founders can handle basics like Google Search Console and clear page titles. A full SEO strategy needs content, technical work and link building every month. An SEO agency for startups gives you a team of specialists for less than one senior hire.
Common ones are launching without redirects or analytics, chasing broad keywords a new site can't win, and blocking Google by accident. Others build spammy backlinks, or change domains without a plan.
Start with problem and use case searches your buyers type before they know your brand. Add comparison and "alternative to" searches next. We pick keywords by how likely they are to bring customers, not by volume alone.
Yes. Software buyers research online before they book a demo. Use case, integration and comparison pages often bring in qualified signups.
They work best together. Ads bring traffic now and help test messaging, while SEO builds a marketing channel that lowers your customer acquisition cost over time. White Peak SEO clients get PPC management with no management fee.
It helps. AI tools draw on sites that rank well and are mentioned across the web. We track your AI search visibility, but no one can guarantee an AI mention, so it isn't part of our SEO performance guarantee.
We plan the change with you. Redirects, updated content and a careful domain move protect the rankings and backlinks you already earned.
You do. Your website, your domain and the content we create belong to your startup. If you stop working with us, everything we built stays with you.
Not sure what you need?
No gimmicks. Just friendly advice.
Services that help startups grow
Startup Website Design
A fast startup website with clear messaging, waitlist or demo forms and room to grow.
MaximizeOS
CRO, website personalization, lifecycle marketing and automation that turn your new traffic into more leads and sales.
No-Fee PPC Management
Google, Microsoft, Yelp and ChatGPT ads that bring in customers now. White Peak SEO clients pay no management fee.
GEO (AI SEO)
Get your startup mentioned and recommended in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI answers.
Serving startups in Reno, Sparks, Carson City and nationwide
Our downtown Reno team runs SEO for startups across the U.S. Close to home, we help founders grow from Reno and Sparks to Carson City, Truckee and Lake Tahoe.
1 E Liberty St, Suite 600, Reno, NV 89501
(775) 451-3259
Open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 8 PM. Most clients meet with us on Zoom, wherever they are. Prefer to meet in person? Visit our downtown Reno office by appointment.
