Mumbai has always been a city full of opportunities for entrepreneurs and their businesses, from technology startups and e-commerce stores to creative ventures, professional services, and consumer brands. However, starting a business these days is more complicated than ever and includes way more than just product or service creation.
Prospective customers need to find the business online, understand what it does, trust the brand, and contact it easily. In other words, digital presence has become an integral part of a startup.
But how do you know where to start with your digital efforts – should you focus on a website? Or maybe social media? Search engine optimization? Online advertising? Or content? The truth is that you probably shouldn’t focus on one channel at all and create an integrated strategy which would include such elements as website development and SEO.
The Importance of a Website for Your Startup
Having a website will give your startup a permanent place online. Although social media pages can be used to build a community around your brand, a website will provide you with far more control over your brand image, information, content, and customer experience.
When someone visits your website, he/she needs to understand in a few seconds:
● What your startup does
● What problems it solves
● Who are its target clients
● Why he/she should choose you
● How to contact your company
● What steps to take next
It means that you have to create a website which is easy to understand and helps you receive business inquiries.
How to Pick the Proper Web Development Methodology for Startups
Every startup does not need an extensive and elaborate website. The proper web development strategy will depend on the business model of the startup. For instance, the proper strategy for a service-oriented startup will be a professional corporate website complete with service pages, contact forms, testimonials, case studies, and blog pages. Similarly, for an eCommerce startup, the best strategy will include products catalogue, payment integration services, inventory management, customer accounts, and order tracking. For a technology startup, the strategy might incorporate some custom functionality or integration.
That is why a startup must consider its future needs before choosing a Web Development Company in Mumbai. It should not be all about developing an appealing website. The website should be capable of fulfilling the objectives of the business.
Why UX Is Important?
A website can have high-quality graphics and yet poor UX.
This could happen because of:
● Complex navigation
● Pages are loading slowly
● Information is hard to find
● Broken forms
● Confusing buttons
● Website is not mobile responsive
Professional web development methodology will take usability into consideration.
The customer should have an easy transition from brand discovery to understanding the offering and taking action.
Thinking Mobile-First
Most of the customers in Mumbai use smartphones extensively. No matter how people discover a particular business, be it through Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, advertisement, or referral; it is likely that most people may end up visiting the website from a smartphone. Responsive websites will adjust to various screen sizes and still be user-friendly. This involves legible text, appropriately sized buttons, images optimization, navigability, and proper functioning of forms on small screens.
SEO Must Begin at an Early Stage
Most young companies tend to start their website, and then think about SEO many months after. Even though SEO is possible to implement after the website launch, planning search optimization ahead of time will make the whole process easier. Such elements of website design as its architecture, URL, navigation, page structure, headings, mobile-friendliness, and technical accessibility can affect search engine’s ability to understand the website. SEO Agencies in Mumbai can help startups see their most valuable search opportunities and create strategies based on them.
Understanding the Purpose of Searches
SEO is much more than discovering popular keywords. Startups need to understand what customers are actually trying to do by using certain searches. For instance, people searching for “digital marketing agency Mumbai” and “what is digital marketing” have different intentions behind. In this case, the first query might have a commercial intent, whereas the second one is informative. Creating SEO strategies requires taking into account such distinctions when developing pages and writing content.
How Content Can Help New Companies to Build Their Reputation
Competing with established companies online can be challenging for startups because those have been operating online much longer. A good way to slowly increase visibility is to create useful content.
Here are some types of the content that a startup can use:
● Industry guides
● FAQ
● How-to tutorials
● Case studies
● Comparisons
● Expert opinions
● Customer materials
● Educational blog posts
However, the idea is not to publish content for the sake of content creation. Every single post must have its purpose and deliver real value to the audience.
SEO for Mumbai Startups (Local SEO)
In case the startup is targeting people living in Mumbai, Local SEO can be beneficial. Companies can create location-specific pages, optimize their business information online, and allow people searching for services in the area to find their company online.This type of SEO can be helpful for agencies, consultants, clinics, restaurants, service providers, educational establishments, and local stores.
SEO and Website Development Should Go Hand in Hand
SEO attracts visitors to a website.Website development dictates how these visitors experience the site.Hundreds of people visiting the site but having a difficult experience will not convert many of them into customers.Similarly, an outstanding website is of no use if the site cannot attract any organic traffic because it cannot be found via search engines.This is the reason SEO and website development should be considered two aspects of the same digital strategy.
How Bloom Agency Can Help
Bloom Agency partners with businesses to increase their digital footprint with the help of SEO and website development. For startups looking to hire an SEO Agency in Mumbai, Bloom Agency’s SEO company in Mumbai services will include: Keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO, content marketing, link building, local SEO, and e-commerce SEO.
For businesses requiring website development services or an update of an existing website, Bloom Agency’s web development agency in Mumbai will provide responsive website development, WordPress, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, custom development and website maintenance. Using one digital partner for both SEO and website development makes coordination possible.
Do Not Try To Cover All the Aspects at Once
Startups usually do not have a large budget. It does not mean that digital marketing should be ignored. It means that they should focus on the most important aspects first.
They could start with:
● A professional website.
● Service or product pages.
● Mobile optimization.
● Technical SEO.
● Google Business Profile if necessary.
● Helpful content.
● Analytics and performance tracking.
Measuring Digital Growth
The amount of traffic on a website cannot be used to determine how well a startup does online. The right thing to do is to assess whether the website is playing a part in achieving your business objectives.
Some useful metrics include:
● Website leads
● Organic traffic
● Conversion rate
● Impressions from search engines
● Click-through rate
● Purchases made
● Contact form submissions
● Bookings
● Customer acquisition
This way, you can determine what works and what needs to be improved.
Conclusion
A digital strategy cannot be left out any longer by startups.Consumers nowadays look up companies online before contacting or buying from them.Having a professional website will offer you credibility and a platform where you can promote your products and services. An SEO strategy helps the potential customers find your website through search.
If you are running a startup in Mumbai, you should work with a trusted SEO Agency in Mumbai and a good Web Development Company in Mumbai to build a solid foundation for your digital marketing strategy.
