Simple but Effective SEO Tactics for Solopreneurs in 2023

Free Google traffic is the #1 dream of Solopreneurs.

But how to make that happen?

There are thousands of articles with conflicting SEO tips and delusional myths.

Don't overcomplicate it. Here are my 10 battle-tested SEO tips for Indie Entrepreneurs in 2023.

1. Define your keyword bubble

Your website has an associated keyword bubble.

If you tweet about the design, it will be the design. If you tweet about music, it will be music. Simple.

So there is no surprise you can't rank for both keyword bubbles well enough in the beginning. What kind of website creates high-quality content about design and music?

So your goal is to pick one keyword bubble and stick to it. You can always create sub-bubbles. But they all must be aligned to your one big bubble.

Here is our example:

• Keyword bubble: Marketing
• Sub-bubbles: Landing page, Positioning, Content Marketing, etc.

Make it easy for Google to understand your website.

2. Focus on the long-tail keywords

You can't rank first on the keyword "marketing" with a new website.

To make this happen, you need tons of backlinks and domain authority. It takes a lot of time. Often years.

Solution? Target less competitive long-tail keywords like "copywriting for solopreneurs" or "marketing frameworks".

This approach doesn't guarantee you will get to the first page in one week. But your chances are way higher.

3. Prioritize long-tail keywords smartly

Let's say you have 10 promising long-tail keywords. How to pick the best one?

Here is a very simple approach.

1. Install the Google Chrome Extension "Keywords Everywhere"
2. Google your long-tail keyword
3. If there are websites with Domain Authority (MOZ DA) less than 30 on the first page, pick this keyword
4. If you see websites like Hubspot and Forbes with 80+DA, postpone this keyword

There are few SEO quick wins. So you better leverage what you have.

4. Get backlinks from directories

Here is a harsh truth. Your blog articles won't get a lot of backlinks.

Yes, you can send cold emails asking for backlinks. Or spend weeks writing guest posts for 20DA media. And sometimes you should.

But initially, the most effective way to get backlinks and increase your DA is to list your startup on different directories. It will give you the momentum to rank higher → get more backlinks.

Here are 10 directories we used to get free do-follow backlinks:

• Product Hunt
• BetaList
• Indie Hackers
• Starter Story
• Side Projectors
• Swipe File
• CtrlAltCC
• Notion Everything
• MicroStartups
• AICyclopedia

5. Do internal linking

Every time you create a new website page, you are giving Google a task:

• What is this page about?
• To what keyword sub-bubble does it belong?
• Is it good?

By adding links to this page from existing pages (internal linking), you are helping Google to come up with the right conclusion.

The faster it happens, the faster you get the SEO juice.

6. Optimize your images

There are 3 common image mistakes

• No alt-texts
• Size over 1MB
• Poor file names (Screenshot_1231)

It will take 5 minutes to fix all these issues for any article. A quick win to get more clicks from the "Images" tab.

7. Nail keywords you already rank for

It's way easier to get on the first page if Google already recognizes your website for a specific keyword. Here is how to leverage it.

1. Open Google Search Console
2. Filter keywords with medium impressions, poor position, and no clicks
3. Click on the "Page" and make sure it's not relevant
4. Create better content for this keyword

We were ranked 30-40 for "copywriting for solopreneurs" with an article about 10 must-have skills for Solopreneurs (one of the skills was copywriting).

I wrote a new article with my copywriting tips for Solopreneurs. It ranked second in one week. Easy win.

8. Create clickable content

Your first articles will suck. There is no shortcut to avoid it.

But after iterations, you need to pick and apply one content marketing strategy.

• In-depth content (e.g., Ultimate Guide on Running Customer Interviews)
• Niche content (e.g., 10 Customer Interviews Questions for Shopify Owners)
• Opinionated content (e.g., Customer Interviews are Pointless in 2023)

Anything else will fail.

Not because it's low-quality. But because it won't get enough clicks.

9. Update your old content

Here is simple math for you:

• 10% of your articles will be super successful (1-10 positions)
• 80% of your articles will get average results (30-50 positions)
• 10% of your articles will fail (90+ positions)

Writing a new article is like playing a lottery — you never know where it will end up. Every single time.

But updating average old articles will increase their positions in 90% of cases. A low-risk / high-impact marketing task.

10. Be patient

I want to quit SEO every month.

But then I think, "What would Dan 4 years from now say?".

And it's always, "Keep going".

SEO is similar to audience building on Twitter. There are no shortcuts. It just takes time.

Conclusion

SEO shouldn't feel like a mystery box.

It's only research, good content, technical optimization, and good backlinks.

Give it a try if you are playing a long-term game.