Last Updated on July 20, 2023 by
In my previous article How to Start a Startup in 24 Weeks? , I have described an upcoming entrepreneur with a unique idea of his own, how he learns from the experts and starts building a team for his startup. In this article, I will share practical examples of what has been done by the protagonists of the story within their first 24 weeks. It should be noted that all these activities can be completed simultaneously provided there is no shortage of time and resources (e.g., money). Of course, you will also need some patience because many things require time to mature before they start bringing results.
I believe that reading this comprehensive guide along with the previous article will provide you with enough insights into launching your own successful startup.
Without further ado, let’s move on to the action points.
1. Driving Traffic to Your Site
You may have a brilliant idea, but without any visitors it does not make much sense for others to share your idea or invest in your startup. Thus, you need to build traffic on your website as early as possible with effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices that will grow into long-term assets for you and help you scale up faster than competition after launching your site. Of course, this is one of the most vital aspects of successful startups where they are expected to generate revenue from day one which can be used for further investments.
Here are some of the best practices suggested by experts: Paul Haarman
- Create great content focused around problem-solution and customer-journey models. This will help you position yourself as an expert in your field and give prospects a real reason to visit your site instead of the thousands of other websites trying to do the same thing. If possible, create some videos demonstrating how you solve problems faced by your target audience (e.g., using innovative design solutions or cost effective systems).
- SEO is critical for success: It takes time and multiple attempts to learn what works well for your business model and industry. There is no one solid method that can be implemented for everyone because we all have different products/services with specific audiences. You may consider hiring experts who know where to start from at least in the beginning when you lack either time or expertise in this area. Soon, you will start learning what works best for your business and can continue doing it on your own or hire other experts to help you out.
- Developer-Friendly Design: I know this may not be the first thing comes to mind when you are building a website, but trust me; it is very important since many developers prefer coding sites that are well-designed rather than spending hours trying to figure out how things work under the hood. It is much easier to sell any product/service with a streamlined design that just works without any hassles or errors. This will not only save time for your developer(s) but also reduce expenses in case you have hired them recently through an agency
- Content Management System (CMS): You can either opt for a hosted solution that you pay monthly, or install a CMS system yourself using WordPress. In the latter case, you will need to hire an expert web developer who knows how to configure WordPress and add necessary features to your site during installation. Either way, you should have a blog from day one with fresh content being added regularly so it keeps visitors engaged and interested in what you have been doing during these 24 weeks.
Read More: Why Renting Office Space is A Smart Business Decision
2. Building a Team
A team of great people is what makes a startup stand out from others fighting in the same space. It takes more than just passionate individuals working on their own ideas without any clear-cut division of roles and responsibilities when things get complicated later on when there are many things going on at once. Thus, you should hire a trustworthy CTO (Chief Technical Officer) who can manage technical needs of your business, a PR/Marketing expert to build a solid brand image and drive traffic towards your site which in turn will create awareness about your business model, and other members including developers and designers so there is no need for much dependence on outside agencies or freelancers when it comes to building or updating your website.
Conclusion by Paul Haarman:
Regardless of how great your idea is, you should always remember that it takes much more than just an innovative product or service to make a successful startup. You need to focus on hiring right people (based on their skills and experience) for respective roles including technical aspects such as web development, marketing strategies like SEO and others like PR & Copywriting which play equally important part in making your business reach the target audience effectively and quickly.
