{"id":3511,"date":"2017-08-09T05:41:34","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T12:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/?p=3511"},"modified":"2020-11-25T10:49:55","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T18:49:55","slug":"lean-startup-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Boost Your SEO Using the Lean Startup Methodology"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Planning and executing a major content marketing and SEO strategy can be time-consuming and very expensive, especially if it fails. While <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/startup-seo-vs-ppc\/\">SEO isn\u2019t necessarily as expensive as paid ads<\/a>, it does require a substantial amount of effort to successfully implement.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of taking a large jump and risking failure, what if there was a way we could take many small SEO steps and guarantee success? Turns out, there is.<\/p>\n<p>The Lean Startup is a methodology used to develop products and businesses efficiently. Businesses are created through a process of validating many hypotheses, one by one, using the scientific method.<\/p>\n<p><em>Simply put, it means:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 hundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#eae9e9;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><ul class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-1\" style=\"font-size:15px;line-height:25.5px;\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Launch a small iteration.<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Test it.<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Determine if the test was successful.<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Use what you learned to introduce the next iteration.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For marketers and businesses looking to establish themselves on search engines, many Lean Startup principles are applicable. In this post, we explore the Lean Startup method and examine how to apply these techniques to SEO.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Validated Learning Improves SEO<\/h2>\n<p>According to the Lean Startup, learning is one of the most valuable activities in building a business. Improving your SEO strategy through consistent education is equally as effective. Regarding validated learning, the Lean Startup says:<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><blockquote class=\"otw-sc-quote\"><p style=\"color: #ee6448 !important;\">&#8220;You can\u2019t take learning to the bank; you can\u2019t spend it or invest it. You cannot give it to customers and cannot return it to limited partners\u2026 Yet, if the fundamental goal of entrepreneurship is to engage in organization building under conditions of extreme uncertainty, its\u2019 most vital function is learning. We must learn the truth about which elements of our strategy are working to realize our vision and which are just crazy. We must learn what customers really want, not what they say they want or what we think they should want.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Marketers often consider a first-page search engine ranking to be a huge win.<\/p>\n<p><em>However, ranking as #1 for a keyword isn\u2019t a success at all if:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><ul class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-2\" style=\"font-size:15px;line-height:25.5px;\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Nobody ever searches for that keyword.<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Traffic follows that keyword to your page but bounces off quickly because they didn\u2019t find what they expected.<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\">Visitors never convert to customers.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Validated learning allows marketers to test their assumptions before deciding what keywords to target, what content to write, and what influencers to pitch to promote their content. By conducting a series of small tests, marketers can ensure that their strategies are sound before making a huge investment in their pursuit. It&#8217;s all about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/seo-for-startups\/\">brains over budget<\/a>!<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canirank.com%2Fblog%2Flean-startup-seo%2F&#038;text=It%20is%20best%20to%20validate%20your%20marketing%20ideas%20before%20making%20any%20commitment.%20&#038;via=canirank&#038;related=canirank' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">It is best to validate your marketing ideas before making any commitment.  <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canirank.com%2Fblog%2Flean-startup-seo%2F&#038;text=It%20is%20best%20to%20validate%20your%20marketing%20ideas%20before%20making%20any%20commitment.%20&#038;via=canirank&#038;related=canirank' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n<h2>What Are You Trying to Prove?<\/h2>\n<p>The Lean Startup approach doesn\u2019t exist to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/questions-ask-seo-agency\/\">answer the question<\/a>, \u201cCan this product be built?\u201d but instead seeks to answer, \u201cShould this product be built?\u201d. In today\u2019s age, anything <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">can<\/span>\u00a0be made, but not everything <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">should<\/span>\u00a0be created.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of SEO and content marketing, any topic <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">can<\/span>\u00a0be targeted, and any content <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">can<\/span>\u00a0be written, but that doesn\u2019t mean that it <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">should<\/span>\u00a0be written or that consumers are going to care enough to read it.<\/p>\n<p><em>Before making any SEO decisions, prove that it is the action that you <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">should<\/span>\u00a0be taking:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"fusion-checklist fusion-checklist-3\" style=\"font-size:15px;line-height:25.5px;\"><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\"><strong>When choosing keywords:<\/strong> Any keyword can\u00a0be targeted, but should\u00a0it be targeted?<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\"><strong>When choosing a niche audience:<\/strong> Any audience can\u00a0be targeted, but should\u00a0they be targeted?<\/div><\/li><li class=\"fusion-li-item\"><span style=\"height:25.5px;width:25.5px;margin-right:10.5px;\" class=\"icon-wrapper circle-no\"><i class=\"fusion-li-icon fa fa-star\" style=\"color:#43a4dc;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><div class=\"fusion-li-item-content\" style=\"margin-left:36px;\"><strong>When promoting content:<\/strong> Any influencer can\u00a0be targeted, but which influencers should\u00a0be targeted for a particular piece of content?<\/div><\/li><\/ul>\n<style type='text\/css'>.reading-box-container-1 .element-bottomshadow:before,.reading-box-container-1 .element-bottomshadow:after{opacity:0.1;}<\/style><div class=\"fusion-reading-box-container reading-box-container-1\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:20px;\"><div class=\"reading-box\" style=\"background-color:#f6f6f6;border-width:0px;border-color:#dd9933;border-style:solid;\"><div class=\"reading-box-additional\">Recommended reading:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/startup-seo-case-studies-5-startups-that-crushed-their-established-competitors\/\"><span class=\"s1\">Startup SEO Case Studies: 5 Startups that Crushed their Established Competitors<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>How Lean Startup SEO Works<\/h2>\n<p>Lean Startup uses an agile\/scrum approach to innovation by implementing a \u201cBuild-Measure-Learn\u201d feedback loop. In practice, it means identifying a problem that needs to be solved, launching a minimal solution, and learning as quickly as possible. As opposed to spending time developing a full product, agile businesses build a small piece of their idea in a short work cycle, evaluate customers\u2019 reactions, and then use what they have learned to decide what they <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">should<\/span>\u00a0build next.<\/p>\n<p>Lean Startup says,<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"otw-sc-quote\"><p style=\"color: #ee6448 !important;\">\u201cToo many startups begin with an idea for a product that they think people want. They then spend months, sometimes years, perfecting that product without ever showing the product, even in a very rudimentary form, to the prospective customer. When customers ultimately communicate, through their indifference, that they don\u2019t care about the idea, the startup fails.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>There is a similar process that most marketers take when developing their SEO strategy. They target a keyword and topic for which they think people will search. They spend days, weeks, sometimes months, perfecting an impressive piece of content without ever showing it (even in a very rudimentary form) to their prospective audience.<\/p>\n<p>When readers or influencers ultimately communicate, through their indifference, that they don\u2019t care about the idea, the content quickly gets forgotten and becomes a waste of time and resources.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoiding this using the Lean Startup methodology is the basis of lean startup SEO.\u00a0So, the question we need to answer is: how do we do lean startup marketing?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3530\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries.png\" alt=\"Lean Startup's Eric Ries Quote\" width=\"1280\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-200x94.png 200w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-300x141.png 300w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-400x188.png 400w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-600x281.png 600w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-768x360.png 768w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-800x375.png 800w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-1024x480.png 1024w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries-1200x563.png 1200w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eric-ries.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">How can the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop be used to prevent this dilemma as it relates to content marketing and SEO?\u00a0Consider the following Lean SEO tips.<\/h2>\n<h3>When Choosing a Keyword\/Topic<\/h3>\n<p>Instead of assuming that your audience is searching for insight on a certain subject, look through forums and related social groups to see how often the topic comes up.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communities like this are great tools for startups. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>If people ask about the issue frequently, assume it\u2019s an important subject to which people aren\u2019t able to find an answer. Should you discover that no one at all is asking about or interested in the topic &#8212; this likely won\u2019t change just because you write a great article.<\/p>\n<h3>When Pitching Influencers<\/h3>\n<p>You only get one chance to make a great first impression when asking influencers to link to your content. Learn how to pitch your article successfully by pitching to the least significant influencers on your list first. They&#8217;re the ones with the least domain authority, who will have the least impact if they promote your link.<\/p>\n<p>If your pitch can\u2019t attract attention from \u201cBob\u2019s Business Blog,\u201d it\u2019s not likely that Forbes is going to jump at the chance to mention your content either. Test your pitch often, and once you know you have a winning pitch, use it to win over bigger influencers to promote your content.<\/p>\n<h3>When Optimizing On-Site<\/h3>\n<p>There are many factors that Google considers when determining which sites are most relevant to specific keywords. Use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canirank.com\/seo-software\/seo-competitor-analysis\">SEO competitor analysis software<\/a> to determine how ranking competitors are using primary and related keywords.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t assume that your content is optimized perfectly after the first run. Allow it to run for a week or two, and then analyze how those optimizations have affected rankings. Make small tweaks, and after a week, analyze rankings again. Repeat these steps until your article is maximally optimized.<\/p>\n<h3>When Optimizing for Traffic Conversions<\/h3>\n<p>Being ranked on a first page doesn\u2019t automatically equate to clicks.\u00a0Sometimes, the link\u2019s snippet doesn\u2019t assure the reader that your content will answer their question.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of relying on one single snippet, write several and compare them using A\/B testing. Run one snippet for a week, analyze the results, then change it out for another one. Do this until your snippet converts the ideal number of viewers into site visitors.<\/p>\n<h3>When Pitching Guest Posts<\/h3>\n<p>Just like with blog content, writing guest posts can be a waste of time if your audience members (industry influencers in this case) aren\u2019t receptive to it.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of writing full articles and hoping that influencers want to promote it, get your idea approved beforehand, and don\u2019t write it out until you <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">know<\/span>\u00a0that they want it. Send influencers an awesome pitch that details your background and credibility, and attach an outline that explains what your article offers.<\/p>\n<h2>Validated Learning through Failure<\/h2>\n<p>The ultimate goal of Lean SEO is to learn what works and what doesn\u2019t. Unfortunately, you will not prove that every hypothesis is correct. When something doesn\u2019t work, the most important thing to know is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">why<\/span>\u00a0it didn\u2019t work. If your content isn\u2019t ranking although your page is optimized better than your competitors, it\u2019s important to know <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">why<\/span>\u00a0it isn\u2019t ranking. If you\u2019re aware that your topic is a high-search topic but no one seems interested in your content about this topic, it\u2019s important to know <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">why<\/span>\u00a0no one is interested.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"\/\/www.slideshare.net\/slideshow\/embed_code\/key\/7JXP8UMA9sD6Py?startSlide=25\" width=\"595\" height=\"485\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"> <\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 5px; text-align: center;\"><strong> <a title=\"2011 03 11 eric ries - the lean startup sxsw\" href=\"\/\/www.slideshare.net\/startuplessonslearned\/2011-03-11-eric-ries-the-lean-startup-sxsw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lean Startup Presentation at SXSW<\/a> <\/strong> by <strong><a href=\"\/\/www.slideshare.net\/startuplessonslearned\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eric Ries<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<p>Lean Startup analyzes failed results by asking \u201cwhy?\u201d Specifically, mistakes are analyzed using a Root Cause Analysis referred to as the \u201c5 Whys\u201d. The goal of this technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by asking the question \u201cwhy\u201d five times.<\/p>\n<p>Each time the question is answered, it creates the basis for the next question. This method allows entrepreneurs to minimize the non-important details of an error, and identify the exact cause of their issue.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201c5 Whys\u201d are a great startup tool if you need to know why things are not working as you expected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take an example of an online supplier of aquarium supplies. After running some keywords through Google Keyword Planner, they found that the keyword \u201chow to clean an aquarium\u201d had a high search volume. To take advantage of this substantial search request, they wrote and published a 10,000-word blog article called, <em>\u201cThe Ultimate Guide on How to Clean an Aquarium.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>After pitching the article to several pet owner journalists, they realized that they hadn\u2019t received a single response from their outreach. Using the \u201c5 Whys\u201d technique, they attempted to discover the root cause of why their aquarium guide was not attracting responses.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what they asked.<\/p>\n<h3>Question 1)\u00a0Why aren\u2019t journalists responding to our pitch?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Answer:<\/span>\u00a0Since XYZ had already tested their pitch format with media outlets in the past, they already knew that it was solid and that they were targeting the right audience. The only logical explanation that they could find was that journalists weren\u2019t interested in their topic or guide.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Question 2)<\/span>\u00a0Why aren\u2019t journalists interested in our content?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Answer:<\/span>\u00a0After doing some research, the team found that there were actually several similar guides available by larger and more well-known brands. Plus, these competing guides were already extremely popular, better written, and more valuable to journalists.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Question 3)<\/span>\u00a0Why didn\u2019t we know that these other guides existed?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Answer: <\/span>The team discussed how they came up with a concept and found that no one had done any research on competitive content before deciding to write the aquarium guide.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Question 4)<\/span>\u00a0Why didn\u2019t we research these guides?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Answer:<\/span>\u00a0Looking back, the team realized that they actually never researched any competitive content before deciding to pursue a concept. Although some of their previous material managed to do well, they realized there was never a competitive research process in place.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Question 5) <\/span>Why didn\u2019t we have a process in place for competitive research?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Answer: <\/span>Simply put, their process was flawed. Even more concerning, they didn\u2019t have a defined process in place for creating content, at all. While they had some success with content in the past, their current process wasn\u2019t designed to support long-term marketing success.<\/p>\n<p>While it would have been easy for the company to ignore their failure and move on to the next content idea, a <em>\u201c5 Whys\u201d<\/em> analysis allowed them to identify many weaknesses. Had they never asked <em>\u201c<\/em>why,<em>\u201d<\/em> they would never have known that it was their content and not their pitch that was defective.<\/p>\n<p>By asking <em>\u201cwhy\u201d<\/em> five times, they not only identified that they needed to research competitive content before dedicating their time to a project, but also that they needed a better overall content production process in place. By identifying these problems, they were able to ensure that their next effort would be considerably more successful. \u00a0This strategy is a key resource for startups.<\/p>\n<h2>Pivot or Persevere?<\/h2>\n<p>According to the Lean Startup, every entrepreneur will eventually face a challenge when building a product &#8211; deciding when to pivot and when to persevere. A pivot is a structured correction designed to test a new fundamental hypothesis about a business model, product, or process.<\/p>\n<p>Occasionally, entrepreneurs must consider whether their progress proves that the original theory is correct, or whether the evidence shows it\u2019s best to pursue a different course of action.<\/p>\n<p>Marketers will face a similar dilemma when producing successful content &#8211; is the idea working, or should the strategy be changed? In the case of the aquarium supply company, evidence revealed that a new approach was needed.<\/p>\n<p>In other situations, the hypothesis may be correct and the marketer should persevere with their original plan. Each test brings a marketer one step closer to knowing what action they <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">should<\/span>\u00a0pursue, and which ones they should discard.<\/p>\n<h2>The Fast Track to Validated Learning<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike \u201clean startups\u201d, marketers have many resources available to help them validate their hypotheses, and learn about their strategy quickly.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canirank.com\/\">CanIRank<\/a><\/span>, for example, offers several practical tools that allow marketers to validate their assumptions, before dedicating resources towards pursuing them. CanIRank approaches Lean SEO with a three step system.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Grow My Content (GMC)<\/h3>\n<p>Instead of assuming which keywords to go after, the GMC tool analyzes the marketer\u2019s site and gives them a ranking probability score for each chosen keyword. The tool also analyzes top ranking pages and shows marketers how their ability to rank measures up against competitors.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1189\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of CanIRank's Grow My Content Tool\" width=\"1299\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-200x90.png 200w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-300x135.png 300w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-400x180.png 400w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-600x269.png 600w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-768x345.png 768w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-800x359.png 800w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-1024x460.png 1024w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid-1200x539.png 1200w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CanIRank-Grow-My-Content-Tool-Grid.png 1299w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1299px) 100vw, 1299px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>2. Improve My Rankings (IMR)<\/h3>\n<p>After you have published your content, it is important to re-optimize it occasionally, until you reach a maximum optimization level. The IMR tool shows marketers exactly what they need to do to improve their rankings by analyzing pages that already rank for the targeted keyword. IMR makes learning much faster; validating what optimization steps to take, by examining what steps are working for top ranking pages.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1030 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Screen-Shot-2016-06-10-at-12.17.17-PM-e1465586400517.png\" alt=\"SEO competitive analysis for agencies\" width=\"700\" height=\"591\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>3. Promote My Content (PMC)<\/h3>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canirank.com\/seo-software\/link-building\">link building tool<\/a> makes it easier than ever for marketers to find opportunities. The software scours the internet to find any questions related to your content topic in forums, groups, or on Q&amp;A platforms; and to identify influencers who have linked to similar or competitive content. Instead of pitching blindly and hoping for a catch, the PMC tool gives marketers the chance to immediately identify high-potential link opportunities.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1981\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot.png\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the competing pages link building strategy for your blog content in CanIRank's tool\" width=\"916\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot-200x134.png 200w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot-300x201.png 300w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot-400x268.png 400w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot-600x402.png 600w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot-768x515.png 768w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot-800x536.png 800w, http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Promote-My-Content-screenshot.png 916w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 916px) 100vw, 916px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>A Final Word on Lean SEO<\/h2>\n<p>Success in anything is never a giant leap, but instead, a series of small but powerful steps. Developing a robust content marketing strategy is no different. Build your SEO strategy one step at a time, proving your assumptions along the way. Always remember, anything that isn\u2019t validated is ultimately just a guess &#8211; and guesses are risky!<\/p>\n<p>Click here for more <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/saas-startup-marketing-tips\/\">startup marketing tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ready to take your first step in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/seo-for-startups\/\">Lean SEO and Agile Content Marketing<\/a>? CanIRank provides all the tools you need to find the keywords that you <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">should<\/span>\u00a0be writing about, and to rank highly for those keywords with well-optimized content. Best of all, you can get it for free! Click below and access the software today!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<span style=\"display:none\" class=\"tl-placeholder-f-type-shortcode_2940\"><\/span><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 { overflow:visible; }<\/style><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Planning and executing a major content marketing and SEO strategy can be time-consuming and very expensive, especially if it fails. While SEO isn\u2019t necessarily as expensive as paid ads, it does require a substantial amount of effort to successfully implement. Instead of taking a large jump and risking failure, what if there was a way [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-improve-your-rankings"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Boost Your SEO Using the Lean Startup Methodology &ndash; CanIRank Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The only way to win at SEO is to learn faster than everyone else. Here&#039;s how to do that using the Lean Startup Methodology.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Boost Your SEO Using the Lean Startup Methodology &ndash; CanIRank Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The only way to win at SEO is to learn faster than everyone else. Here&#039;s how to do that using the Lean Startup Methodology.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CanIRank Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-09T12:41:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-25T18:49:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/leanstartup-fb.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/leanstartup-twitter.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@canirank\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@canirank\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"15 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"CanIRank Blog\",\"description\":\"SEO Tips for Small Businesses, Bloggers, and other Non-Spammers\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/blog.canirank.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/leanstartup.png\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Lean Startup SEO\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/\",\"name\":\"How to Boost Your SEO Using the Lean Startup Methodology &ndash; CanIRank Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/lean-startup-seo\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-09T12:41:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-25T18:49:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.canirank.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/48e050189b363918ac1c73a397b35868\"},\"description\":\"The only way to win at SEO is to learn faster than everyone else. 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