Google's Top SEO Tips for Start-ups: If you want your startup website to rank well on Google, why not start with Google's own advice?

As SEO credibility goes, it doesn't get much better than Google's Developer Programs Tech Lead Maile Ohye. In a 10-minute video, she adopts the role of a consultant to deliver all the advice she'd give to a startup whose website has no more than 50 pages of primary content, and a desire to rank for a handful of keywords.

Here are a few highlights of Ohye's tutorial. If your startup business seeks to quickly rank, consider taking these steps:

• Decide if you want visitors to see the www or non-www version of your domain. Major companies like Google and Facebook tend to use the former, but it's up to you.
• Verify ownership of your site in Webmaster Tools. Also sign up for email forwarding, so Google can alert you to potential problems.
• Perform a background check on your domain. If spammers previously owned your domain, it won't rank well.
• Include analytics code. Whether you use Google Analytics or another provider, it's good to start collecting data, even if you're not ready to use it.
• Use strategy in your site design. You'll get different types of visitors—customers, investors, press. Your site should offer an excellent experience to each persona.
• Define your conversion. Make a relevant conversion possible on every page; don't force users to make extra clicks.
• Be smart about your copy. Use keywords in your text that people normally use to find information about your product or service.
• Check on your ranking. Ideally, you'll rank number one for your company name. But also examine how you rank for other terms.
• Play to authentic strengths. If your CEO likes to tweet, if an engineer is on Google+, or if a salesperson enjoys Facebook—encourage their ongoing activity.

Source: Marketing Profs & Google