Hiring the right talent is one of the most fiercely contested challenges in the startup world.

Companies like Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI are turning the tech talent market into a full-blown red ocean and for early-stage founders, competing dollar-for-dollar simply isn't an option.

So what should a startup founder do?

Today I want to share a long-term, organic strategy that most founders overlook entirely: building and ranking a career page on your website.

When executed well using proven tactics from the Backlinko blog, it becomes a powerful talent acquisition engine one that reduces your reliance on expensive recruiters while simultaneously strengthening your brand.

Think of it this way: creating the page is 30% of the work.

Ranking it is the other 70%. And that's exactly what this article covers.

Backlinko is a content marketing, SEO, and link-building blog and newsletter that helps marketers and founders grow their businesses organically on Google and AI search platforms.

It was founded by Brian Dean, who built it into one of the most respected SEO resources on the internet before selling it to SEMrush.

If you want to hear Brian's full story, Tim Ferriss featured him in a fantastic episode: From Dad's Basement to Selling Two Companies.

It's well worth your time.

Before you can rank anything, you need a career page worth ranking.

Here is what it should include:

This should be the first thing a visitor sees.

Clearly articulate who you are, what you stand for, and the culture you are building for both your employees and the community you serve.

HubSpot does this exceptionally well.

From the moment you land on their careers page, you know whether it is the right fit for you.

No one wants to work for a company that does not take care of its people. Be explicit about what you offer.

Key benefits worth highlighting include:

Anthropic is a strong example of a company that communicates its benefits clearly and compellingly.

Candidates appreciate knowing what to expect. Walk them through each stage from application to final decision.

Shopify maps this out well: the initial call, the assessment, the life story conversation, the team meeting, and the final decision.

Put a summary of this process directly on the main career page rather than burying it in a FAQ.

Use this space to address anything you could not cover elsewhere compensation questions, remote work policies, timeline expectations, and so on.

Each role should be outcome-based and specific.

A vague job description invites the wrong applicants. Be precise about what success looks like in the role from day one.

Before writing a single word, do your keyword research.

Identify the exact terms your ideal candidates are searching for, then weave them naturally into your copy.

The best tools for this are SEMrush and Ahrefs.

Do not fall into keyword paralysis research enough to inform your writing, then move forward.

Once your page is live, here are five key strategies to help it rank:

Optimizing your page for both search engines and readers is foundational.

The content about On-Page SEO guide covers integrating keywords naturally and developing high-value content that earns both rankings and conversions.

The Backlinko 28 Ways to Increase Website Traffic is a goldmine.

Brian used these exact strategies to grow Backlinko from zero to over 451,000 unique visitors per month.

Adapt the most relevant tactics for your career page and apply them consistently.

Create videos that give candidates a genuine look inside your company your culture, your team, your mission.

Include your career page link in every video description. For long-term compounding traffic, build a dedicated channel.

YouTube subscriber growth guide walks you through the exact playbook Brian used to turn casual viewers into loyal followers.

Relevant, authoritative backlinks can significantly boost your career page's visibility on both Google and AI search platforms.

The blog's resource page link-building guide is an excellent starting point for identifying and securing quality mentions.

Candidates are increasingly turning to AI platforms ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini to research companies and discover opportunities.

Traditional SEO is not dead; the game has simply expanded.

The content about SaaS LLM visibility case study shows how one company is winning in AI search while competing with industry giants.

The strategies shared by the Brian Dean are not shortcuts they’re compounding, long-term investments.

Implement even one of them well and you’ll start seeing results.

Implement all of them, and your career page becomes a genuine competitive advantage.

In a startup world where hiring the right people can make or break your company, founders who think strategically about organic talent acquisition will always have an edge.

This approach will not just reduce your hiring costs it will build a brand that the right talent actively seeks out.

That is it for today.

See you next week.

Brian Dean founded the Backlinko and grew it into one of the world's most respected SEO resources. He later sold it to SEMrush, though its strategies remain widely used by marketers and founders today.

The Backlinko offers proven frameworks on-page SEO, traffic growth tactics, YouTube strategy, and link building that founders can directly adapt to rank their career pages and attract organic talent.

A strong career page should clearly communicate your company mission, employee benefits, interview process, open roles, and FAQs giving candidates everything they need to self-qualify before applying.

Yes. The Backlinko confirms SEO has evolved rather than died.

Optimizing for both Google and AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity maximises career page visibility and organic talent discovery.