Get Your Website on Google – Follow This Guide!
As a business owner, you know that website traffic is key to your success. You may also know that the best way to get website traffic is to rank high on Google.
Unfortunately, ranking high on Google isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. There are many working parts that go into ranking number one on Google. Algorithm changes, competition upgrading their websites, outdated website code…the list goes one. The hurdles are higher, especially, if you’re new to the online business world. This may seem like a daunting task. But wait! There’s hope to get your website on Google.
Google rankings aren’t random and can almost be looked at formulaically. Of course, you’re never going to know what type of effort your competitors are putting in, but there are ways to make sure that you’re doing everything that you can to rank at the top of the search results. In this step-by-step guide, we will teach you how to get your website on Google, and how to get ranked on the first page of Google!
A lot of this is trial and error and you’ll need to keep an eye on your Google rankings and analytics. Be patient as this is a long-term marketing strategy. Keep trudging along as you venture further into the Google-top-ranking journey. Trust us, we know it isn’t easy, but visible on the first few pages on Google is very important.
What Makes a Website Rank High on Google?
First thing’s first to get your website on Google, you need to understand the basics of why certain websites show up on the first page of Google and why others don’t. Put simply, it all comes down to SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.
There are two types of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to the factors that you can control on your website, such as the content, website design, and website structure. Off-page SEO includes everything else, such as backlinks from other websites and social media engagement. Both are important for ranking high on Google, but in this blog post, we will be focusing mostly on on-page SEO since that is what you have the most control over. Let’s take a more detailed look into each one:
On-Page SEO Factors:
- Content: This is by far the most important on-page SEO factor to get your website on Google. The content on your website needs to be high quality, keyword rich, and informative if you want it to rank high on Google.
- Website design: A website that is easy to navigate and looks professional will also help get your website on Google. This is because Google wants to provide its users with the best possible experience and a website that is difficult to use or has a lot of errors is not going to give them a good experience.
- Website structure: The structure of your website, such as the organization of your pages and the way that your website navigation is set up, can also impact your website’s ranking. This is related to website design, but it’s worth mentioning separately.
Off-Page SEO Factors:
- Backlinks: Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They act as a vote of confidence for your website and Google takes them into account when determining your website’s ranking. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the easier it will be to get your website on Google, and the higher your website will rank.
- Social media engagement: Social media engagement is also taken into consideration by Google when they are determining rankings. This includes things like the number of social media shares, likes, and comments that your website or blog post gets.
That covers the basics of how to get your website on Google! Now let’s take a look at some specific ways that you can improve your own website’s ranking.
3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Website’s Ranking on Google
Before we get into it, we want to remind you of one important factor to get your website on Google: time. It takes time for these strategies to work and that means you may not see a change as quickly as you’d like! Improving your SEO can feel a bit like trial and error at times. You try something for a month and it works great, so you continue… or you try something for a month, and it doesn’t make a difference at all, so you stop.
Remember that other business owners are going through the exact same process that you’re going through (Seriously! We’ve been through it, too!) and you just have to keep trying and learning as you go. Keep a close eye on the analytics, pay attention to what works and what doesn’t for your specific business, and be patient and flexible. Okay, now with that out of the way… let’s get into the good stuff!
#1: Publish High-Quality Content
This should come as no surprise, but publishing high-quality content is the number one way to get your website on Google, and improve your website’s ranking on Google. We can’t stress enough how important it is for the content on your website to be well-written, informative, and keyword rich.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating content for your website:
- Write for your audience first and search engines second: It’s important to remember that the goal of your website is to attract visitors and give them the information they are looking for. While you do want to include keywords so that your website will rank higher on Google, stuffing tons of keywords into your content is not going to make for a good user experience. Write your content for your audience and the keywords will naturally flow in.
- Use keyword research to find the right keywords to get your website on Google: Keyword research is a process where you use specific tools (like Google AdWords Keyword Planner) to find words or phrases that people are searching for related to your business. Once you’ve found some good keywords, try to work them into your content as naturally as possible.
If you’re not a strong writer or if you’re short on time, there are some other options you can explore. You can hire a freelance writer to create content for your website or blog or you can use a service like Google Adsense to place relevant ads on your website. Just keep in mind that the goal is still to provide valuable, high-quality content for your website visitors.
Now that we’ve covered some general tips for creating content to get your website on Google, let’s move on to some specific types of content that tend to perform well from an SEO standpoint.
- Blog Posts: Blog posts are a great way to add fresh, keyword-rich content to your website on a regular basis. They also give you an opportunity to show off your expertise in your industry and build trust with your website visitors.
- Product Descriptions: If you have an e-commerce website, make sure that your product descriptions are well-written and informative. This is another great opportunity to use keywords to improve your website’s ranking on Google.
- Landing Pages: A landing page is a specific type of web page that’s designed to convert website visitors into leads or customers. They typically include a strong call-to-action and some additional information about the product or service you’re offering. Landing pages can be extremely effective from an SEO standpoint because they give you an opportunity to target long-tail keywords (keywords that are very specific, usually including three or more words).
SEO is a complex and ever-changing beast, but publishing high quality content is always going to be one of the best ways to improve your website’s ranking on Google. So if you’re not already doing it, start creating some great content for your website today!
#2: Restructure Your Website to be SEO-Friendly
No matter how great your website’s content is, if your website isn’t structured in a way that makes it easy for Google to index and crawl, you’re not going to get your website on Google. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to website structure:
- Use descriptive title tags: Title tags are the HTML elements that specify the title of a web page. They go between the opening and closing head tags on a web page. It’s important to include keywords in your title tags because they give Google an idea of what your website is about.
- Make sure your website has a sitemap: A sitemap is an XML file that lists all of the pages on your website. It’s a good idea to submit your website’s sitemap to Google so they can index all of your website’s pages. You can use a tool like XML-Sitemaps.com to generate a sitemap for your website.
- Use internal linking: Internal linking is the process of linking from one page on your website to another page on your website. This helps Google understand the structure of your website and it also helps improve the flow of traffic between your website’s pages.
By following these tips, you can make sure you get your website on Google, and that Google has no trouble indexing and crawling your website which will help improve your SEO in the long run.
#3: Optimize Your Website for Mobile
One final SEO tip that we want to mention to get your website on Google is the importance of designing your website for mobile. In 2018, Google released a mobile-first index which means that they now use the mobile version of your website to determine your website’s ranking on SERPs.
If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, it’s time to make some changes. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your website is designed for mobile:
- Use responsive design to get your website on Google: Responsive design is a type of web design where your website automatically adjusts to fit the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on. This is important because it makes it easy for users to navigate and consume your content, no matter what device they’re using.
- Keep your website’s design simple: When it comes to mobile web design, less is more. You want to make sure that your website’s design is clean and easy to navigate. Too much clutter will only make it harder for users to find what they’re looking for.
- Use large font sizes: It’s important to use large font sizes on your website so that users can easily read your content on a small screen. Try to use at least 16px for body text and 24px for headings.
Making your website mobile-friendly is one of the best things you can do from an SEO standpoint to get your website on Google. So if you haven’t already, be sure to redesign your website with mobile in mind.
Ranking high on Google is every website owner’s dream. After all, what good is a website if no one can find it? But with millions of websites out there vying for attention, it can be tough to get your website to stand out. By following these three tips, you can make sure your website is in good shape.
Publishing high-quality content, restructuring your website for SEO, and optimizing your website for mobile are all important steps to take to get your website on Google, and to improve your website’s ranking on Google. So what are you waiting for? Get started today! And if you’re not sure what to do or where to go from here, reach out to us…we’re always happy to lend a helping hand.
Happy evolving!