We all rely on Google’s powerful search engine to help us run our lives. From learning about the latest trends to getting problem solving advice, we’d find it hard to imagine where we would be without it. It’s easy to think of this platform as something we use to search for information about other people, places or events. Yet, as a small business owner, you also need to think proactively about how people are using it to find you.
Furthermore, there are organized systems at work that determine which sites rank higher than others. The first step in getting found at all is to create a website, which immediately strengthens your online visibility. After that, you have several tools at your disposal to earn your website a top spot on Google’s search engine result pages. In this article, we’ll review what exactly those resources are and how to make the best use of them.
Here’s how to get your website on Google:
Submit your site to Google
Lay a link trail
Choose the perfect keywords
Manage your meta tags
Optimize for mobile
Prove that you’re a local
Run Google Ads
01. Submit your site to Google
While your website will most likely be found at some point by the Google bots constantly crawling the web, you can take a few actions to speed up this important process. Begin by giving Google a quick heads up that you exist by submitting your site to them.
Make sure your website shows up on Google by submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console. This gives Google a nudge to speed up the indexing of your website.
To determine whether your site is already included in Google’s search index, simply do a quick site search using your site’s homepage URL. If the search results display pages from your website, then your site is indeed on Google.
02. Lay a link trail
At this stage, you’ll want to make sure your site appears as one of the top results so that users actually see and click on your pages.
That brings us to another way to get your website on Google: plant links to your site around the web. When the bots reach those blue text hyperlinks, they essentially receive a command to proceed directly to your website.
One way to obtain high-quality backlinks is to write content for other publications or blogs within your niche. This gives you the opportunity to show off your expertise, build the authority of your brand, and add a link back to your site so that readers - and Google - can better find you.
A second option is to post your URL in all of your social media profiles and online directories for your industry or geographic area. Not only do these links make it convenient for potential customers to access your business’s homepage, but they also serve as a superhighway straight to your website.
03. Choose the perfect keywords
Keywords are frequently mentioned in conversations about how to get your website on Google. But what are they and why should you care?
Good keywords are usually 3 to 5-word phrases that a person might search to find a business like yours. When there’s a match between the words people are typing into the search box and the exact terms you’ve included on your website, your listing is more likely to appear in search results. In other words, choosing the right keywords increases your visibility on Google and other search engines.
Let’s say, for instance, that you have a website selling vegan pet food. In that case, you’ll want people who are typing “vegan pet food” into the search box to click on your site. By incorporating the keyword “vegan pet food” throughout your web pages and blog, you improve your chances of appearing on Google for that particular query. This is a valuable on-page SEO technique that, if accomplished strategically, can get your website on Google’s first page.
Let’s expand on this keyword logic a little bit more to explore some other ways these phrases can help you get found on Google. Think about what leads you to reach for your nearest device to consult Google’s wisdom. Sometimes, like in the pet food example above, it’s a more general query. Other times, however, you’re searching for the answer to a very specific question: “What is the weather today?” “What temperature should I bake brownies?” “How do I get my website found on Google?” You know, questions like that.
Your potential customers are no different. You should imagine your audience asking Google the specific question that your business is uniquely primed to answer. Once you do a little keyword research to figure out the commonly searched phrases relevant to your business, your mission is to sprinkle them throughout your content and website SEO settings to let Google know that your website provides the best solution for users.
04. Manage your meta tags
Filling out your site’s meta tags is another strategy for getting your website on Google. Essentially, meta tags are the bits of text that appear in Google search results to give users a preview of the content.
When you type in a query on Google, you’ll see the meta tags displayed in a particular format: blue lettering (called the title tag or SEO title) and the short blurb in black beneath it (called the meta description). Together, this information is referred to as metadata.
This text doesn’t actually show up on your website, but you can pick out clear and concise wording for the metadata of every web page you create. These labels are critical in convincing users to click your link.
Just as you do throughout your website, remember to weave strategic keywords into your metadata. This helps Google identify your content’s relevance to particular queries, further strengthening your chances of getting your site on Google.
05. Optimize for mobile
Mobile devices now account for about half of all global internet traffic. And trust us, not one of those users wants to be squinting their way through cut-off displays on their phones, or images that never seem to fully load.
Google knows this, and they want to keep their own users happy, so they take into account just how mobile-friendly your site is when deciding which pages get listed first in the search results. That means when considering how to get your website on Google, you’ll need to optimize for mobile browsing in order to appear as a top result.
Think about the kinds of instances that lead people to make a purchase on their phone. It’s rarely a casual browsing kind of situation, and more of an ‘I need it now’ action. Google has actually coined a term for this experience: micro-moment. It is “an intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need – to know, go, do, or buy.”
Let this definition guide your choices about what to include on the mobile version of your site. For example, maybe you can do away with the menu options on the homepage that lead to your company story and blog, and focus instead on placing your product gallery front and center. Likewise, if you have a subscription form with multiple entry fields, make it easy on your visitors by reducing the number of questions they must answer on a smaller screen.
In short, when your mobile site provides a quick, valuable solution to a user’s problems, more people will linger and browse. This sends a sign to Google that your website provides a strong answer to a particular search query - and helps your page rank higher as a result.
06. Prove that you’re a local
Local business owners, this step is for you. Within the broader SEO world, there’s an area known as local SEO, where Google helps direct location-specific searchers to solutions in their geographic area. Why is this important? Essentially, most people turn to Google’s search box to find the business they’re looking for before taking a stroll down Main Street.
Google My Business is the response to this reality. It is a directory of business listings that populates what appears on Google Maps, as well as what’s displayed in the Local Pack (that map and three business options that appear at the top of searches with a specified location). In addition to keywords, creating a Google My Business account is one more way to give Google a hint that your business will be a quality result to display to users.
To take advantage of this service, claim your business and fill out your profile with all relevant information, including: business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation and location.
This is yet another instance in which it’s handy to create a website on with me. I will provide SEO provides you with a comprehensive SEO plan, pointing out all the places on your site that you should be optimizing - from your contact details to the text on your homepage - in order to get your website on Google. This makes it easy for users to find you with a quick Google search.
07. Google Ads
Invest in google ads. Get in front of customers when they’re searching for businesses like yours on Google Search and Maps. Only pay for results, like clicks to your website or calls to your business. It's an excellent choice when it comes to advertising your business.
If you would like guidance reach out to me…
Email Me: info@immisterbrands.com
Text Me: (956) 369-9783
Visit my contact Page: immisterbrands.com/contact-mister-brands