Getting found in Google

Getting found in Google does not call for secret tricks, but for a series of concrete, verifiable steps. This page lists them; you can read the thinking behind them in SEO foundation.

Start with the essentials

With every search, Google tries to show the most helpful page. Everything you do to become easier to find comes down to that: make clear what a page is about, make sure it works well, and help the search engine find it. The pillars behind this approach — content, technology, structure, keywords and authority — are explained in SEO foundation.

Getting found in Google: concrete steps

Work through the following points page by page. They can largely be carried out independently of one another, so you can start small.

• Give every page its own title and description. The page title (the title tag) and the meta description are often exactly what Google shows in the search results. Make them unique per page, descriptive and not too long, with the most important term at the front.
• Make sure the site is mobile-friendly and fast. Google primarily assesses the mobile version of your site. Look at your pages on a phone and pay attention to the loading time; fast, clearly laid out pages keep visitors on the site. With the free PageSpeed Insights test you can measure this per page and receive concrete points for improvement.
• Write content that answers the question. Think about the question someone has and answer it fully and in plain language. Use headings to break up long texts, so that both the reader and the search engine quickly find the essence.
• Create a Google Business Profile. For local visibility, a free Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one of the quickest steps. Fill in your address, opening hours and category, and keep those details identical to what is on your website.
• Help Google find your pages. Create a sitemap — a list of all your pages — and submit it through Google Search Console. There you can also see whether pages have actually been indexed; only then can they appear in the results.

Measuring and patience

Search visibility cannot be forced in a single day. With Google Search Console you can see which keywords you appear for, how often your pages are shown and what visitors click on; that tells you where the gains are to be made. Look, for example, at pages that are shown often but rarely clicked — a sharper title or description is often enough there. Expect weeks to months before changes take effect, and keep measuring instead of guessing. Small, continuous improvements deliver more in the long run than one big push.

Many technical preconditions — speed, tidy code and a clear structure — are already determined when a site is built. You can read how that works at web design that is easy to find in Google. If you get stuck somewhere, feel free to reach out via Contact us and we will gladly think along with you.