How to rank your website on Google, step by step

01The big picture: help Google to help you

Google works in three stages: it crawls pages, indexes them (analyses and stores them) and shows them when someone searches. Not every page goes through all three. Your job is to make each stage easy and, above all, to offer something worth showing.

Google insists that it does not accept payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher, and that it does not guarantee a page will be crawled, indexed or shown. What exist are practices that raise the chances.

02Step 1: let Google read your website

Google sets three minimum technical requirements for a page to appear in results:

• Googlebot is not blocked (by robots.txt, a login or a security plugin).
• The page works and returns an HTTP 200 status code.
• It has indexable content.

Register your website in Google Search Console and check the page indexing report. If your site is new and has hardly any links, Google may take time to discover it; a sitemap helps, although it is not mandatory.

03Step 2: choose what to target and which page answers it

Ranking is not about stuffing your website with keywords. It is about understanding what your customer types and what they need when they type it (their search intent), and creating the page that best meets it.

1. 1

   List your services and the questions customers ask you.

2. 2

   Decide which page answers each search. One page per service is usually clearer than one page with everything.

3. 3

   Look at what Google’s results offer today for that search: page types, questions, format.

4. 4

   Include the area if you work in a specific location.

5. 5

   Do not repeat the same content across several pages with small variations: Google advises against mass-producing pages.

04Step 3: useful, reliable content

Google asks for content made for people: original, complete, with real experience and clear about who created it. Its self-assessment questions apply: does it offer original information? Does it cover the topic in depth? Would you recommend it to a friend? Is it clear who is behind it?

• Explain what you do, for whom, in which area and what it is like to work with you.
• Add real examples, timescales and terms, not generic phrases.
• Include contact details and an “about us” page with truthful information.
• Review and update: do not change dates just to look fresher.

05Step 4: titles, descriptions, images and links

• Page title: unique, clear and faithful to the content.
• Meta description: short, unique and covering the most relevant points of the page. Google may use it in the snippet, but not always.
• Headings: they help people find their way; the order of headings does not affect Google.
• Images: sharp, close to the text that explains them and with descriptive alt text.
• Links: Google discovers most new pages by following links; link your pages to each other with text that says where they lead.

A good mobile experience, fast loading and HTTPS are also part of what Google recommends to improve visibility.

06Common mistakes that hold rankings back

• Leaving the site blocked after building it, with a noindex or a restrictive robots.txt that nobody removed.
• One page for everything: mixing all your services on the home page makes it hard for Google to know what to rank for each search.
• Generic text: “tailor-made solutions” does not answer any customer question.
• Copied or mass-generated content: Google treats it as a sign of content made for search engines rather than people.
• Not measuring: without Search Console it is impossible to know what works and what does not.

If your website does not appear at all, first read why your website is not on Google.

07Step 5: measure, fix and be patient

With Search Console you will see which searches bring you impressions and clicks, which pages are indexed and which errors there are. Google notes that some changes show within hours and others can take several months, and that it is wise to wait a few weeks before judging a change. We go into it in how long SEO takes to deliver results.

Be wary of anyone who guarantees first place: Google’s own guide says nobody can ensure it. If you prefer professional support, our SEO service starts from a prioritised diagnosis, without promising positions.