If there is one thing businesses want and need today is getting found in search engines, specifically the giant and most popular of all – the great Google.

And I mean to say, not just get found on Google, but to appear on the first page of search results. This is why when building a website everything is planned out strategically from choosing a domain name to how you send traffic to your website domain.

Getting picked up on page one in search engines is a great way to attract targeted ideal prospects to your business. These people are your low hanging fruit because they are typing in search terms indicating they are researching the problem your business solves and/or they are ready to make a buying / hiring decision right now.

So, HOW can you help improve your chances of having your business website get found on Google? Let us hear from these 8 experts who shared their tips to help you get found online.

Choose Exactly Which Keyword You Want To Be Found For

Fiona Flintham shares on The First Thing You Must Do To Get Found On Google

First mistake many people make – is choosing the wrong keywords.

Words and phrases that either have billions of results and so are hugely competitive (think ‘iphone’, ‘coke’, ‘how to be happy’ (!)):

That’s never going to end well.

Or, the other end of the scales is choosing keywords and phrases that no-one searches for. Or using jargon or language that your ideal customers don’t use.

Choose a keyword phrase that’s specific enough to your business (read ‘not massively competitive’) but which has enough people searching for it that you will benefit from being there on the search results.

Best way to choose?

Research it.

Take the time to sit down and use a keyword research tool to find which words and phrases your audience are searching for, AND which is not too competitive.

Invest In A Good Hosting Provider

Nick Schäferhoff’s article on 15 Tips To Get Your WordPress Website Indexed By Google puts emphasis on using a good hosting provider.

One of the first potential barriers to getting indexed by Google is the hardware your site runs on.

Slow server speed, downtime, and disconnects can cause search spiders to abandon their cause. While not very common, it is a possibility.

Since in hosting you get what you pay for, investing in a quality host with good hardware and excellent availability is always worth it.

Responsive Web Design, Technical SEO And Good Hierarchy

In Marilie Doman’s article on 10 ways to get found on Google in 2016

Have a great-looking website that does not only cater for desktop users, but also for mobile. Also, make sure that all the technical elements have been taken care of with the Web Developer’s SEO Cheat Sheet and Google’s Webmaster Guidelines (this includes making sure that you have good page load speed time), and do regular checks for errors on the site, from 404s to 500 server errors. Having a proper hierarchy will not just improve user experience, but will also assist in rankings.

Use Relevant Images And Videos

Kristi Hines’ article on 5 Ways to Make Your Blog Appear in Search Engines

People love pictures and video, so why not include a few photos or YouTube videos in your blog? Not only will your readers appreciate the compelling content, but the search engines will rank your blog more favorably as well.

When you use search engine-optimized videos and images in your articles, your blog will come up more frequently in video and image related searches, and it will get more traffic. Whatever images or video you use, be sure to match your media to the audience you want to attract.

Create A Sitemap

Mike Brown shares his thoughts on The Secrets to Getting Your Blog Indexed on Google

To help Google get a head start on indexing your site, consider creating a site map.

A site map is a unique XML document that essentially provides a detailed list of each of your website’s pages and their content. It helps search engines realize when your blog adds new pages and alerts Google that it should check back for any new changes, both of which are things that can help you get indexed faster and gain a more positive spot in the SERPs once you’ve been indexed.

To create a site map on a WordPress blog, all you need to do is install Google’s XML Site maps Plugin.

This plugin will automatically generate a site map for your blog and submit it to the search engines of your choice.

Scrubbing Up For Social Sharing

Jin Wang offer’s his advise on Get found in Google, Facebook & Twitter with Meta Tags

When people share your content on social media how does it look? What can we do to make it as engaging as possible in the blink of an eye, and in a sea of other posts?

Going back to sharing my article on Facebook:

To start, you can see why it’s so important to have a featured image for each post. In the before picture, I’ve removed my featured image. See how Facebook grabs any image it can find (my Author Website Buyer’s Guide cover). One that isn’t even related to my article.

Mobile-Friendly Website

Dave Lawrence from Follow Up Boss shares the importance of a mobile-friendly websites in his article 4 Simple Tips To Get Your Small Real Estate Business Found Online

Google outright told us last year that they were expanding their use of mobile-friendliness as a search ranking factor. It’s easy to see why: Google’s job is to deliver quality results to search engine users, and a huge number of those users are searching by mobile.

Besides helping your search engine ranking, being mobile-friendly is helpful to give your customers a better experience. Mobile-friendly websites are optimized to fit the mobile device, meaning they are easier to navigate and require less “pinching” of the screen.

Vendors, & Partner Testimonials

Huyen Truong gives importance to testimonials on his article 6 Simple Tips to Rank High in Google’s Search Engine

Always give online testimonials to your suppliers, business partners or anyone else you can give a testimonial to, as it is a great way to get free back links from legitimate websites. Don’t forget to include your strategic keywords into your testimonials and hyperlink it back to the appropriate webpage from your website.
Following the tips above and doing your research are all starter steps in helping your business get found on Google. Of course, there is more to it than just these 8 tips alone. Otherwise, SEO agencies would not exist. But, use this as your starter checklist to set a good foundation for getting your website found by Google.

For more tips on how you boost your business check out 10 Things You Can Do to Generate a Buzz to Boost Your Business

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS:    What is another tip (or question) you have on getting your website found on Google searches? Please share below: