How to Show Up on Google

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4 Sep, 2018

4 mins read

How to show up in Google – If you’re not showing up on page one for Google, you’re missing out on a ton of traffic. Traffic that converts to sales and drives customer loyalty.

It is essential to have a Search Engine Optimization strategy.  Today, that’s how to show up on Google.  SEO is important.  It’s the secret of how to show up on Google.  There are three basic SEO areas that need to be addressed: On-Page, Off-Page & Competitive Research.

Show Up on Google: On-Page

This is exactly what it sounds like.  You first need to start with a solid foundation for your web pages.

Your site needs to be indexable, quick, and structured well to rank and show up on Google.  We’ve listed a few items below that are important for on-page SEO.

Meta Tags

This is what shows up when you type something into Google. You use tags on your page to tell indexing bots how to show up on Google.

meta tags

Alt Text

Alternative text for images tells Google what an image is actually having to understand the image itself.

alt text

Site Speed & Security

Mobile searches are now nearly 60%. If your site renders quickly, Google will reward you.

Speed up your site with caching, upgrading your server, and compressing your images to start. Secure domains are becoming the norm. If people don’t see the green lock in the corner, they can’t be 100% sure that your site isn’t being spoofed or containing malware.

Internal Linking

Wikipedia is a great example of why internal linking maters. If you give visitors links to all the information they need quickly it lowers your bounce rate and increase the time spent on your website – two factors important to show up on Google.

Sitemap & Analytics

Sitemaps show Google what pages it needs to index and how your site is structured.

Show Up on Google: Off-Page

Social Pages

It’s important to have a complete and consistent social presence. Facebook is a must but you don’t have to do it all. Only choose social media platforms that make sense for you and that you can maintain.

Indexes & Aggregators

There are dozens of indexes and aggregators from Yandex and Bing to Yellowpages. It’s a good idea to be listed everywhere to make it easier to be found.

Google My Business

If you want to show up on the local search on Google you need a business page. This helps you stand out even more for local traffic when people seek you out.

Google Search Console

It’s one of the best ways to analyze your traffic and make sure there are no indexing errors on your website. You can easily see what keywords your ranking for, your position and the clickthrough rates. You can use that information to improve your content and track your progress.

Google Search Console

Competitive Research

Keyword Research

Use SEO tools to discover opportunities that your competitors aren’t going after.

Also, dig into your Google Analytics to see what you’re already ranking for in the 11-15 spot and see if you can improve your content for that keyword if it’s relevant.

Backlinking Opportunities

See if you have mentions online that aren’t linking to you and ask them for a backlink. Also make sure you have links to your site wherever it makes sense, like on the nonprofit website that you chair.

Content Creation

Content is everything. Google can’t index what doesn’t exist. You need to have a content schedule that’s based on your keyword research. Then you just have to do it. Write blog posts as often as you can that are relevant.

Outreach Plan

Take your content to the world and build out your sphere of influence online. Connect with people in your industry, fans of yours or others companies that compliment your industry.

Now What? How to show up on Google.

We’ve just scratched the surface on a $65 billion search industry.  There is a lot to growth marketing agency SEO and it takes time to do it right.

Our clients have seen huge improvements in organic search traffic when implementing this approach.  One client saw 72% improvement in just 60 days. SEO takes discipline and focus but pays off in the long run.  That same client dramatically reduced their paid search budget because they’re getting quality organic leads.

That’s what it takes to show up in Google… today.  The algorithm is always evolving which means your job is never done!  Best of luck in your SEO journey.

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