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Are you looking to improve your website’s visibility on Google and attract more visitors? The SEO service team at EnspireFX Websites created this SEO starter guide to help business owners, marketers, and webmasters understand essential SEO strategies, so you can optimize your site for better search rankings and increased traffic.
This is important for your business because a well-optimized website is crucial for reaching potential customers and staying ahead of the competition. Studies show that 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (Backlinko, 2023).
Without proper SEO, even the best-designed websites can struggle to rank, leading to lost opportunities and lower visibility for your business’ products and services. By understanding and applying effective SEO strategies, you can improve your website’s performance, drive organic traffic, and ultimately grow your business.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When you built your website, your main focus was likely on making it easy for users to navigate and find information. But search engines are also users—ones that help others discover your content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of ensuring that search engines can understand your site, helping users find it more easily and decide whether to visit.
Google’s Search Essentials outline key factors that determine whether a site can appear in search results. While there’s no guarantee that a particular website will be indexed, following these guidelines increases your chances. SEO takes this a step further by optimizing your site’s visibility in search. This guide will cover effective strategies to improve your website’s search presence.
There are no shortcuts to instantly ranking first on Google, and not all SEO tactics will apply to every business. However, by following best practices, you can make it easier for search engines—Google and others—to crawl, index, and interpret your content.
How Google Search works
Google is an automated search engine that continuously explores the web using programs called crawlers. These bots search for new pages and add them to Google’s index. Most websites appear in search results without any action from their owners—simply publishing your site online is often enough.
If you’d like a deeper understanding, Google provides documentation on how it discovers, crawls, and indexes web pages.
How long does SEO take to show results?
SEO changes don’t produce instant results. Some updates may take effect in hours, while others require months. Typically, you should wait a few weeks to assess whether an SEO adjustment has improved your visibility in search results. Not every change will have a noticeable impact, so if results are unsatisfactory, consider refining your approach and testing different strategies.
Help Google to find your content
Before making any changes, check whether Google has already indexed your site. You can do this by searching site:yourwebsite.com on Google. If your site appears in the results, it’s already indexed. If not, there may be technical reasons preventing it from being discovered.
Google primarily finds new pages through links from other websites. These external links develop naturally over time, but you can also speed up discovery by promoting your site.
For a more technical approach, consider submitting a sitemap—a file listing your site’s key pages. Many content management systems (CMS) generate sitemaps automatically, but manual submission isn’t required if your site is already well-linked.
Ensure Google sees your site correctly
Google should see your site the same way a user does. If crucial resources like CSS or JavaScript are blocked, Google may struggle to understand your page, which can hurt your rankings.
Additionally, if your website displays different content based on a visitor’s location, ensure that Google’s US-based crawlers see the correct version. Use Google’s URL Inspection Tool in Search Console to check how Google views your page.
Exclude pages from Google Search
Not all pages should appear in search results. You might want to prevent certain content—like personal pages or private company data—from being indexed. Google provides multiple ways to exclude pages from search results, such as robots.txt rules and noindex tags.
Organize your site for better SEO
A well-structured site helps both users and search engines understand how different pages relate to each other. While Google can index your site regardless of its structure, a logical organization can improve user experience and indexing efficiency.
Use descriptive URLs
URLs should be clear and meaningful, helping users and search engines understand page content.
- Good URL example: https://www.example.com/pets/cats.html
- Bad URL example: https://www.example.com/2/6772756D707920636174
Group related pages in directories
If your site has thousands of pages, organizing them into directories can help Google determine how frequently to crawl different sections.
Example:
- https://www.example.com/policies/return-policy.html (Rarely updated)
- https://www.example.com/promotions/new-promos.html (Frequently updated)
Google may adjust its crawling frequency based on how often pages within a directory change.
Avoid duplicate content
Having the same content under multiple URLs can confuse users and search engines. While Google tries to identify a canonical URL (the main version of a page), it’s best to specify it yourself.
To handle duplicates:
- Use redirects to point duplicate pages to the preferred version.
- Add canonical tags (rel=”canonical”) to indicate the main page.
Create engaging and useful content
The quality of your content influences your search rankings more than any other factor. Here’s what makes content stand out:
- Well-written and easy to read: Use clear language, correct grammar, and structured formatting. Break up text into sections with headings.
- Unique and original: Avoid copying content from other sites. Write based on your own expertise.
- Regularly updated: Keep content fresh and relevant. Remove outdated information when necessary.
- Helpful and authoritative: Provide accurate, well-researched information that users can trust.
Understanding search intent
Think about what users might type into Google to find your content. People with different levels of knowledge may use different keywords. For example:
An expert might search for “UX design principles.”
A beginner might search for “how to make a website easy to use.”
While Google is good at matching content to search queries, writing with your audience in mind can improve your results.
Avoid excessive ads
While ads help monetize content, they shouldn’t be overly intrusive. Avoid pop-ups or interstitial pages that disrupt user experience.
Effective linking strategy
Links are essential for both users and search engines. Google finds most new pages through links, so internal and external linking should be part of your SEO strategy.
Writing good anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. It should clearly describe what the linked page is about.
- Good example: <a href=”https://www.example.com/best-coffee”>Best coffee in town</a>
- Bad example: <a href=”https://www.example.com/best-coffee”>Click here</a>
How to link responsibly
When linking to external sites, ensure they are trustworthy. If you’re unsure, add a nofollow tag to prevent Google from associating your site with potentially low-quality content.
For user-generated content (e.g., forum posts or blog comments), automatically add nofollow attributes to prevent spammers from abusing your site.
How to control how your site appears in Google Search
Google search results typically include:
- Title link – The clickable blue link
- Snippet – A short page description
How to optimize title links
The title link is often generated from your <title> tag, but Google may adjust it based on page content. To influence your title link:
- Ensure each page has a unique, descriptive title.
- Include your business name or relevant keywords if appropriate.
How to improve meta descriptions
The snippet under the title link is usually pulled from page content or the meta description. While Google may override meta descriptions, writing good ones increases the chances of them being used.
A strong meta description is:
- Concise (under 160 characters)
- Unique for each page
- Clear about the page’s content
Conclusion
SEO is an ongoing process, but by following these best practices, you can improve your website’s visibility in search results. Focus on creating high-quality content, optimizing site structure, and ensuring a smooth user experience. While SEO takes time, consistent effort will lead to better search performance over time.
