How to Get on Google to Boost Online Business
The online buying process often starts with an online search in Google, the search engine giant. For this reason, Internet marketing specialists systematically implement search engine optimisation (SEO), particularly for ranking well in Google. Creating a website is not enough unless it is supported with effective strategies on how to get on Google.
What Google Loves
Google’s primary objective is to provide its users with the most relevant search results and web pages that provide the best user experience. Following this underlying purpose, Google has published some guidelines that teach website owners how to get on Google.
Website design
Aesthetics plays an important role in attracting a specific audience to a web page. While actual design elements can vary depending on the target market, as a rule of thumb, a website design must observe basic characteristics such as a clean looking page with lots of white space.
In addition to finding a website visually appealing, a site visitor must be able to easily find their way around a website, move from page to page, access links and easily find what they need through descriptive headings, links arranged in logical sequence and a user site map.
Keywords or words or phrases commonly typed into search boxes are significant in Google. Carefully researched keywords, when used in reasonable quantities on a website’s pages, are picked up by Google and later shown in search results.
Technical matters
Loading times and file readability are vital to website success. Fast page loading times encourage visitors to stay and enhance user experience. Google, however, views web pages differently by crawling the code behind a page for text content that may provide clues to what a page is all about. Thus, Google may find it difficult to index flash files. Image files may be indexed if they are accompanied by descriptive words in their Alt attributes so make sure you take the time to add titles and descriptions to your images. Moreover, flash files weigh down a web page and can slow down loading times. A website must be tested to ensure that it appears correctly in different browsers and that all links actually work. You can check the load speed of your website pages using this Google tool which also tells you what you can do to improve.
Quality content
Create pages that provide useful, unique and keyword-rich content. Originality is essential as Google’s recent algorithm change eliminated or demoted search rankings of duplicate content. Using the right keywords to best describe the content of a website is also another factor in SEO. Online businesses must invest time and resources in keyword research to obtain the best keywords.
Content you share on your website should always be useful and interesting to your visitors. That could be an article providing information, an interesting infographic or a “how to” video. Experiment with different media. Remember that Google’s stated mission is to
To allow them to deliver this mission, they rely on you, their customers. The better regarded you are by your customers and community, the more Google will take notice of you.
Google reminds website owners that no single tool or technique can teach anyone how to get on Google. Through its published guidelines, Google teaches that a combination of website design, technical elements and content quality improve search rankings for attracting the right type of clients.
If you want to know how to get on Google and grow your business online, have us complete an Online Marketing Review of your website and online presence.
*Editor’s Note: This post has been updated on August 2020 for accuracy.