You’ve decided to start a new business venture or lifestyle website and are inevitably wondering how to get found on Google. Here we look at areas to consider when creating your online presence…
You’ll require a domain name and web hosting
The first place to start is here at www.clook.net. Typically, most customers start on our shared hosting platform which has various upgrade paths available if and when your site grows. You’ll need to choose a domain – consider whether you wish to go with your business name or one that details what you provide – for example www.prestondoggroomers.co.uk
Your hosting should be quick. Not only will a slow website deter visitors, the time to first byte is a ranking factor by Google. With LiteSpeed Web Server imminently being rolled out across our shared & reseller network you can rest assured your website is hosted in the best possible place.
Use original content
Your website content should be unique and relevant. The purpose of a search engine is to provide the user with results that match their query. To get found on Google you need to be displaying good quality subject matter. Simply copying from another online source may see you penalised for duplicate content.
Be active. A website written and left alone for years won’t rank as well as a similar site that has regular updates. Include a blog and write about current affairs relating to your website.
SEO / optimisation plugins can make life easy
If you are using the WordPress platform to build your website there are a number of great add-ons that are simple to use and can make a massive difference to your website.
On page SEO plug-ins can guide you on how to write a page/post so that it is optimised for the keywords or phrases you wish to target. Other add-ons can help improve the speed of your site which, as mentioned, is an algorithm that is used by the search engines. There are plug-ins available for caching, image optimisation and ones that simplify code & scripts.
Start a link building campaign
If you are a new business there are many places where you can start the process of gaining backlinks. Directories such as Yell, 192 & Scoot are a great place to start. Another essential addition is to create a business page with Google. The more high quality links to your website the better.
Be careful though, do not farm your link building process out to cheap third parties. A bunch of links to your website from ambiguous sources can have a detrimental effect to your ranking. If you are going to employ someone to create backlinks make sure they have a good reputation and are using known UK platforms.
Use social media
Being active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc is a great way to improve both visitor numbers and how Google views your website. Tweets or posts that become popular with followers interacting with you – be that retweets, mentions, etc – can signal to the search engines that you have written something that is pretty good.
Callbacks to your website from these platforms are also useful and tie in with your link building campaign…
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Finally, it’s worth remembering that you are not going to suddenly appear on page 1 of the results overnight. However, by using original content, optimising your website and posts, gaining good quality inbound links and being active on social media you will find that over time your pages will get found on Google.
