Make your website easier to find on Google.
That was the topic of a workshop that I was giving to the cleanup coaches during a reunion.
There were more workshops that day, but mine was one of the most visited with more than 50 attendees!
It is a good sign that this question in on the mind of many people: How to make your website easier to find on Google.
You have a new website and you hope that it will get many visitors.
But that’s not how it works.
You need to put in some effort
Website easier found on Google
There are different ways to attract more visitors to your website.
You don’t have to pay for it, there are also ways to grow your website ‘organically’, without the use of advertisements.
I am drawing from my own experience, because I have also applied these to my own website.
I will give you 11 tips on how to double your visitor amount.
Here we go!
TIP 1: publish on your website
It is a very simple tip, but a very important one. Make sure that you regularly add something new to your website.
This can be a blog, a new page or even a knowledge database.
Because the more you publish on your website, the bigger the chance that Google will find you.
A website with 100 pages is often easier to find than one with 10 pages.
Obviously it is also important that you deliver good content.
TIP 2: choose the right keywords
Very important! You shouldn’t just write any article. First look at what people are looking for. Subjects for which there is a need, will be ranked higher by Google.
I will show you two ways how to find out.
Firstly there is Google Trends. This is an online tool with which you can look at which keywords are most sought after and how often.
In the video below I will show how this basically works.
A second tool to find out which are popular keywords, is the Google keyword planner.
Another tip: don’t choose too many general words, like ‘wordpress’ or ‘blog’. There has already been written so many articles about this, and the chance you will be found on these keywords is very small.
It’s better to choose 3, 4, or even 5 or 6 keywords, like ‘creating wordpress website photography responsive’.
People are often actively searching for certain subjects. The more specific you make the keywords, the bigger the chance they will end up at your article.
An alternative for Google is the keyword tool Ubersuggest. It is a relatively new online tool to do keyword research.
Ubersuggest is free and accessible to everyone. And it’s also a very user-friendly keyword planner that’s easy to use.
TIP 3: optimize your pages
An essential part of being found better on Google is optimizing your articles.
In the following video I will show you how it basically works.
Besides the optimization tips in the video there are also other important criteria.
A 1000+ word article for example, has a better chance at ranking high in Google than a short article.
The principle is: the more added value you provide for your reader, the more it is appreciated by Google and in turn rewarded with a higher ranking.
TIP 4: use FREE online tools
To be found, it helps if you have a good, effective and fast loading website.
So you need to work on design, a clear navigation and for example the speed of your website.
On the internet you can find a lot of FREE online tools to help you with this.
This is Canva’s front page, the design program.
I will give you a few tools with which you can improve your website:
- Canva (my favourite tool, with this you yourself can improve the design and layout of your website);
- TinyPNG (compress photos so you website will load faster);
- Pagespeed (measure the speed of your website);
- Site checkup (this tool gives a test total of how your website stands).
And there are many more tools which you can use (partly) for free.
You will be easier found on Google. The better your website, the more visitors will come, and this will off course not go unnoticed by Google.
TIP 5: Backlinks
Google has determined criteria (there are hundreds!), causing a website to rank higher in the search results.
Two important ones are:
Creating backlinks. These are links which link from another website to yours. This is still an important indicator for Google to rank your website high within the search results. The more backlinks, the better. But: try to only get backlinks from websites which also rank high in Google. Those that are good, and deliver extra value. My advice is to ask other website owners if they want to place a link to your website. But it is important that this is a good website which has proven it’s worth. The better the website, the stronger your backlink will become.
Internal linking. Turn your website into a kind of spider web. By creating links from one article to the other, from the front page to the contact page, etc. It looks like this:
TIP 6: Definitely use social media
Social media is important to be found easier. Every time you write an article, you can share it through Facebook or LinkedIn.
The chance that those who visit your social media will also end up on your website, will obviously increase.
If you don’t feel like it, or you don’t have the time to post a message on social media every day, then you can also automate it.
For example with the Buffer tool. Here you can first create a couple of messages for use on social media and then you can publish them on different dates with the help of a schedule function.
Facebook also has this function, but with Buffer you can also add other social media, like Twitter and Pinterest, which don’t have this automatic function.
TIP 7: vary with content (and use genres)
9 out of 10 articles consist of text and images.
Quite boring…
Try to write attractive and especially diverse content.
For example create an interview with one of your customers. With the genre: question-answer.
If you’re not much of a writer, you could also send the questions, and the customer could answer them. Then just edit the text and you have another great article.
Other genres are:
- column
- list (the best 10 tips for…)
- atmosphere report
- infographic
You can easily make infographics yourself these days. With Piktochart you can choose from free templates to compose your own infographic.
TIP 8: Give something away on your website
If you give your visitors a gift, they will greatly appreciate it. There is also a chance they will return more often.
Which things could you give?
- e-book;
- free consultation;
- e-course.
The latter is not so hard anymore, since MailChimp has made the automation function available for free. It is really fun to offer your visitors or customers a great course.
Want to know how to do this? Read the article Create your own online course with Mailchimp automation.
TIP 9: perfect your Google business card
If you sign up your own business with Google business, then Google will mention all kinds of information about your business in the right side column beside the search results.
Contact information, visiting hours, reviews about your company.
It enlarges your visibility on the internet and it is a good way to draw attention.
TIP 10: Measure & monitor
Google has two great and very extensive tools to view website statistics and to monitor your website.
Do you want extensive statistics about your website? Read more about Google Analytics
Do you want to monitor your website? Read more about Google Search Console.
With both tools you can get a lot of information above water to enhance your website and make it more efficient.
TIP 11: The golden tip!
You need to keep working on all of the above tips every day.
Spend a few hours every week, the more the better, on your website.
The better the website, the better it will be found on Google.
Conclusion
You really don’t need to advertise with Google Adwords. There are enough options to make your website easier found on Google.
Advertising is expensive, the above tips are all free.
If you want to rank higher within the search results, then you need to work for it.
It does require a lot of discipline to work on your website every day.
But if you have a free hour somewhere, just fill it by working on your website.
It is handy to make a list with points of improvement for your website.
And at a certain point you will even start to enjoy it. Because once you see the amount of visitors increasing, it gives a lot of satisfaction.
