Launching a new website is a proud moment, but sometimes, the excitement can fade when you realize the work isn’t over yet. It’s a big digital world out there, and standing out takes more than just a sleek design or engaging content. It’s about understanding and leveraging the right tools and strategies to improve your website’s visibility.
So, what makes a perfect site ranking strategy post-launch?
A lot, actually. But don’t worry – we’ll break it down into 10 easy steps on how to get your website at the top of Google and other search engines.
Here’s an overview of the search engine optimization (SEO) steps you’ll take to rank up your website:
1. Find Your Website’s Best Keywords
2. Promote and Integrate Your Website on Social Media
3. Set Up Google Analytics
4. Focus on Strong Site Structure and User Experience
5. Engage in Link Building Activities
6. Implement Technical SEO Best Practices
7. Optimize for Local Searches
8. Ensure Mobile-Readiness
9. Improve Snippets for Search Results
10. Don’t Leave Your Website Hanging!
Step 1: Find Your Website’s Best Keywords
“The obvious first step should be keyword research for the on-page SEO,
“This is crucial for understanding user intent and optimizing content.”
This includes short- and long-tail keywords to rank a website effectively.
So, for your website to rank on the first page of search results, it’s essential to find keywords that are relevant and have a high search volume.
1. Start With Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the starting point of your keyword research. They define your niche and help you identify your competitors.
Think about the main topics of your website, and jot down the terms and phrases that are the most relevant to your content and how to get your website at the top of Google.
These are your initial ideas that you’ll expand on later with keyword tools.
2. Expand Your List With Keyword Tools
Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest or Ahrefs to expand your seed list.
These tools provide you with data on factors like:
• Search volume
• Competition
• Trends
They also help you find long-tail keywords (specific, lower competition keywords) and give insights into what people are searching for in your niche.
3. Understand Search Intent
Search intent is crucial when you rank website on Google. It’s about understanding why people are searching for a particular term.
Is it to buy something, to get information or to find a specific website?
You need to ensure that the content you create matches the search intent of your chosen keywords in a new website SEO strategy. To do this, search the keywords yourself and see what types of content come up and how to rank websites.
4. Keep an Eye on Competitor Keywords
Look at the keywords your competitors are using to rank a website.
Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush provide insights into the keywords your competitors are targeting and their ranking. This step helps you identify keyword gaps – opportunities where you can create content in areas your competitors might have overlooked.
Step 2: Promote and Integrate Your Website on Social Media
Wondering why it’s crucial to promote your website on social media?
Social media platforms serve as potent SEO tools, enhancing your online visibility and traffic. Given their billions of active users, developing a robust social media strategy is imperative. Notably, Google now indexes discussion forums and social networks to highlight valuable content in its Perspectives filter, emphasizing the importance of leveraging social media for broader reach and improved search engine presence.
• Display Social Media Icons and Share Buttons:
These act as visual links to your various social media accounts, making it easy for visitors to find and connect with you on platforms like Facebook, X (previously Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn. You can place these icons in the header, footer or sidebar of your SEO optimized website.
• Embed Social Media Feeds:
Embedding feeds from your social media accounts on your website not only adds visual interest but also provides fresh and engaging content for your visitors.
• Interact on Social Media and Build Your Community:
Engage with your followers and other users in your niche on social media. Share helpful content, answer questions and participate in discussions to establish yourself as a reliable, expert source.
It may not be obvious, but social media and new website SEO steps are heavily intertwined, so it’s a good idea to integrate them both into your strategy.
Step 3: Set Up Google Analytics
Understanding how visitors engage with your website is crucial for achieving success online. This is where Google Analytics becomes invaluable. It’s a robust tool designed to monitor and analyze website traffic, offering insights into user behavior and preferences.
To get started with Google Analytics, follow these steps:
Create a Google Analytics Account: Sign in with your Google account and set up a new account for your website by entering basic details such as the website’s name and URL.
- Install the Tracking Code: Upon setup, Google Analytics provides a unique tracking code. Embed this code on every page of your website. Integration methods vary; it can be easily added via CMS platforms like WordPress or manually inserted into your site’s HTML.
- Define Goals and Track Traffic: Within Google Analytics, establish specific goals to monitor conversions or key actions, such as form submissions or product sales. Regularly review the Analytics dashboard to analyze traffic sources and user interactions.
- Utilize Reports for Insights: Leverage the various reports available in Google Analytics to make informed decisions. Audience reports offer insights into visitor demographics, Acquisition reports detail how users discover your site, and Behavior reports provide a comprehensive view of user engagement on your website.
Step 4: Focus on Strong Site Structure and User Experience
Developing a website that is well-organized and user-friendly is essential for enhancing both search engine rankings and user engagement. A clear and intuitive site structure improves website usability, making it easier for visitors and search engines to navigate and locate content efficiently.
Key components of this updated website SEO strategy include:
– Implementing a straightforward navigation menu
– Establishing a clean hierarchy of pages
– Utilizing internal linking effectively
Additionally, having a sitemap is vital for guiding search engines through your site’s content. For optimal user experience, factors such as design aesthetics, page loading speed, and mobile responsiveness are crucial considerations in achieving higher search engine rankings.
User experience (UX) also revolves around delivering high-quality, relevant content that addresses the interests of your target audience. It’s important to incorporate clear calls-to-action (CTAs) and ensure accessibility for all users, including those with disabilities, to enhance the overall SEO performance of your website.
Step 5: Engage in Link Building Activities
While natural linking from websites with excellent content is valuable, relying solely on chance isn’t sufficient. It’s essential to adopt an active approach through SEO strategies for new website link-building.
According to Harris, “An older domain launching a new site may face challenges with lost backlinks, necessitating a reclamation project or implementing 404/301 redirects to mitigate link loss.”
One effective platform for this is Help a Reporter Out (HARO), where journalists seek expert insights for their articles. By responding to relevant queries, you can secure mentions of your website in authoritative publications, generating high-quality backlinks.
This approach benefits both journalists, who gain credible sources, and your website, which gains exposure.
To maximize the impact of your backlinks, follow these steps:
- Identify Relevant Opportunities: Utilize tools like Ahrefs or BuzzSumo to pinpoint link-building prospects within your industry. These tools help locate websites likely interested in your content, enhancing your website’s ranking.
- Craft Persuasive Pitches: Personalize your outreach to journalists and bloggers, demonstrating how your content enriches their work.
- Cultivate Relationships: Engage with journalists and bloggers on social media, comment on their articles, and establish rapport. Building trust increases the likelihood of receiving backlinks, thereby boosting your Google ranking.
- Monitor Backlinks: Use tools such as Google Search Console to monitor your backlinks. This insight guides your SEO strategies for new website initiatives, revealing what works and where to concentrate efforts.
Although link-building requires dedication and time, the benefits are substantial. Establishing a strong link profile not only enhances your new website’s SEO but also positions you as a respected authority within your niche.
Step 6: Implement Technical SEO Best Practices
This is actually closely related to our fourth and fifth SEO steps since technical SEO is all about optimizing the technical aspects to improve website ranking.
For instance, you could have a great user experience design-wise, but if it takes forever to load, your site ranking will suffer. Similarly, if other publishers and content creators feel like your website is too difficult to navigate or lacks mobile responsiveness, they will be less likely to link back to it.
That’s why you should optimize your website’s technical elements like:
• Site speed
• HTTPS
• Mobile-friendliness
While your website is still new, it’s safer to conduct regular audits for broken links, crawl errors and duplicate content to prevent any issues from snowballing. As you rank up your website, consider implementing more advanced techniques like structured data and XML sitemaps to improve your search engine ranking further.
Step 7: Optimize for Local Searches
If you have a physical location, then local SEO should be a big part of how to get your website at the top of Google.
First, you should create your own Google Business Profile (GBP), which allows you to display your business information like location, hours and services in Google Search and Maps.
It’s also a platform where customers can leave reviews, influencing your reputation and site ranking.
More than just claiming your own GBP listing, it’s also vital to incorporate local keywords into your content. Mention your city, neighborhood and nearby landmarks in your site’s metadata, blog posts and landing pages. This local-centric approach helps your SEO for new website and show up in location-based searches.
Step 8: Ensure Mobile-Readiness
This is a no-brainer. If you don’t optimize your website for mobile devices, you’ll miss out on a massive chunk of traffic to rank up your website.
Now that people primarily use smartphones to access the Internet, it’s crucial to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly with:
• Easy navigation
• Readable content
• Fast load time on smaller screens
Start by using a responsive, custom design that adjusts to fit different screen sizes. Test your website’s mobile-friendliness using Lighthouse, and optimize images and videos so they load quickly and efficiently on mobile.
The key here is to “make it easy for users to find information and have a clear hierarchy and organized content,”
Step 9: Improve Snippets for Search Results
Search snippets such as meta descriptions, title tags, and images provide users a preview of your SEO-optimized website content. Therefore, it’s critical to ensure they stand out and compel users to click.
To optimize your snippets effectively:
Ensure Unique Title Tags: Each page should feature a distinct title tag that accurately reflects its content.
Craft Compelling Meta Descriptions: Write concise and appealing summaries of your page’s content for the meta description.
Incorporate Target Keywords: Include relevant keywords in both title tags and meta descriptions to enhance relevance.
Optimize Length: Keep title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions around 155 characters to ensure complete visibility in search results.
Use Structured Data: Implementing schema markup can enhance the appearance of your snippets in search results, making them more visually appealing.
With the emergence of AI-powered search engines like Google SGE and Bing Co-pilot, optimizing your snippets with compelling and informative content increases your chances of improving website rankings on Google and attracting clicks.
Step 10: Don’t Leave Your Website Hanging!
Consider your website as a dynamic entity that requires ongoing care and attention to thrive. To maximize its potential for business success, prioritize regular updates and maintenance.
Here are four critical areas to focus on for SEO with a new website:
Monitor Website Performance: Regularly assess and optimize your site’s loading speed. Slow pages can deter visitors and harm SEO performance.
Update Content: Keep your website’s content fresh and relevant. Regular updates to blogs, news sections, and product information engage visitors and enhance SEO.
Ensure Security: Maintain up-to-date website security to safeguard against vulnerabilities. This involves regular updates to plugins, themes, and your CMS.
Analyze User Feedback: Pay attention to user feedback and analytics to understand how visitors interact with your site. This insight informs ongoing improvements and enhancements.
A well-maintained SEO strategy not only enhances credibility and professionalism but also aids in retaining current visitors and attracting new ones. By prioritizing regular updates, security measures, and performance optimizations, you ensure your website remains dynamic, secure, and efficient.
Achieve a website launch that you'll be proud of with AD Digitals.
Ranking your website is just as crucial as building it. After all, having a fantastic website is pointless if it remains undiscovered. Use these tips on how to rank websites to optimize yours and give your online presence the boost it deserves.
With so many tasks to handle, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
But fear not, AD Digitals is here to assist!
Our team specializes in refining your site to increase its visibility. Whether it’s SEO for a new website, updating content, or managing everything in between, we’ve got your back.