How to get listed on Google
I started out back in 2001 selling furniture on the Internet. Back then it was fairly easy to get listed on Google. All you had to do was drum up a few spammy links and fill your text with keywords. That has all changed. It is still easy to get listed in Google if you know and do what Google wants. Google wants to deliver the most accurate content possible to what the searcher intends to find, SEO Intent. The best way to get listed on Google is to understand how it works, what its weaknesses are, and focus on a few things.
- Unique Quality Content
- Local SEO
- Branding
- Long-tailed Keyword Phrases
- Links
Google is far from perfect and there is no one rule to get listed on the first page. But if you use the above list your chances improve.
Unique Quality Content
Quality content will always be the key to SEO. Forget about search engine optimization for a moment. What makes people interested in your business is what you should focus on first and foremost. Google and any other search engine do not matter if you have the right unique quality content that people want to find and share. It might take a while but when people like something they tell their friends. Their friends tell their friends and eventually, your business will grow online without ever considering SEO. Quality content is the best way to grow your internet business. The talk of the town that spreads across social media will indirectly improve your SEO and get you listed very well on Google.
Google Weaknesses
Google is failing to do what it was designed to do, deliver the best content for all searches based on intent. This is the killer. It is a failure in the Google algorithm that is not allowing for the Google delivery of SEO Intent. For example, people searching for a “web design company” want to find a web design company. They want the best web design company. But instead of getting a list of web design companies, Google returns a list of directories. These directories are doing what Google is supposed to be doing. But they also fail as they do not have the control that Google does. You get a list of companies that have paid and connived their way to the top of the directory listings.
For example, I just got an email this morning from Clutch offering to pay $50 for one of my clients to do a review. I already forwarded the email to one of my clients so they can take advantage of it. Not exactly sure how that helps Clutch, but I know my client will give a good honest review and it is nice to pay them for their time. But just like that, there are dishonest companies out there that do nothing but paid fake reviews.
Local SEO Another Google Failure
Another BIG weakness of the Google algorithm is its focus on delivering local search results. I know very well firsthand how awful Google is at delivering searchers’ intent. I spend most of my time in Indonesia. But when I search Google for “web design company” I want a list of the best web design companies in the world or the USA, not only in Indonesia. I cannot even read the Indonesian language. So I have to make special settings in Google and tailor my searches, sometimes I even have to use a VPN just to get the result I want. The average user does not have the skills I have so they will never get their answers from Google as they wanted.
Local SEO is only good for local shops to remain competitive with the big industry. It is fairly easy if you are a local shop in Tulsa to get first-page listings if you do just a minimal of Local SEO.
- List your company with Google Business
- Put your address in your footer
- Have a contact page with local contact
- Include content with keywords related to the local area
- Get a few local links to your website
But even with all of this, the local shop owner has to contend with huge Monopoly companies like Amazon, eBay, and others which have an office in every city in the USA. By having a local office these huge corporations meet the first requirements of Google Local SEO. Then with their super-powered linking structure and huge websites, they rule.
Branding
If you have a unique Brand that no one else is using I can almost guarantee you 1st place listings in Google search results in a very short time. Try it, search for “Glenn Website Design” I own it. But, there is always a but. A brand is only as good as its reputation. I have never promoted Glenn Website Design until recently as a brand so very few people are searching for it. That will change soon. I am using my 20 years of experience writing articles like this every day. By spreading the word among my friends and clients that Glenn Website Design is back and stronger than ever I have already seen significant growth in my visibility with just a few months’ work.
Long-tailed Keyword Phrases
It is of little use these days as a new development website to focus on the primary keywords of your industry. The only way you can get found is by focusing on and researching the low-hanging fruit, long-tailed keywords. I am not going into the details here as I have written a separate article solely for long-tailed keyword research.
But a quick example is how I chose the title of this article. First off writing about Google is not the best choice because every keyword and phrase has already been talked about so much it is almost impossible to get listed for it. But I like writing about things I find interesting. As a reminder SEO should never be your primary focus, Quality Content is the key to being loved by everyone. But even so, SEO does need some consideration. So I used Ubersuggest and looked for “Google” keyword ideas to find some keyword phrases with less competition than others.
Links
Links incoming to your website will come naturally. That is really the only way they will be of any value. Google has fine-tuned its algorithm over the years and one of the main reasons is link SPAM. When the internet started Google was designed to base the importance of an article or content based on how many links were connected to that information. This worked great on a closed system where they developed Google with a university research department. But after the internet started to grow publicly developers discovered that this was a weakness that could be exploited. They started using links to build the reputation of pages that had little or no relationship to what the searcher intended. For this reason, links are one of the most scrutinized parts of the Google algorithm.
- Do not buy links
- Do not make link exchanges with unrelated business
Monopoly or oligopoly
Google has cornered the market in the USA on almost everything. If you can’t get listed on Google for free then your only choice is to pay for all of your advertising. At today’s rates that will break most small business operations. Google is a monopoly that controls a $1 trillion market value. Google is at the top among a few tech market kings, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
But what Google is not known widely for is that it does not only control the search engine market. Google in basic terms controls all business in the USA. Whether you can get listed in Google search results or not determines if your store can get a major lead in selling clothes, jewelry, cars, homes, and others. Almost everything you buy is controlled by Google in some way or another. It does not stop with things it also includes the services you choose. If Google says it is OK, then it must be.
Google Certifications
In my research, for this article, I ran across this and thought it was interesting even if it is a little off subject. Google has written everything that can be written. Click the link above for how larger companies can now get their employees certified with Google for various subjects concerning the internet and computers.
- IT Certificates
- Data Analytics Certificate
- Project Management Certificate
- UX Design Certificate
- Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate
Summary
Today’s tip to get listed on Google’s first page is to keep it honest. The best SEO is not to focus on search engine optimization but on quality content for your target audience.
If you need help getting your online business started we are ready to help you. With over 20 years of experience, Glenn Website Design is the best. We focus on helping the little guy, small businesses, and startups. Unlike the giant corporate agencies you find listed first in Google we provide one on one service. When you work with us you work directly with the designer, not some answering service or salesman.