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,” said Ryan Harris, Thrive’s SEO Manager.
“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
You might be asking, “Why do I need to promote my website on social media?”
Well, social media platforms are a powerful new website SEO tool for increasing your online presence and driving traffic. With billions of active users, it’s essential to have a solid social media strategy in place.
In fact, Google is now combing through discussion forums and social networks to feature helpful content in its Perspectives filter.
To leverage social media effectively, you can
• 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 interact with your website is crucial for success. That’s where Google Analytics comes in. It’s a powerful tool that tracks and reports website traffic, giving you insights into user behavior and preferences.
Follow these steps to set up your Google Analytics account:
1. Create a Google Analytics Account: Use your existing Google account to sign in to Google Analytics and set up a new account for your website by providing basic details like the website’s name and URL.
2. Install the Tracking Code: Google Analytics will give you a unique tracking code. Install this code on every page of your website. Integration methods vary, from simple options in CMS platforms like WordPress to manual insertion into your site’s HTML.
3. Set Goals and Monitor Traffic: In Google Analytics, define specific goals to track conversions or essential actions, like form submissions or product purchases. Regularly check the Analytics dashboard to understand traffic sources and user behavior.
4. Utilize Reports for Insights: Use the variety of reports available in Google Analytics to make data-driven decisions. Audience reports provide visitor demographics, Acquisition reports show how users find your site, and Behavior reports detail user activity on your site.
Step 4: Focus on Strong Site Structure and User Experience
Creating a website that’s both structurally sound and user-friendly is pivotal for both search engine rankings and user engagement. A logical and clear site structure enhances the usability of your website, helping visitors and search engines find content quickly.
This new website SEO strategy includes:
• Straightforward navigation menu
• Clean hierarchy of pages
• Use of internal linking
Ensuring your site has a sitemap is another crucial element to guide search engines through your content. For user experience, consider the design, speed and mobile-friendliness on how to rank websites.
UX also involves creating high-quality, relevant content that meets the needs of your audience. Implementing clear calls-to-action (CTAs) and ensuring your website is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, are also crucial aspects of good SEO for the website.
Step 5: Engage in Link Building Activities
While websites would naturally link to other websites with great content, you just can’t leave things to chance. This means taking a more active approach by engaging in SEO for new website link-building activities.
“An older domain launching a new site, could lead to issues with lost backlinks that would require a reclamation project or at very least 404/301 redirects to somewhat resolve lost links,” said Harris.
A robust platform to do this is Help a Reporter Out (HARO), where journalists seek expert opinions for their stories. By responding to relevant queries, you can get your website mentioned in authoritative publications, earning high-quality backlinks.
It’s a win-win: journalists get credible sources, and you get exposure.
To ensure the effectiveness of your backlinks, you should:
• Identify Relevant Opportunities: Use tools like Ahrefs or BuzzSumo to identify link-building opportunities in your niche. These tools help you find websites that are likely to be interested in your content and improve website ranking.
• Craft Engaging Pitches: When reaching out to journalists or bloggers, personalize your pitches. Explain how your content adds value to their work.
• Build Relationships: Engage with journalists and bloggers on social media, comment on their articles and build a rapport. This way, you earn their trust and increase the likelihood of them linking back, helping you rank website on Google.
• Monitor Your Backlinks: Keep track of your backlinks using tools like Google Search Console. This helps you understand which SEO for new website strategies are working and where to focus your efforts.
Of course, link-building takes time and effort, but the payoff is worth it. By building a solid link profile, you not only improve your new website SEO but also establish yourself as a thought leader in 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.
Image from Case Study: How a Responsive Web Design Looks Like
The key here is to “make it easy for users to find information and have a clear hierarchy and organized content,” said Harris.
Step 9: Improve Snippets for Search Results
Search snippets like meta descriptions, title tags and images let users preview the content of your SEO optimized website. That’s why it’s so crucial to make them stand out and entice users to click through.
To optimize your snippets:
• Focus on Unique Title Tags: Ensure each page has a unique title tag that accurately reflects its content.
• Craft Compelling Meta Descriptions: Write a brief, appealing summary of your page’s content for the meta description.
• Incorporate Target Keywords: Include relevant keywords in both your title tags and meta descriptions.
• Optimize for Length: Keep title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions around 155 characters to ensure they display fully in search results.
• Use Structured Data: Implementing schema markup can enhance the display of your snippets in search results, making them more eye-catching.
With the rise of AI-powered search engines like Google SGE and Bing Co-pilot, having an enticing and informative snippet improves your chances to rank website on Google and get those clicks.
Step 10: Don’t Leave Your Website Hanging!
Think of your website as a living, breathing entity that needs constant care and attention. So, if you want it to give your business the best chance at success, make sure to update and maintain it regularly.
Here are four key areas to monitor on SEO for a new website:
• Website Performance: Regularly check your site’s loading speed and optimize as necessary. Slow-loading pages can deter visitors and negatively impact SEO.
• Content Updates: Keep your SEO optimized website content fresh and relevant. Regularly updating blogs, news sections and product information keeps visitors engaged and improve website ranking.
• Security Checks: Ensure your website’s security is up to date to protect against vulnerabilities. This includes regular updates to plugins, themes and the CMS.
• User Feedback: Pay attention to user feedback and analytics. Understanding how visitors interact with your site can guide improvements and enhancements.
Remember: A well-maintained SEO for the website is a sign of credibility and professionalism.
It not only helps in retaining visitors but also plays a crucial role in attracting new ones. Regular updates, security checks and performance optimizations are essential for a dynamic, secure and efficient website.
Launch a Website You Can Be Proud Of With Thrive
Ranking your website is just as important as building it. After all, what’s the use of a great website if no one can find it? So, use these tips on how to rank websites to optimize yours and give your online presence the boost it needs.
With so many things to do, you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed.
But don’t worry, Thrive is here to help!
Our team knows how to tweak your site to get it in front of more eyes. From SEO for a new website to content updates and everything in between, we’ve got you covered.
So, let us build, launch and rank your website to perfection today.
