First, let's start with a quick primer on how Google and other search engines work.
How Google (And Other Search Engines) Work
The first thing you should realize about Google is that Google is NOT the Internet. Just because your website does not show up on Google, does not mean it is not on the Internet. Your website can be published live on the Internet without being displayed in Google's search results for a particular keyword.
The way Google and other search engines display websites is this: Google has automated computer systems working around the clock that randomly visit websites all over the Internet, take snapshots of each page, and file them away in a massive database.
As part of taking a snapshot of each web page, Google's system reads every word and other content on a web page (like photos, videos, audio files, etc) in order to determine the specific subject of the page. Google uses this collected data to determine which web pages to show, and in what order, for a particular keyword search.
In other words, Google's computer algorithms dynamically determine which web page on the Internet is the most relevant for a specific key word or key phrase and displays it first. It then displays the second most relevant page, and so on. The resulting list of web pages is known as a Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
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A SERP can be made up of several sections:
The top section usually consists of 3 or 4 paid text ads that relate to the keyword used to conduct the search
If Google thinks the user is looking for a local business nearby, it will add a section below the paid ads called the Local Map Pack
The main section in the middle consists of "organic" (non-paid) listing of web pages that are relevant to the keyword used to conduct the search
Example Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
How Do I Get My Site On Google?
First, you need to make sure your website has been indexed by Google. To find out if it is, type site:yourdomain.com into the Google search box, replacing yourdomain.com with your actual domain name. If you see a listing of your website's pages, then Google has already indexed your site and will continue to visit it occasionally to check for updates. If your website is not listed, submit it here: http://www.google.com/addurl. It will take 1 or 2 weeks for Google to visit and index your website.
Secondly, remember, Google will only display web pages that are relevant to the keyword being searched. The first step is to make sure your web page's text is related to the keyword in question. If it's not, chances are Google won't show it.
Third, just because your website does not show up on the first page, doesn't mean it is not showing up at all. Go to the bottom of the results page and click "Next" for page 2 and so on. Your website may be on page 2, page 82 or somewhere in between.
Okay, My Website Is On Google, But It's On Page 41! How Do I Get It To Show On Page 1?
Ah! You've asked the million dollar question. An entire industry has been built to answer this question and millions of dollars are spent each year to accomplish this! My first question for you is, "How much money do you have?" Just kidding, but seriously, the good news is there are two main ways to get your website to show up on the first page of Google:
You can pay to be on the first page of Google and it doesn't have to be a lot of money. This is called Google Ads.
You can get your website to rank "organically" without having to pay for ads.
I'll explain both below...
Google Ads (Pay to Play!)
The quickest and easiest way to get on page 1 of Google for a particular keyword is to pay for an advertisement. You sign up with Google, choose the keywords you would like to target, then "bid" (yes, like an auction) on how much you would like to pay every time your ad is clicked on. This is called "pay-per-click". The higher you bid per click, the higher your ad will appear to the top of the page, all other things being equal.
You can also set a daily budget so that when your budget is met, Google will not show your ad any more that day so it won't be clicked on and you won't be charged. For most industries, this is a cheap and easy way to show up on Google's first page.
For other industries (like lawyers, for example), it can be very expensive. Some keywords cost up to $100 per click or more!
Consider Hiring a Google Ads Pro
Be careful with Google Ads. They make it very easy to sign up and start showing ads on their platform (Bing has a very similar platform). But if you don't know what you are doing, you can waste a lot of money with Google Ads. Considering the fact that I happen to be a professional who is certified by Google in AdWords campaign creation, management and optimization, I suggest you leave it up to a pro to create and manage your Google Ads campaigns.
If the professional or agency you hire knows what they are doing, they will more than pay for themselves when it comes to return on investment. For example, if your pro or agency charges you a fee of $1,500/mo to manage and optimize your AdWords campaigns, and they are doing things right, you should get much more than a $1,500/mo benefit from having hired them.
There are literally hundreds of different settings and features you can add or tweak for any one Google Ads campaign. If you don't get them all correct, you could waste or lose out on a lot of money each month. Hire a pro with proven results if you have the budget. If you don't have the budget to hire a pro to manage your Google Ads campaigns, I recommend staying away from paid search advertising.
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