How Do I Get My New Website on Google?

So you’ve built or had a new website designed and you’re not sure how to appear on Google? That, or you’re frustrated because your website should be on Google... but it’s not. Well, this blog is just for you! Find out if you’re currently appearing on Google, how to set up a Google Search Console account to get discovered and the next steps to hitting that #1 Search Ranking Position!

First off, let’s see if your site even appears on Google (you may need to turn off Safe Search before continuing). Open Google and type in “site:your_domain_name” ensuring you delete the quotation marks and replace “your_domain_name” with your domain name. If you’re missing only a page, search up “site:url_of_page.” If any results come up, then the site or page is in Google’s index! If they don’t, let’s set up a Google Search Console account next – if you already have one and your site or page didn’t appear in Google’s index, head over to Google Search Console’s Help Page. 

The reality is, sometimes sites get missed by Google, but they typically do their best to add sites to the index – it can take a few weeks to appear on Google. Either way, it’s important to add your site to Google Search Console so you can monitor your site’s search results and analytics.

Let’s get you started:

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Sign Up/Login: 

Go to Google Search Console and Click on the "Start Now" button. Sign in with your existing Google account. If you don't have one, you'll need to create one by clicking on "Create account" and follow the prompts.

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Add Property: 

After signing in, click on "Add Property" and enter your website URL. You may have to click on the dropdown if you currently have another Property. There are several methods to verify ownership, such as adding an HTML file to your website, inserting a meta tag in your site's HTML, or using Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager. Choose the method that suits you best and follow the provided instructions.

If you’re a bit unsure about how to do this, consider finding the step-by-step process of adding your property to Google Search Console through one of the following web builders that I’ve listed below:

• Adding your Shopify Site to Google Search Console
• Adding your Squarespace Site to Google Search Console
• Adding your Wix Site to Google Search Console
• Adding your Wordpress Site to Google Search Console
• Adding your Weebly Site to Google Search Console
• Adding your Webflow Site to Google Search Console
• Adding your Square Site to Google Search Console 

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Submit Your Sitemap: 

Once verified, you’ll want to submit your sitemap. Click on "Sitemaps" and then "Add/Test Sitemap." A dialog box should appear. Enter the URL of your sitemap in the text field. The sitemap URL is often in the format "https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml." Most website builders use the “/sitemap.xml” at the end of your URL and you won’t have to worry about anything else; but, if yours isn’t as easy, head over to Google Search Central to read more about submitting a sitemap! After hitting “Submit,” Google will then crawl your site based on the provided sitemap and you can refresh the page to see the status of your submission. If there are any errors, Google will provide information about what needs to be fixed.

That's it! This helps Google understand the structure of your website and ensures that your pages are crawled and indexed efficiently. Remember, it might take some time for Google to crawl and index your pages after you've submitted the sitemap.

There’s always more you can do to bump your website into a higher ranking on Google! Optimizing your website and understanding the basics of SEO are essential steps to ensure your presence on Google. Website optimization involves creating user-friendly interfaces, ensuring fast loading times, and organizing content effectively. If you're unfamiliar with these concepts, Aryze Design has other blogs that can guide you through the process! Learn more about optimizing your website here and gain insights into the world of SEO here. By implementing these strategies, you'll not only enhance your visibility on search engines but also provide a better experience for your website visitors!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Aryze Design. We’re happy to help you along your marketing and design journey!