How exciting it is! You’ve had a brand new website created, it finally went live, and you want the world to know. Then you do a Google search on your own name, and there is no mention of your new website. Your excitement rockets straight through disappointment and lands on despair. How can this be?
Do Websites Just “Show Up” in Search Results?
Let’s say that Barry Baker, known for his buttery biscuits, hires me to build a website for his new store, Baked Goods by Barry. His website’s address is bakedgoodsbybarry.com. I build and launch his website, and I submit it to all of the major search engines.
Once I’ve done that, people can type bakedgoodsbybarry.com into a browser and be directed to the new site. Awesome! Next, someone types in any of these into a search engine:
- baked goods by Barry
- Barry Baker
- Barry’s buttery biscuits
Will Barry’s new website show up on page #1 of the search results? Will it show up on any page?
Nope. Why not?
Search Rank is Earned Over Time
You just launched a new website and Google yourself, but you don’t see your site show up. What gives? Everyone told you all you had to do was build a site and then you’d start getting leads. If you are looking for yourself and not showing up, how will anyone else find you?
What people often don’t understand about building a website is that you have to spend time marketing it after launch. There’s no such thing as “if you build it, they will come”. Instead, you have to build it, tell everyone you know about it, and find other ways to promote your site.
If you spend the money and time to have a site built but don’t invest in on-going marketing and promotion services, you will have wasted your initial investment.
Google will not magically start showing your site in search results. You have to guide the algorithms by putting in place a marketing strategy that sends signals to Google that you are a real business who offers quality services.
So…what do you do to get the word out there? Here are a few ways you can start marketing your site post-launch.
Develop A Solid Content Strategy
Writing and publishing new content on your site is essential if you want to invest in email marketing, social media posting, and paid ads. You can send people to your site all day long, but if you have nothing of value to keep them on the site, they will leave. Posting real information that answers their most pressing questions or addresses their biggest pain points will help them feel confident in your services.
Keep it fresh.
Send Out a Monthly Email Newsletter
Email newsletters are the best way to continually get your services and products in front of people. It’s a great way to build relationships as well as keep existing clients coming back. NEwsletters can be time-consuming, if you’re write long-form content from scratch. An easy way to get started is to toss all your blog and social media posts from the month into a newsletter and hit send.
Start with newsletters before fussing around with email marketing <line it>
Pro Tip: An effective email marketing campaign will share real information with the reader that sends them back to your site for more information.
Set Up a Google Business Profile
Google My Business is a free listing for your business that allows you to show up in search results and on Google maps. Think of this listing as your second website because it has the ability to rank for keyword searches, bring in inquiries and phone calls, and traffic to your site. If you have a brick-and-mortar office or storefront, it can bring in actual human traffic.
Whether you are a business that has a physical location or not, you can set up the profile to share pertinent information about the services and products you offer.
Repurpose for Social Media
Interacting with your customers on social media makes your brand more personal and helps you build brand loyalty. Also, when you share blogs you write and link back to your site, it can drive traffic back to your site. When you share content you’ve written with your followers, there’s a good chance they will stay on the pages longer because they already have an interest in what you have to say. The longer people stay on your site, the lower your bounce rate will be which is a ranking factor for your site.
Before you get started with social media, though, you should consider what your business’s brand voice is, who you’re marketing to, and who you’re trying to reach. Here’s a quick summary of the platforms you should consider for your type of business.
LinkedIn: Best for B2B. Often used as a hybrid social media and blogging platform, so it’s great for reaching other professionals and showcasing your expertise.
Facebook: Good for both B2B and B2C companies, regardless of brand voice. Facebook has the biggest user base, so it’s good for posting regular updates about your business.
Instagram: Great for reaching both consumers and other businesses. It’s the best platform to use if your work is highly visual or if you want to reach younger adults as your primary audience.
Twitter: Good for B2C companies that can promote themselves with short, snappy statements. Best for sharing links, engaging with your audience & creating conversations.
Invest in Paid Ads
You can send a positive feedback loop to Google by increasing the amount of traffic that goes to your website. The fastest way to drive traffic to your site is to set up paid campaigns. Depending on your industry, you may have a better outcome with Google ads versus social media ads and vice versa. However, any type of ad will increase the number of visitors on your site which gives you more exposure and the potential of getting leads.
Show up in online searches
Now you know search rank is earned over time. Let’s talk about which methods are best for your business.