If you want your business’s website to show up on the first page of your prospects’ search results, it has to be able to be found by the search engine. Visibility is one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization.

Here’s how it works.

Whenever your prospects search for something, Google produces thousands of results that show up on the pages of the search results. When a query is entered, there are three steps that take place in less than a seconds before the final results are produced. It’s what happens in these few microseconds that determine whether or not your website will be ranked on the first page of the SERPs.

Step One: Crawling

Search engine “spiders” scour the web in response to your query to find fresh content. By following an intricate web of links, the crawlers are able to add the content to the index.

Learn More about crawling and Indexing >

Step Two: Indexing

The Search Engine index stores all of the URLs that the crawlers retrieved in their database. Google will scan this database of domains when considering its search engine results.

Learn more about Search Algorithms > 

Step Three: Ranking

When you search for something, Google looks in the index to find the most relevant results for your query.

After these three steps take place, Google is able to match your search with the most relevant results. In a fraction of a second, the search engine weeds through millions of web pages to bring you what you’re looking for. Additionally, the search engine will present the results in a way that’s most appropriate for your search. The results may include website links, maps, videos, or pictures depending on your query.

While you may see ads that businesses have paid for at the very top of the search results, any non-paid search results will be organically ranked by the Google to bring you the most useful, relevant content. Google is constantly testing and working to improve the way that search results are ranked to make your search experience better.

Factors That Determine Search Results (The Basics of SEO)

Google’s algorithm uses several core factors to determine and produce search results for their user’s search querys.

These 4 factors are:

1. Ai to determine the intent of the user making the search
2. The relevance of the pages on your website to the intent and keywords
3. Content quality (extremely important)
4. Webpage usability: How accessible and easy to use is your website? If the user is on their phone, having a mobile-friendly website would be critical in this instance (and most instances)

Of course, in order for your website to come up in the results, it has to be able to be found in the first place. Your website may not be able to be discovered by the crawlers for the following reasons.

1. Your website is new
2. Other websites haven’t linked to your site (you may have low domain authority)
3. Your website is spammy
4. Your website is difficult to navigate

How to Get on Google’s First Page

If you are just starting your business, or you have a brand-new website, getting on the first page of Google can seem impossible. However, with the right tools and the proper assistance, it’s easier than you think. Our team of digital marketing professionals is here to help you build a website that ranks on Google’s front page and helps your business succeed.  Using top SEO practices, analytics, and design, we will develop a website for your business that ranks well and functions as good as it looks.

Google Official Documentation on “How Search Works” >