To promote your site in search, first determine what kind of customers you want to attract and what pages they should land on. Then check the accessibility of these pages for search engines, finalize the proposal and set up registration of requests. Make further decisions based on the data: what queries generate impressions, clicks and real conversations with customers.
For a business owner, promotion is not a competition in the number of published articles. It is important that a potential client finds a suitable service, understands the terms and is able to contact the company. Below is the route from choosing a direction to evaluating the work of an SEO contractor. Detailed technical checks are included in a separate SEO optimization plan.
First, find out why the site is not found
The phrase “the site is not moving” can describe different situations. The first task depends on the reason.
The required page is not in the index. Check the specific address through the Google Search Console and Google Search Console tools. The developer needs to find out whether it is closed from indexing, what response the server gives, and whether another canonical page has been selected instead. It is premature to publish additional texts without understanding the accessibility of the main section.
The page is in the search, but receives almost no impressions. See if there is demand for the offer in your area and if the page answers the need. The “About the Company” page does not replace the description of a specific service with order conditions.
There are impressions, but few transitions. Match queries, positions and content of the search snippet. This could be due to a low ranking, an inappropriate offer, or a title that doesn't explain the benefit of the page. One description edit does not guarantee an increase in clicks.
People come, but don’t apply. Here you need to check the offer, trust, form and lead processing. More visitors won't fix broken application submission. There is a separate analysis for this situation: why the site does not bring applications.
Record the original data before changes. Otherwise, in a month it will be difficult to distinguish the effect of the work from seasonality or changes in advertising traffic.
Which search queries should you target?
Start with an area that the company can actually sell: there are performers, clear conditions and the ability to process requests. For the first stage, it is more convenient to choose a limited set of services than to simultaneously expand all sections of the site.
Collect wording from conversations with clients, correspondence and search reports. Supplement them by checking demand in Google Keyword Planner with the desired region. The number of requests is not equal to the number of future buyers: some people are researching the topic, some are comparing offers, and some are looking for work or training.
Separate requests by intent. For example, for a conditional construction company:
- “turnkey construction of aerated concrete houses” - service page with scope of work, examples and calculations;
- “aerated concrete house project 120 m²” is a suitable project if the company really offers such solutions;
- “what is included in the construction of a turnkey house” - an article with an explanation of the equipment and a link to the service.
This is an example of distribution, not a ready-made core: frequency, regional distribution and the offer of a specific company must be checked separately.
For each group, write down the requests, the person's need, and the appropriate URL. If two statements require the same answer, do not create two almost identical pages. If tasks need different sentences, do not try to cover them with one general text on the main page.
Which pages turn search traffic into enquiries?
Before expanding your blog, check whether there is enough information on the service pages. The person who chooses the performer must understand:
- what problem the company solves and who is suitable for the offer;
- what is included in the work and what is paid separately;
- what the price and terms depend on;
- what are the restrictions by region, volume or type of project;
- how the experience is confirmed: works, documents, explanation of the process;
- what will happen after the application and what data is needed for the calculation.
Instead of promising a “personalized approach”, you can show what questions are asked before the assessment. Instead of the unconfirmed “market leader”, describe the actual task completed, the solution and the limitations. Do not publish other people's projects as your own and do not invent results for the sake of credibility.
Articles are needed where the buyer requires an explanation before making a choice. For example, material on the composition of the estimate helps to understand the proposal of a construction company, and instructions for preparing technical specifications help prepare for ordering a site. From such material a link to the corresponding service is appropriate.
Google recommends creating content that has its own value for the reader, and not retelling other people's materials for the sake of search traffic. Recommendations for useful content.
Local SEO and Google Business Profile
Add the site to Google Search Console, confirm rights and check error messages, indexing of important URLs and requests for which there are already impressions. For an existing site, this is a starting point: some pages can be improved without having to create new ones from scratch.
For regional businesses, check the geography separately. Addresses, telephone numbers, departure areas and delivery conditions must correspond to the actual work of the company. If you use Google Business Profile, the information in the card and on the website should not contradict each other.
Google can take into account regionality for geo-dependent queries, but assigning a region in itself does not provide a high position. The region must be confirmed by company information. Google help about regionality.
Practical task for the owner: explain to a visitor from the desired city whether you can fulfill his order. For a company traveling to the region, this may be a list of territories and travel conditions. You should not create fictitious offices or dozens of copies of one page with the name of the city replaced.
How to promote a website in Google
Connect Search Console and check the indexing of priority pages through URL checking. Make sure that the search engine can retrieve the main content and not just an empty template. Submit an up-to-date sitemap, but keep in mind: Sitemap helps locate addresses and does not guarantee their inclusion in the index.
Next, study the performance report: requests, pages, impressions and clicks. For a business operating in a specific country, use the appropriate slice. Compare results for the same page over comparable periods, not just the average position of the entire site.
The basic tasks for Google are largely common: accessibility of content, clear structure and response to user needs. There is no need to create a separate copy of the site for each search engine. B Google SEO Guide also emphasizes that there is no universal way to automatically get first positions.
How to promote a new website on a limited budget
A new project usually has little search data of its own. Therefore, the first task is to prepare a small but complete set of pages for confirmed services and start measuring the results.
We suggest the following order of priorities:
- Check that the site opens on the phone, contacts are available, and the test request reaches the responsible employee.
- Prepare one to three priority service pages with clear terms and conditions.
- Ensure that important addresses are searchable and linked to site navigation.
- Add real examples of work or a detailed description of the process if there are no public cases yet.
- Publish useful material on the question that customers ask before ordering.
- Collect the first data and clarify the next set of works.
This is a working sequence, not a search engine requirement for the number of pages. A store with a large assortment will need a different starting structure.
If the site is still being developed, agree on future sections and registration of applications before layout. To prepare requirements you can use technical specification template. If you need to check an offer through paid traffic, consider advertising separately: its costs and results cannot be mixed with organic promotion. The differences are discussed in the article “SEO or contextual advertising”.
What you can do yourself and what you can entrust to a specialist
The business owner knows the product, typical objections and real working conditions better than anyone else. You can independently collect customer questions, describe the scope of services, prepare photographs with permission for publication, clarify prices and check the processing of requests.
You need a specialist when you need to understand the causes of indexing problems, design a large catalog, set up conversion measurement, or evaluate the impact of a URL change. For a site with existing search traffic, moving sections without a plan is especially risky: first you need a map of changes and checking that the old addresses are still accessible.
When choosing a contractor, ask to explain:
- what problems were discovered and what data confirmed this;
- which pages will be used and why they were chosen;
- who implements the changes and whether development and texts are included in the price;
- what materials and approvals are needed from your team;
- how completed work and results will be recorded;
- what access and materials will remain with you after the end of cooperation.
A good subject for discussion is a specific task with an implementation result. For example: “edit the service page: add the scope of work, payment conditions and correct the submission of the form.” The wording “improve SEO” does not explain either the scope or the criterion for implementation.
How much does promotion cost and when to expect results?
There is no universal price for website promotion: the amount of work for a small company and a store with thousands of products varies. In your budget, take into account not only support, but also the necessary implementations, preparation of materials and analytics. The composition of costs is discussed in more detail in the article. about the cost of SEO promotion.
Separate the deadline for completing the work and the deadline for changing indicators. The corrected form can be checked immediately. The redesigned page must be re-processed by the search engine, and an increase in its visibility is not guaranteed. Google warns that SEO takes time and no one can guarantee first place. Tips for choosing an SEO specialist.
Agree with the contractor on intermediate results: which pages are ready, what has been implemented, which problems have been resolved and which hypotheses are tested further. Promising a certain number of applications without studying the product, region and site condition does not replace such a plan.
Website promotion plan for the first 30 days
This is an example of organizing work for a small service site, and not a promise to reach the top in a month. If serious technical problems are identified, they may take longer to resolve.
First week: choose a goal and collect initial data
Determine the priority service, region and characteristics of a suitable application. Connect search tools and analytics, check the test request. Capture current login pages, queries, and sales results if data is already available.
Result of the week: selected direction, access list and initial indicators. Missing data should also be noted and not replaced with guesswork.
Second week: compare demand and pages
Collect groups of requests, study the pages in the results and prepare a list of changes. Use competitor analysis to understand client expectations, not to copy texts. Agree on which pages are being improved and which ones really need new ones.
Result of the week: map “client task - requests - URL” and a queue of work with those responsible.
Week Three: Implement Priority Changes
Fix blocking issues, update selected services, add proof of experience and useful internal links. Check the results on your phone, form submissions, and page accessibility for search.
Result of the week: list of actually implemented changes with page addresses and performance checks.
Week four: check data and next step
See if updated pages have been detected, if new requests have appeared, and if requests are taken into account correctly. Don't declare a strategy a success or failure based on a few visits. If there is little data, continue monitoring; If you find a form or indexing error, correct it immediately.
Result of the week: a short report with the facts, limitations of the data and a plan for the next stage.
How to measure whether SEO is working
Evaluate the path from search to transaction, not just one indicator. Impressions help you see what topics the site is ranking for. Clicks - which pages attract attention. Confirmed inquiries and sales - how useful this interest is for the business.
For each request, record the date, service, known source and outcome of the conversation. If the person just called a general number, don't attribute the call to SEO without confirmation. If one form submission triggered an analytics event twice, that's not two clients.
In a monthly report it is useful to separate:
- changes made and the pages they affected;
- organic impressions and transitions in targeted areas;
- requests, from which tests, duplicates and obvious spam are excluded;
- qualified leads, deals and reasons for refusal;
- conclusions: what to continue, what to check and what is not yet enough to solve.
Compare comparable periods and take into account seasonality. An application may turn into an order later, so you should not compare the expenses of one month only with payments received in the same month.
Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to promote a website yourself and for free?
Some tasks can be completed without paying the contractor: sort out reports, clarify proposals, prepare materials and improve navigation. But this requires time and competence. A free transition from regular search results does not mean that creating and developing a site costs nothing.
Do I need to publish articles every day?
There is no universal chart that provides positions. Choose topics based on customer questions and opportunities to prepare a meaningful response. If a service is poorly described or a form does not work, fixing these problems is more important than the next publication.
Is it possible to promote a website based on only one request?
You can choose a narrow direction, but it is better to evaluate it based on a group of related requests and requests. One phrase does not reflect all the ways buyers describe a task, and its position does not indicate the quality of the leads received.
What to do if the site has existed for a long time, but there is little traffic?
Start with diagnostics: which pages are indexed, where there are impressions, which queries match the offer and what changes have been made previously. A complete website redesign should not be the first decision without examining the reasons.
Where to start in your case
Select one priority service and collect everything that is already known: site address, region of work, typical requests and available search reports. This is enough for a substantive discussion of the next step - but not for promises of positions and sales.
In SEOLIFT you can discuss SEO website promotion: define tasks, agree on priorities, scope of work and method of evaluating the result. If technical limitations need to be addressed first, start by discussing SEO optimization. The scale of work is chosen based on the state of the site and business objectives, and not on a fixed number of keywords.