So you type your business name into Google and that fresh website is no where to be found?
Yup, this is normal for a new website so don't panic just yet!
As clever and powerful that Google is, sometimes it can be a little sluggish! So if you are not appearing for Google searches of your business name - it's likely because Google hasn't got around to indexing your website yet. When Google indexes a website it basically means that your website has been found by Google crawler bots and added to their list of live websites.
Keep in mind there is on average 250,000 new websites created every day! So even for a super computer like Google, it can take awhile to find them all!
Here are a few techniques from my experience which can really help with getting your website to appear quicker for searches of your business name.
Connect Google Search Console:
Google Search Console is a powerful tool that is used to track search queries that have triggered your website, BUT more importantly for this blog topic - they have an area where you can submit a site map. Submitting a site map here gives Google the most up to date list of URLs for your new website and allows them to index it quicker!
Google is a little cagey about how much submitting a sitemap will speed up the process, but from my experience it makes a significant difference!
Get your Google My Business live and verified:
Say you're looking for the local Mitre 10 in your area, you type 'Mitre 10' into Google and immediately their Google My Business profile pops up first with details such as their address, phone number, website and a bunch of photos. Google My Business profiles will often take priority over standard Google results especially if someone is typing in a business name.
So make sure your Google My Business is set up, optimised and verified! And if your struggling with the verification part, then try submitted a site map through Google Search Console first, wait a few days, then create a Google My Business profile from scratch. From my experience you'll often get quicker verification options rather then the dreaded snail mail option!
Run a Google Ad for your business name:
Finally, to pretty much guarantee you'll appear immediately when someone types your business name into Google - consider running a Google Ad which targets your business name as a keyword. Often these will be quite affordable ads to run as there is likely far less competition for your business name compared with the services you might provide.
Final points
Yes it can be frustrating when you've just spent all that money on a new website and you can't find it! But these things always take time. What I've outlined above will certainly help speed up this process in the beginning - but in the long term, having good SEO and continually developing and adding new valuable content to your website is your best bet!
Remember getting your website live is just the first step - now the real fun (and work) begins!
As always, if you have any questions or need a hand then sing out!
