Got a new website? Here is how to help it climb in Google

A new website is like a new shop on a quiet street: it is open, but nobody knows it is there yet. Google is no different. It finds websites mainly through links from pages it already knows [1], and it ranks them higher when it sees that other people and sites trust them. The good news: you can give many of those signals yourself, for free, in an afternoon or two. The short version: put your website link everywhere your business already appears, complete your Google profile, list yourself in a few serious directories and look for your first real links from people who know you.

First: does Google know about the site yet?

Before anything else, check that Google can see your site at all. The easiest way is the free Google Search Console: you add the site, submit its sitemap and then see which pages are accepted and which searches you show up for.

If Studio V1 built your website, this part is done: we submitted the site to Google and check the accepted pages every month. If you do not show up at all, go through why my website is not on Google.

1. Put your link everywhere you already are

This is the fastest step because it needs nothing new. Your business already has profiles and materials that people look at every day. Add your website address to each of them:

• Facebook page: in the "Website" field of the page info and in the action button (for example "Learn more").
• Instagram: in the link field of your profile (bio). If you have several links, put the website first.
• TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn: each has a website field in the profile.
• Viber and WhatsApp Business: in the business profile description.
• Your email signature: under your name and phone number.
• Business cards, flyers, invoices, shop sign, van: the address or a QR code to the site.
• Old ads and profiles, for example on OLX or an old directory: replace the old address or phone with the new site.

To be honest: most social networks mark profile links so that they do not pass ranking "strength" [2]. It is still worth it. Google finds the site faster, and the people who like you on Facebook start visiting the website, and real visits are exactly what you want. More on how the two work together: website or Facebook page.

2. Your Google profile must point to the website

If you run a local business, this is the most important point in this article. Your Google Business Profile is the card with your address, phone and reviews that appears in Google Maps and on the right of the results. Google says complete and accurate profile information helps you show up in local results [3].

Check three things:

1. The "Website" field is filled in with the new address, with https://. It often holds an old site, a Facebook page or nothing at all. Then the people who find you on the map never reach your website.
2. Your name, address and phone in the profile match the website letter for letter.
3. You post now and then. The profile has "Posts" (updates, offers, events), and you can add a button that links to a specific page on your site [4]. A new service, a seasonal offer, a finished project: one short post with a good photo and a link. That way people from the map land on exactly the page they care about.

If you do not have a profile yet or are not sure it is set up well, follow Google Business Profile setup, step by step.

3. List yourself in a few serious directories

Directories help in two ways: people find you there too, and Google sees the same name, address and phone in many places, which confirms the business is real [3]. You do not need hundreds. These free ones are worth it for almost any business in Bulgaria:

Depending on your industry, also add:

A few rules so you do not waste time:

• Fill them in the same way. Name, address, phone and website must match your Google profile. That matters more than the number of directories.
• Free only. Some directories offer "featured" listings or charge for the link to your site. You do not need that to start.
• Do not expect miracles. Directories help people find you and make you look like a serious business, but they are not the real links that lift a site. Those are the next step.

4. Earn your first real links

This is where the big difference is. When a serious website mentions you on its own and links to you, that is a recommendation. Google describes links from other sites as one of the ways it learns that your content is useful [5]. Every such link from a site with a good reputation is one more signal that your website deserves to rank higher.

Where to look:

• Partners and suppliers. Do you work with a materials supplier, an importer, another tradesperson? Ask to be added to their "Partners" or "Where to find us" page. Offer the same in return.
• Business clients. If you did a project for a company, ask for a short testimonial with a link to your site.
• Industry association or chamber of commerce. Almost all of them have a member directory.
• Local media and websites. A new opening, an interesting project, a donation, an event. Local news sites look for stories like these.
• Sponsorships. A local team, a festival, a school event: your name and link often end up on their website.

How Google and SEO tools measure the strength of those links, and what "domain authority" means, is explained in what domain authority is and how to raise it.

Do not buy "100 links for 10 euros" packages. Google's policies explicitly list buying links for ranking as spam [6], and such links are more likely to hurt.

5. Collect reviews from day one

Google reviews are one of the first things people look at, and Google says more reviews and good ratings help local ranking [3]. Ask every happy customer with a direct link to your profile and reply to every review. How to do it without feeling awkward: how to get more Google reviews.

6. Give it time

A new site does not reach page one in a week. The first visible results usually come after a few months, and competitive searches take longer. What it depends on: how long SEO takes. Meanwhile, watch whether impressions in Google Search Console and visits to your site are growing. If they are, you are heading the right way.

Short checklist to print

1. Check the site is added to Google Search Console.
2. Put the link on Facebook, Instagram and every other network you use.
3. Add the site to your email signature, business cards and invoices.
4. Fill in the "Website" field in your Google profile.
5. Publish one post on the profile with a link to a page on the site.
6. List yourself in Apple Business and Bing Places.
7. List yourself in BGBiznes.eu, Sellers.bg and Infocall.bg, plus industry directories.
8. Ask two or three partners to add you to their website.
9. Ask happy customers for a review.
10. Check your progress after a month.

If you are a Studio V1 client, every month we send you a report showing how many people saw your website and what Google showed, and we prepare the next small SEO step. If you do not have a website yet, see what the subscription includes.

Sources

1. Google Search Central. "In-depth guide to how Google Search works." developers.google.com/search
2. Google Search Central. "Qualify your outbound links to Google." developers.google.com/search
3. Google Business Profile Help. "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google." support.google.com/business/answer/7091
4. Google Business Profile Help. "Create & manage posts on your Business Profile." support.google.com/business/answer/7342169
5. Google Search Central. "SEO Starter Guide." developers.google.com/search
6. Google Search Central. "Spam policies for Google web search." developers.google.com/search