When we say “first on Google” we usually mean the appearance of the business’s website at the top of the organic search results for a certain phrase. When we search for some phrase in the Google search bar, the search engine offers us the most relevant results, these are the organic results – the sites that Google “thinks” are the most relevant and suitable for what we are looking for. Above these results appear ads that Google thinks are also relevant to our search. The difference between the two types of results is that ads are paid results – advertisements that the business owner paid for, while organic search results are the natural results that Google’s algorithm found.

Why even invest in a high position in the Google search results?

For a business owner, investing in bringing a website to a high position in Google’s search results is part of marketing and promoting the website online. Since Google is where we all go to search for products and services, a business without an easy-to-reach website may quickly find that its potential customers are not coming to it but to competitors with strong web presences of their own. 

Investment in bringing the website to a high position in Google pays for itself in inquiries to the business, in direct purchase (especially relevant in 2021-22 with the formation of a delivery culture of enormous dimensions), in potential customers who would not have otherwise come to the business and of course – in higher profitability. The equation is simple: high position in Google = more customers.

How to be first in Google ? How to appear first on Google?

In order to reach the sponsored search results – the ads, you must advertise on Google Ads (this article does not go into how and whether it is even worth investing in this, it is a rather complex field and it is too short to detail). To reach the top of the organic results in the Google search engine, you must meet Google’s criteria and be the most relevant to the desired search term. How do you do that? Google does not reveal to us exactly what it is looking for and how exactly it catalogs all the sites on the Internet.

Once in a while, the company publishes guidelines that can help website owners meet its criteria and, for example, make the website more accessible to the search engine or easier to use by the surfer, etc. So how do you do it anyway? This is where the field of website promotion comes into play. The goal of promoting a website is to bring it to a position as high as possible (preferably first place of course) in the search results.

What exactly does the site promoter do to bring the site to first place in Google?

Website promoters are experts in their field and know from both learning and experience in the field the requirements of Google and the way the search engine catalogs websites and decides who will appear first (based on their experience in the field, years of working with the search engine and of course – constant learning of the field).

There are technical actions that the site promoter will do at the code level and there are actions at the content and structure level of the site. The goal of the promoter is to make the site compatible with Google and equally important – relevant, interesting and convenient for surfers. As far as Google is concerned, the more successful a site is, the higher it “deserves” to appear. The more surfers come to the site and stay there (a very big emphasis on stays) it means that the site is relevant, updated, interesting and high quality and its ranking in the eyes of Google will increase.

The promoter will invest in the site’s content, in collaborations with other quality sites, in regular updating of the site, in the ease of browsing, in its relevance and any other parameter that may make it attractive to surfers. This is a job that requires both technical skills and high operative skills.

Does every site have to be first in Google?

If you own a business website whose goal is to be part of a marketing system that promotes your business and attracts new customers, then yes – definitely, the ambition is to be first on Google. If you are setting up a website with a different purpose, for example for some educational project, a family website, etc. there is really no need to promote it since it is not intended for the general public in the first place.

Can you do it yourself or do you have to contact a web developer?

If you have the time, patience and ability to learn the field of SEO then yes, absolutely, there is a reasonable chance that you can do it yourself. Will you be able to bring the site to the first place in Google? Depends on how much you are willing to invest in it of course. Learning the field takes a considerable amount of time, it is a field that is half technical and half learning the craft of promotion itself. The average time it takes for a website promoter to learn the ropes of the profession and start really succeeding in promoting websites to good positions is over a year. 

The real professionals are those who have many years of experience. Therefore, unless you are ready to invest in a new profession, our recommendation is to contact someone who has already gone through the process and can do the promotion for you in the best possible way. How do you choose a website promoter? Choose a website promoter with proven experience, years of stable reputation and success in the field . Someone who can give you excellent service in a reasonable time and bring your website to first place in Google professionally and efficiently.

Is it enough to invest only in promoting a website to the first place in Google?

The answer to this question is complex and depends on the nature of the business, the existing and/or future marketing system, the business goals and the budget available to the business owner for these goals. We recommend consulting with a professional digital marketing company regarding an online marketing setup that includes both Google promotion and other avenues. An experienced promoter will be able to recommend to the owner of a business website the best way to achieve his marketing goals within the existing budget, whether to focus on promoting organic results only or whether to spread the investment in several marketing channels.