If your website looks great but no one’s finding it, there’s a good chance you’re missing the foundational SEO setup. At Webmark Group, we often see beautiful sites that are invisible to search engines simply because a few basic steps were skipped. The good news is these fixes are simple and, in most cases, only need to be done once.
Here are seven foundational actions you can take right now to give your website a better shot at showing up in Google search results.
1. Set Up Your Google Tools
Start by making sure your business is properly registered and tracked using Google’s free tools. These help both you and Google understand your online presence.
- Create or claim your Google Business Profile
- Set up Google Search Console
- Set up Google Analytics
- Set up Google Tag Manager
Once these are set up, connect your website to both Analytics and Tag Manager. Then log into Search Console and make sure your website is verified and linked.
2. Submit Your Sitemap
Your sitemap is like a roadmap for Google’s bots. It helps them crawl and index your site more efficiently. If you’re using WordPress, you can generate one using a plugin like Yoast or RankMath. Once it’s ready, head over to Google Search Console and submit it under the “Sitemaps” section.
3. Add an FAQ Page That Goes Beyond the Basics
An FAQ page is a great way to capture long-tail searches and improve SEO. But to be effective, it needs to do more than answer, “What are your hours?”
Include questions that people are already searching for in your industry. For example:
- How long does it take to build a website?
- Should I use Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress?
- What’s the difference between web design and web development?
After creating your FAQ, add schema markup to help Google identify and display it as rich content. This can increase your chances of appearing in featured snippets.
4. Add Schema Markup to Your Core Pages
Schema markup helps Google better understand your content and improves the way your pages appear in search results. Make sure your About, Contact, Portfolio, and Service pages have structured data. If you’re using WordPress, plugins like Yoast or RankMath make this easy. If not, your web team or developer can add it manually.
5. Optimize Every Page Onsite
Search engines rely on a few key indicators to understand and rank your pages. For every page on your site, make sure you have:
- An SEO-optimized title tag
- A meta description around 120 characters
- A featured image
- A clean, keyword-friendly URL
- Proper heading structure using H1, H2, and H3 tags
- Alt text and titles for all images
These elements make it easier for search engines to understand your content and index it properly.
6. Know How Google Bots Read Your Website
Google doesn’t view your website like a person. It scans your content using bots that look for signals like heading tags, metadata, and structure. If those aren’t in place, your site may never get fully indexed or ranked. This means you’ll only be found by people searching your name directly, not by people looking for your services.
7. Start With These One-Time Wins Before Monthly SEO
The steps above are mostly one-time actions. Once you complete them, your site will be in a much stronger position to start earning organic traffic. After your foundation is set, your ongoing SEO strategy can focus on:
- Adding new content regularly
- Earning backlinks from other reputable sites
- Updating and improving metadata
These monthly efforts become much more effective when your base is already solid.
Need Help Getting Found Online?
If this all sounds like a lot, don’t worry. Most of these steps are straightforward with the right tools and support. If you’d like help with implementation or want to walk through your current site setup, we’re here to help.
At Webmark Group, we specialize in building websites that look great and actually get found online. Reach out to schedule a one-on-one, or ask us for a free checklist to help you knock these items out.
