Getting a brand new website is exciting, and we want you to enjoy every bit of it. Every website we build comes with an Essential SEO foundation built in, which means a strong, healthy base that’s ready to be found, so you’re never starting from scratch.
That said, a foundation is exactly that, the start of the journey rather than the finish line, and what you do next makes all the difference. So before we build yours, let me give you a clear run through of what to expect, and the first few things worth doing to give it the very best start.
SEO is the long game
When your site first goes live, Google has never seen it before, so it takes a while to crawl it, understand it and decide how much to trust it. This isn’t a quirk of your site (and nothing is wrong!), it’s just how Google treats every single new business.
Google’s own guidance is that it usually takes anywhere from four months to a year for a site to start showing the real benefit of its work. So if you’ve been live for a couple of months and you’re already appearing for some of your main searches, that’s a really nice early sign rather than a worry.
Brand new websites have it a little harder still. For the first several months Google stays cautious about where it places a fresh one while it works out where you fit, and you’re up against businesses whose pages have been building trust for years.
To give you a sense of it, well over 90% of the pages sitting on the first page of Google are more than a year old. Your site will get there, it just needs a bit of love and attention behind it first.
The “near me” searches work differently
Searches like “near me” and “nearby” don’t really come from your website at all, they come from your Google Business Profile. That’s the free listing with your map pin, your reviews and your opening hours. So if you want to show up when someone nearby searches for what you do, the quickest wins are keeping your Business Profile complete, choosing the right categories and services, then gathering reviews.
Reviews in particular do a lot of good work here, so every happy customer you can nudge into leaving one really helps. Your initial 5 reviews are your first milestone to celebrate.
Google Ads is the quick game
While SEO builds gently in the background, Google Ads can put you right at the top of the results within a day, above the normal listings, for exactly the searches you want to be found for.
It catches people at the very moment they’re ready to buy, and around 75% of people who run a local search on their phone contact or visit a business within 24 hours. The demand is already out there, so Ads simply makes sure you’re the one it lands on while your natural rankings catch up. Learn more here.
The simplest way to hold the two together is this:
- SEO takes time and then keeps paying you back for free
- Google Ads works instantly for as long as you fund it.
- Running the quick one while the slow one matures is nearly always the smart move for a newer business.
One page or lots of pages?
If you go for a single page or a smaller site rather than one with lots of pages, it helps to know that Google reads each page as one main thing rather than as several different search terms. So if you’d like to be found for a few different services, it might be worth adding a dedicated page for each one as you grow. There’s no rush to do this if you haven’t got the funds at the start, it’s simply something to aspire towards over time.
The first things to do when your site goes live
Your website does its best work when it isn’t sitting there on its own being ignored, so these are the first jobs worth ticking off. None of them are complicated, and together they tell Google, and your customers, that you’re a real and active business.
- Get your Google Business Profile sorted. This is the big one for local searches, so fill it in fully, choose the right categories and services, add some good photos and keep it ticking over with the odd update.
- Claim your online directory listings. Pop your business into the main directories like Yell, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect, plus any trade or local ones that fit. Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere, because Google likes to see them match.
- Set up your social media. Even a couple of active accounts help, so pick the ones your customers actually use, link them to your site and share your work.
- Get featured on other websites. A mention or link from a supplier, a partner, your local press or your chamber of commerce all tell Google you’re known and trusted, and they bring people to you directly.
- Gather reviews. Ask happy customers for a Google review while the good feeling is still fresh, as reviews help you show up locally and win the next customer over….and reply to each one.
- Put your website everywhere. Add the link to your email signature, your invoices, your business cards and your vehicle if you have one, so every single place people come across you points them back to your site.
- Keep it fresh. Google rewards sites that add new content over time, so a regular blog is one of the easiest ways to keep yours active and growing.
A few extra things that keep it growing
Once you’re up and running, a few extra habits keep the momentum going. Pick them up as and when you can.
- Keep your Google Business Profile lively by replying to your reviews, posting the odd update or offer and adding fresh photos.
- Stay in touch with past customers. A simple email or newsletter now and then brings repeat work and referrals, which are often your warmest leads.
- Ask every new enquiry how they found you. It’s a tiny question that tells you exactly what’s working, so you can do more of it.
- Get out locally. Networking, sponsoring a local team or event and getting involved in your community often lead to mentions and links back to your site.
- Show real photos and the odd short video. People connect with actual faces and real work far more than stock images, and it gives you lovely things to share.
Why a blog earns its keep
Adding fresh content is one of the steadier ways to build trust with Google over time, and a blog is the easiest way to do it. It also catches people earlier, the ones still researching and weighing things up rather than ready to buy this second, and it gives you something real to share on social media. Done well, every single post is another door into your website.
The catch is that a blog only works if it actually sounds like you and is truly useful, otherwise it’s just filler that nobody reads. That’s the whole idea behind our other business, Human Led Content, which writes blogs in your real voice from a real human conversation with you, so they read like a person who knows their trade rather than something churned out by a robot. If a blog feels like one job too many on top of running your business, it’s exactly the sort of thing we can quietly take care of for you.
Speaking plainly
Sometimes it’s clearest to see the two paths side by side. One quietly holds a website back, the other helps it get found, and the good news is that the better path is mostly within your control.
| What holds a website back | What helps it get found |
|---|---|
| Getting a small site made and never touching it again | Keeping your website updated with fresh content |
| Leaving your Google Business Profile empty or forgotten | Caring for your Google Business Profile and keeping it active |
| Keeping the website to yourself | Sharing your website far and wide |
| Assuming the website will just get found by itself from day one | Promoting the website with Google Ads, directories and reviews |
| Waiting by the phone and hoping for enquiries | Actively sending people to your website and following up |
| Expecting the top of Google in month one | Giving it time and staying consistent |
What to expect, in short
Your new website needs a little patience and care from you, and you can then watch it grow up. Google makes every new business earn its trust over a few months, your competitors included when they started out. In the meantime you’ve got plenty of levers to pull, from your Business Profile and directories to reviews, social media and Google Ads, all keeping things moving while the long game does its thing.
If you’re thinking about a new website with us, let’s have a proper chat about your services, your goals and which of these first steps we can take off your plate for you. Drop us a line or book a call and we’ll map out a simple plan together.
