The Ultimate Guide to Registering Your Website on Google: Start Your SEO Now!

Want your website to be seen on Google? Well, who doesn't? Imagine you have a delicious pastry shop, but no one knows where it is. Registering your website on Google is exactly like putting your pastry shop's address on a big billboard in the city! That way, everyone can find you and enjoy your sweets. So, are you ready to walk this path together, step by step?

Let's start with an important question: Why should I register my website on Google?

Well, the answer is simple: to be seen! When your site is registered with Google, Google comes and examines your site's pages (this is called Website indexing), and then, when someone searches for a word related to your site's content, your site will also appear in the search results. This means more traffic, more customers, and ultimately, more success!

Step 1: Get to Know Google Search Console

The first step to registering your website on Google is to get acquainted with Google's powerful tool called Google Search Console. This tool is like a complete toolbox for SEO (SEO basics) for your site. With it, you can:

See the indexing status of your site on Google.
Find and fix any errors on your site.
See the keywords that users use to find your site.
Check the incoming links to your site.
And much more!

Don't worry, it's not too difficult to work with. You just need a Google account (Gmail).

Step 2: Sign Up for Google Search Console

Okay, now that you understand what Google Search Console is, it's time to sign up for it. To do this:

Go to the website.
Click on the "Start Now" button.
Sign in with your Google account (Gmail).
Now it will ask you how you want to verify ownership of your site. You have two options:
- Domain: This method is a bit more technical and requires you to add a DNS record in your domain settings. But hey, you only do it once and it's done forever!
- URL prefix: This method is simpler and you can verify ownership of your site by uploading an HTML file, adding an HTML tag to your site, or using Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager.

I suggest you use the "URL prefix" method because it's simpler. If your site starts with the https protocol, be sure to enter it.

Step 3: Verify Website Ownership

After you have chosen the verification method, Google will give you a set of instructions that you must follow. For example, if you chose the HTML file upload method, you need to download an HTML file and upload it to the root of your site. Then, in Google Search Console, click the "Verify" button to make sure Google knows you really own the site.

Example: Let's say your website name is example.com. If you choose the HTML file upload method, you need to upload the HTML file to a folder called public_html or www (this folder name may vary depending on your hosting).

Step 4: Add a Sitemap

Now that you've registered your site in Google Search Console, it's time to give Google a sitemap. A sitemap is an XML file that lists all the pages of your site. This makes it easier for Google to find and index your site's pages.

How do I create a sitemap? If you use WordPress, there are many plugins that can help you create your sitemap. Such as the Yoast SEO or Rank Math plugin. If you coded your site yourself, you can use an online tool to create a sitemap.
How do I submit the sitemap to Google? In Google Search Console, there is a section called "Sitemaps". Go to this section and enter the address of your sitemap (for example, example.com/sitemap.xml) and then click the "Submit" button.

Step 5: Wait!

Well, you've done almost everything. Now you have to wait for Google to come and check your site. This process can take several days or even weeks. So be patient!

A few important points:

Produce high-quality content: The better and more useful your site's content, the more likely you are to rank higher in search results.
Optimize your site for mobile: Nowadays, most users browse the internet with their mobile phones. So if your site is not optimized for mobile, you will lose a lot of users.
Increase your site's speed: No one likes to wait for a site to load. If your site is slow, users will quickly leave it.
Build links: Try to get links from other websites. Incoming links to your site show Google that your site is trustworthy.

Start and See the Results!

Registering your website on Google is an important step in SEO (SEO basics). By doing this, you are telling Google "I'm here, come see me!". So get started now and register your website on Google. Rest assured, it's worth it! With patience and the production of quality content, you will soon see an increase in traffic and the success of your site. Good luck!