Long before I ever thought about SEO—or even knew what it was—I found myself building my first website. At the time, I was working full-time and had signed up for a single evening coding course. For years, websites had felt clunky and uninspiring to me—especially as someone who cared deeply about design. But around 2008, that started to shift. Web design was becoming more flexible, and for the first time, I saw the potential for websites to actually look beautiful. HTML and CSS started to get more flexible. Designers could do more. It started to feel creative.

I built my first website in that class and ended up offering web design at the high-end printing company I was working for at the time. We ended up growing an entire web department around that offering. But what I realized really quickly is this: it didn’t matter how beautiful the site was if nobody could find it.

Much like the Yellow Pages—if your business wasn’t listed, it didn’t exist—your site today must be found on search engines, like Google. That means SEO can’t be an afterthought. In fact, I believe that content drives design, and it also drives strategy. So when I’m working on a website, I’m not just thinking about how it looks. I’m thinking about what Google will see and how the user will experience it.

Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur, service provider, or small business owner, this post will walk you through what actually matters when it comes to search engine optimization—and how to make your website more visible to the right people.

How to Get Your Website Found on Google (Even If You’re Not a Tech Expert)

If you’re wondering how to get your website found on Google, you’re not alone. So many business owners and creatives build something beautiful—but forget about discoverability. That’s where an SEO strategy comes in.

Even if you’re not an expert, below are a few simple, essential steps that make a huge difference in your site’s visibility.

1. Beautiful Design Means Nothing If It Can’t Be Found

There are a few non-negotiables when it comes to making a site Google-friendly. These might seem obvious in 2025, but I still see them missed all the time:

• Your site should be responsive across all devices
• It should be legible, with clean font sizes and color contrast
• It needs to be accessible, including screen reader compatibility and alt text

Google takes all of this into account when deciding whether or not to show your site in search results. So while these things may feel like design choices, they are very much SEO choices too.

2. Understand the Content Hierarchy Google Cares About

This is where content strategy and SEO really start to work together. Google crawls your site in a specific order, which means you need to be intentional about how your content is structured.

Here’s the order Google typically reads:

• Page Title
• Meta Description
• Headlines(H1–H6)
• Paragraph copy
• Image alt tags

If your most important keywords aren’t showing up in your title, headers, or descriptions, you’re missing a major opportunity to get found. When I build or optimize a website, I always walk through this structure first and make sure it aligns with the keywords and phrases my client wants to rank for.

3. Use Google’s Keyword Planner (Free + Powerful)

There are lots of SEO tools out there, but honestly, my go-to for small business SEO is Google Keyword Planner, which is built right into Google Ads.

Here’s how I use it:

• I enter keywords related to my services, offers, or content pillars
• Google shows me the search volume, keyword variations, and trends for each one of my keywords
• I can save those keywords and use them to optimize my content—or run ads later

If you want to improve SEO for your website, understanding what your audience is actually typing into Google is essential. And this tool gives you that information, straight from the source.

4. Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

Think of Google Search Console as your direct line to Google. It tells you:

• Which pages are being indexed
• What terms people are searching to find you
• How high you’re ranking for those terms
• Whether people are clicking through

One of the first things I do after launching a site is submit the sitemap to Search Console. Most platforms generate a sitemap automatically (typically found at yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml), and by submitting it, I’m asking Google to index the full site. This helps Google understand your site structure and content—and makes it easier to show up in search results.

5. Analyze and Adjust Based on Real Data

Once Search Console is connected, the real fun begins.

Let’s say someone finds your blog post by searching “brand designer near me,” and your page is ranking in position #7. You now know two things:

• That term is working
• You have room to improve your visibility

I also use Google Analytics to see how long people stay on a page and where they drop off. If someone lands on your site from search but bounces immediately, it might mean:

• The content wasn’t what they expected
• It wasn’t relevant to the keyword they searched
• The page didn’t clearly answer their question

You can either adjust the content to match the keyword or change the keyword to better match the content. Either way, you’re making a strategic improvement.

6. Create Content That Aligns With What People Are Already Searching For

This is one of my favorite parts. Once you know what people are searching for—and how they’re finding your existing content—you can create more content that aligns with their needs (and your goals!).

I often take the top search queries from Google Search Console and plug them back into Keyword Planner to discover related terms. Then I utilize what I discover to help me build out blog posts, service pages, or landing pages around those ideas. This help you stay visible where your audience is already looking.

Want to dive deeper into your website SEO? That’s where the SEO Strategy Pack comes in. 

Here’s the thing: knowing all of this is powerful. But having someone guide you through it and apply it to your business? That’s where real momentum happens.

My SEO Strategy Pack is a one-on-one, personalized service that helps you:

• Audit and understand your current visibility
• Pinpoint the best keywords for your audience
• Build a content and SEO strategy that aligns with your goals
• Set up the Google tools to track what matters most

Whether you’re launching something new or optimizing what you already have, this is the best next move if you want to start showing up—and showing up for the right things.

Grab the Website Visibility Checklist!

Even if you’re not an SEO expert, below are a few simple & essential steps you can implement that can make a huge difference in your site’s visibility. Opt-in below to download your free checklist now!