Do you want your website to stand out from the competition and be found by people searching online?  If the answer to that question is a resounding ‘yes!’ then you should be asking yourself how to get your website on the first page of Google.  If your website can’t be found by search engines, you’re missing the opportunity to connect with potential customers.  Those customers will turn to your competitors, those who are easier to find on Google and other search engines.

1) Master the Basics

The first thing you need to do is to make sure you get the basics right. Does your website offer unique, engaging and informative content that people will want to read?  It’s a good idea to use as many videos and images as you can, but make sure they’re related to your website content.

Optimize your website for the search engines so they can index your website in their database. There are several tools available online that you can use to find out what search terms or keywords people are using when they’re looking for your products or services.  One of the best ones is Google Keyword Tool. Once you know what keywords people are using to search for your type of business, make sure you’re using those keywords in your website content.

2) Have Lots of Links

In addition to using Google’s ‘Add URL’ form, you should also have links to your site from other related websites, including a blog that links back to your site. Another option is to approach related blogs and ask if you can write guest posts for them where you can put links to your website. Add links to popular blogs and related sites on your website, and they might just link back to you if they find your site useful and interesting. These are just a few of the link building options out there, but it might be in your best interest to let a professional SEO company handle the link building strategy for you.

3) Use Local Search Listings

Register your website with Google Places for Business as well as Yahoo/Bing Local. Having your website rank on the 1st page of Google in their local search directory known as Google Places is very important.  People have a higher perceived level of trust for businesses that are listed on the 1st page of Google in local search results and they are now more likely to click on a Google Places listing than ever before. To reach the coveted 7-Pack (the first 7 local listings on the 1st page of Google) consider hiring a professional SEO company to perform search engine optimization for your website and local search listings.

Following these three steps will get you started on the path for how to get your website on the 1st page of Google.  While updating and adding value to your website using effective content marketing strategies are important to maintain your position, you’ll find that this initial set-up will provide long-lasting benefit to help you increase your website traffic.