Linking your business website to Google involves several key steps to ensure that your site is properly indexed by Google Search and that it appears on Google My Business for local searches.

SoftForge have created a step by step guide on linking your website to Google.

Step 1: Create a Google Account

1. Sign Up for a Google Account: If you don’t already have one, go to Google Sign Up and create a Google account. This account will be used to manage all of Google’s services, including Google Search Console, Google My Business, and Google Analytics.

Step 2: Add Your Website to Google Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console: Visit Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account.
2. Add Property: Click on the “Add Property” button.
3. Enter Your Website’s URL: Choose the appropriate method:
   • Domain: For tracking across all subdomains (e.g., yourdomain.com).
   • URL Prefix: For tracking a specific URL (e.g., https://www.yourdomain.com).
4. Verify Ownership: Follow the instructions to verify ownership of your website. There are multiple ways to do this:
   • HTML File: Upload an HTML file to your website.
   • HTML Tag: Add a meta tag to your site’s HTML.
   • DNS Record: Add a DNS TXT record to your domain settings.
   • Google Analytics/Google Tag Manager: Use an existing tag.
5. Submit Your Sitemap: Once verified, submit your website’s sitemap (usually found at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml) to Google Search Console. This helps Google understand the structure of your website.

Step 3: Create a Google My Business Profile

1. Go to Google My Business: Visit Google My Business and sign in with your Google account.
2. Create Your Business Profile: Enter your business name, address, and other relevant details.
3. Verify Your Business: Google may require you to verify your business by sending a postcard with a verification code to your business address. Follow the instructions to verify your business.
4. Optimise Your Profile: Add photos, your business hours, a description, and other relevant information to make your profile complete.
5. Link Your Website: In your Google My Business profile, ensure that you include your business website URL.

Step 4: Set Up Google Analytics

1. Go to Google Analytics: Visit Google Analytics and sign in with your Google account.
2. Create a New Account: Follow the prompts to create a new Google Analytics account.
3. Add Your Website: Enter your website’s details.
4. Set Up Tracking Code: Google Analytics will generate a tracking code that you need to add to your website. This can usually be added in the header of your website’s HTML or through your CMS (e.g., WordPress, Shopify).
5. Verify Tracking: Ensure that the tracking code is working by checking for real-time data on the Google Analytics dashboard.

Step 5: Monitor Your Website’s Performance

1. Check Google Search Console: Regularly check Google Search Console to monitor your website’s performance, indexing status, and to troubleshoot any issues.
2. Monitor Google My Business: Keep your Google My Business profile updated with current information, respond to reviews, and post updates.
3. Analyse Traffic in Google Analytics: Use Google Analytics to track traffic to your website, understand user behaviour, and optimise your website based on the insights gained.

Step 6: Ensure Mobile-Friendliness

1. Check Mobile Usability: Use the Mobile Usability report in Google Search Console to ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
2. Test Mobile-Friendliness: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check how easily a visitor can use your site on a mobile device.

Step 7: Optimise Your Website for SEO

1. Perform Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or other SEO tools to find relevant keywords for your business.
2. Optimise On-Page SEO: Ensure your website content, titles, meta descriptions, and headers are optimised for your target keywords.
3. Build Quality Backlinks: Reach out to other websites to build backlinks to your site, as these are important for SEO.
4. Update Content Regularly: Keep your website content fresh and relevant to improve your ranking on Google.

SoftForge can help

With our expert services, we can help you with linking your website to Google Search Console, to optimising your site for search engine visibility. We ensure your business is properly represented on Google, helping you reach more customers and grow your online presence. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to enhance your existing digital footprint, SoftForge provides comprehensive support tailored to your needs. Get in touch with us today at SoftForge Contact to get started.