How to Rank on Google
How to Rank on Google Without Spending a Cent
So, you’ve built a website. Maybe you even feel proud of it. It looks sleek, loads fast, and says exactly what your business does. But when you search for it on Google, it’s… on page six. Right between a 2011 blog about someone’s dog grooming side hustle and a forum post from 2008.
It’s okay. You’re not alone. Getting your website to show up on Google — and ideally, on the first page — isn’t magic, and it doesn’t have to drain your wallet. Let’s walk through how to rank on Google for free, step by step. And yes, you can absolutely do this without needing to hire anyone (though if you’d rather not lose sleep over it, we’ll talk later).
1. Add Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
This sounds technical, but it’s really Google’s way of saying, “Show me what you’ve got.”
Your sitemap is a simple file that lists all the pages on your website. Think of it as a directory that helps Google’s bots crawl your site efficiently. Without it, Google’s like a tourist with no map — wandering around, maybe finding your homepage, maybe not.
To fix that:
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Go to Google Search Console.
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Add your website as a “property.”
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In the sidebar, click “Sitemaps.”
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Enter your sitemap URL
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Hit submit.
That’s it. Google now knows what pages exist on your site and will crawl them faster. And yes, it’s free. The best things in SEO are, actually.
2. Spy on Your Competitors (Without the Black Coat)
Every industry has that one competitor who always seems to rank above you. Their website probably isn’t prettier. They’re just using keywords smarter.
You don’t need expensive tools to figure this out. Open a private tab, search for your service or product, and note which websites pop up in the top results. Then look closely at what they’re doing.
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What words are in their titles and headings?
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How are their blog topics framed?
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Are there phrases that show up repeatedly?
These are keywords, the exact terms people are typing into Google. Now, here’s the trick: don’t copy them. Instead, adapt. Write your content naturally using those same ideas, but from your unique perspective. Use variations of those keywords in your headings, meta descriptions, and image alt tags (we’ll get to that). SEO isn’t about tricking Google. It’s about speaking the same language as the people searching.
3. Use Keywords Where They Actually Matter
Here’s where many people go wrong. They hear “keywords” and start stuffing them into every sentence like confetti. Please don’t do that. Google’s smarter than that, and readers will hate it.
Use your keywords in:
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Your page title
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The first paragraph
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At least one subheading
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Your meta description
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Your image alt tags
Speaking of alt tags…
4. Tag Your Images (Yes, Really)
You might think images are just visual decoration. Google sees them differently.
Every image on your site should have an alt tag, short descriptive text that tells search engines what the image is about. This also helps people using screen readers, so it’s good accessibility practice too. Simple, human-readable, and keyword-friendly. Over time, these little details help your pages climb higher because Google values clarity and accessibility.
5. Make Sure Your Site Isn’t a Snail
This part isn’t glamorous, but it matters. A slow website is like a shop that takes ten minutes to unlock the door after you ring the bell. People leave. You can check your site speed for free using Google PageSpeed Insights. It’ll tell you if your images are too large, if your code’s bloated, or if your hosting is sluggish. Fixing these issues might mean compressing images, caching, or using a better hosting plan. Yes, it takes effort. But even shaving off two seconds from your load time can improve both your ranking and user experience.
6. Create Useful Content (Not Just Filler)
Google’s main goal is to help people find useful information. If your content actually helps readers, genuinely, it’s more likely to rank.
Useful content means:
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It answers a real question your audience has.
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It’s easy to read (short sentences, clear structure).
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It’s written like you’d talk to a person, not a robot.
If you sell services, don’t just say what you do. Explain how you help and why it matters. Show empathy. People want to feel understood, not pitched to. Add a blog to your website and post regularly. Share your insights, how-tos, and lessons learned. Don’t write for Google — write for humans. Ironically, that’s what Google rewards most.
7. Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile-Friendly
More than half of web traffic happens on mobile. If your site doesn’t display properly on a phone, you’ve already lost half your audience and Google notices. Pull up your website on your own phone. Does it look clean? Can you navigate easily? Are buttons large enough to tap without fat-fingering them? If not, time to fix that. Most website builders (like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace) let you preview your site on mobile before publishing. Use that feature religiously.
See our Website Design Services.
8. Build Links Without Being Annoying
You’ve probably heard about “backlinks” — other websites linking to yours. They’re like digital recommendations. But let’s be honest, most people aren’t going to link to your website out of pure goodwill. You have to give them a reason.
Try this:
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Write a blog post that offers genuinely useful information and share it with local businesses or partners.
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Contribute to a community or forum (without spamming your link everywhere).
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Get listed on reputable directories and local business listings.
Each link back to your site tells Google that your content is credible. And no, you don’t need to buy links, just be worth linking to.
9. Keep Your Content Fresh
A neglected website is like a store with cobwebs. Google notices inactivity. Update your blog posts occasionally, tweak your product descriptions, or refresh your homepage text once in a while. Even small updates can signal that your website is alive and relevant. Set a reminder to check your site every month. It’s much easier to maintain good SEO than to recover from neglect.
10. Be Patient (Sorry, But It’s True)
Here’s the honest part: even if you do all of this, results won’t happen overnight. SEO is slow by design. Google rewards consistency, not quick fixes. The good news? Once you start seeing traction, the growth tends to compound. You’ll get more traffic, which leads to more engagement, which leads to even higher rankings. So yes, do the work, keep it steady, and you’ll see results.
A Quick Recap
How to Rank on Google: You don’t need to spend money to start ranking better on Google. You just need to:
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Add your sitemap to Google Search Console.
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Use your competitors’ keywords strategically.
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Tag your images properly.
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Keep your site fast, mobile-friendly, and updated.
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Write genuinely helpful content.
It’s a mix of patience, consistency, and a bit of curiosity. And if you’ve read this far, you clearly have all three.
See our SEO Services.
If This Sounds Exhausting…
Let’s be honest, SEO can feel like doing laundry. Necessary, repetitive, and mildly confusing. If you’d rather spend your time running your business instead of playing hide-and-seek with Google’s algorithms, let us take care of it.
At Website Design & Marketing, we handle SEO strategies that actually move the needle. No gimmicks, no jargon, just results that grow with your business.
Get in touch and let’s make your website show up where it deserves to: the first page of Google.