This is done via a process known as ‘Google indexing’ There are many different methods to get your site seen by the Google index bots that ‘read’ the internet for the world’s most popular search engine, and earn yourself a search engine ranking.
A search engine ranking is ‘your place in the queue’ of results for any given search term that someone types into Google. It is a numerical measurement of the page's quality. In order to get one your site needs to have been crawled by one of the Google index bots, since a site needs to have been indexed in order to appear on search results. When it crawls your site the Google index bot will measure the number of links; the quality of those links; and the relevance of those links. The idea is that when you build quality links to your site, your page will get more page views.
A top-quality site is accompanied by a PR of 10, or lower, meaning that you’re on the first page of Google and up. However, in order to get one of these highly sought after positions the Google Index bots really have to like a page. It takes quite a lot of knowledge and experience to rise through the google rankings, so if you don’t feel up to performing some of the tasks we’re about to detail below, that’s fine, a reputable SEO company will be happy to do the work on your behalf.
Consider how closely related any content that you publish to your site is to the goals that the site wants to accomplish. If there is no close relation between a new piece of content and what’s already there on your site, you are highly likely to confuse the Google index bots that will come to assess it. You may have to make changes, or be strict with yourself in terms of what you want to post vs. what actually makes it online, but this is not uncommon.
The quality of the links that the Google index bots find on your site are vital to your site's reputation, for better or for worse. You can assist the search engine in ranking your site by making quality site links.
Your homepage is the most important page on your site. It’s the first thing users see (and Google index bots too, for that matter) - so it should set your stall out clearly, and be well optimised. A good start here can have a knock-on effect for the rest of the pages on your site.
You can also use software like HootSuite to post out on social media and make people more aware of your site - but we’re more worried about Google index bots than human beings on this occasion, so let’s look now at how often sites get crawled by these bots - since this is what needs to happen in order for Google’s opinion of each page on your site to change.
Every few weeks as a matter of course, a Google index bot will perform a routine crawl of your site. It will relay any new or updated content and pages to Google, and Google will update your position in the rankings accordingly (based on the Google index bot’s findings of course).
You don’t have to wait for Google though. As a matter of best practice when you create new pages on your site you should also update your sitemap - and you can ask Google to do this for you too. When you do so, what actually happens is that a Google Index bot will be dispatched to your site and will crawl it - again updating Google with new findings and causing Google to re-rank your pages.
Finally, there are sites out there on the internet that will allow you to ‘ping’ Google - essentially alerting it to the fact that you have a page that you’d like to be crawled (or re-crawled) by a Google index bot. Once you ping google, your page will be added to the priority crawl list, and an index bot sent to look at it as soon as possible.
I have used all of these technologies countless times and I have loved every minute of it, but most of all, I have loved the experience of using the technologies to create great websites for my clients. These are truly great tools, and you should give them a try.