How Google finds your pages and decides when to show them.

1. How a page gets into Google

Before a page can appear in Google, it goes through four steps. A problem at any step stops the ones after it.

Google finds pages by following links from pages it already knows, and from your sitemap, a list of your pages you can submit in Search Console. If nothing links to a page, or the site is very slow, Google may take a long time to find it, or miss it altogether.

Reading comes next. Google can run the code that builds a page, but it reads text that is already in the page faster and more reliably. If your headings and main text only appear after heavy scripts run, ask your developer whether they can be in the page from the start.

Then Google decides whether to save the page, and it does not save everything it reads. Pages that copy other pages, say very little, or tell Google that another address is the main version are often left out. The Pages report in Search Console shows which of your pages are saved and why the others are not.

2. What people want when they search

Google tries to show the page that does the job the searcher has in mind. Most searches fall into one of four kinds:

• To learn: they want to understand something, for example "how long does a kitchen renovation take".
• To find a business: they want a particular company or website, for example "Tractionora login".
• To compare: they are weighing options before they buy, for example "best accountants for small businesses".
• To act: they are ready to buy, book or ask for a quote, for example "book a kitchen design consultation".

A common mistake is a hard sales pitch on a page people visit to learn, or a long article where people want a price and a form. Match the page to the job.

3. How your pages link to each other

Links between your own pages show visitors and Google which pages matter most. Your main service and pricing pages should be easy to reach from the homepage, ideally in two or three clicks.

Use link text that says where the link goes, such as "kitchen design prices", rather than "click here". Linking related pages to each other, and to one main page on the topic, helps Google see what each page is about.

4. What to measure

Watching where you rank for a handful of keywords can feel like progress when nothing has changed for the business. Being first for a phrase nobody searches for, or one that never brings an enquiry, is worth little.

Measure with your own Search Console data: how often a page is shown in Google, how often people click, and which searches it appears for. When a page is shown often but few people click, a clearer search title and description is usually the smallest change worth trying first. Then watch what follows over a stated period, such as 28 days, and remember that other things move too.

5. What SEO cannot promise

Nobody can guarantee a position in Google or a set amount of traffic, and that includes agencies, tools and us. Google changes how it ranks pages, competitors change their sites, and people change what they search for.

What you can control is a site Google can read, pages that answer real questions and a habit of checking what changed. If you would rather someone did this for you, our Search & AI Visibility service does the work and shows you each change before it goes live.

Five mistakes that cost visits

Most lost visits come from a short list of avoidable problems. None of them needs a specialist to spot.

• Leaving a no-index setting or a blocking rule in place after a site change, so pages are asked to stay out of Google.
• Having the same page at several addresses, such as with and without www, so Google has to guess which one to show.
• Writing many thin pages that repeat each other instead of one page that answers the question well.
• Changing many things at once, so you cannot tell what helped.
• Aiming at phrases your customers never use, because they are the words you use.

Questions people ask

How long does SEO take?

Usually weeks to months, depending on the site, the competition and the change. Be wary of anyone who promises a ranking by a date.

Do I need a blog?

Only if you have something useful to say about questions your customers ask. A few strong pages on your main services usually matter more than a long run of posts.

Is SEO a one-off job?

The first fixes are. Keeping pages accurate and checking Search Console for new problems is a small, regular job.

Try this on your own site in 10 minutes

You need Google Search Console. If you have not set it up yet, it is free.

1. Open Search Console, then Pages. Note how many pages are not indexed, and the reasons given.
2. Open Performance, sort your pages by impressions, and find one that is shown often but rarely clicked.
3. Search Google for your main service and your town. Is the page that appears the one you want a customer to land on?
4. From your homepage, count the clicks to your pricing or contact page. More than three is worth fixing.