SEO: how to rank your website on Google, step by step

1. Start with search intent

Google tries to show what the person really wants. Before writing, identify what type of search it is:

• Informational: "how to…", "what is…". They want a guide or explanation.
• Commercial: "best…", "comparison…". They're evaluating options.
• Transactional: "buy…", "hire…", "price". They're ready to act.
• Local: "near me", "in Cancún". They're looking for a business in their area.

Each type requires a different page format. If you write a guide for a transactional search, it won't rank well.

2. Keyword research

Choose terms with a good balance of search volume, competition and value to your business. Long-tail keywords (more specific, three or more words) usually convert better and are easier to rank for.

Assign one main keyword per page and avoid having two pages compete for the same thing. Tools like Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner and Google's search suggestions are a good starting point.

3. On-page SEO: optimize every page

• Title: put the keyword near the start and keep it under about 60 characters.
• Meta description: sum up the benefit and motivate the click, in about 150 to 160 characters.
• A single H1 and ordered, descriptive H2/H3 subheadings.
• Short, readable URL with the keyword.
• Images compressed, with a descriptive file name and alt text.
• Internal links to other relevant pages on your site, with descriptive anchor text.
• Complete content: resolving the question from start to finish and better than what currently appears in the top results.

4. Technical SEO: the foundation you can't see

• Crawling and indexing: make sure Google can find your pages (robots.txt, sitemap.xml) and index them. Check the pages report in Search Console.
• HTTPS across the whole site.
• Mobile-friendly design: Google indexes with the mobile version first.
• Structured data (schema.org) so Google understands your content and can show rich results.
• Canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content.
• No 404 errors or redirect chains.

5. Speed and Core Web Vitals

Page experience is a ranking factor and, above all, a conversion factor. Google measures three main metrics:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): how fast the main content loads. Ideally under 2.5 seconds.
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint): how quickly the page responds to interactions.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): elements shouldn't move while the page loads.

To improve them: compress images and use modern formats, use lazy loading, reduce third-party scripts and use good hosting or a CDN. You can measure them for free with PageSpeed Insights.

6. Content and authority (E-E-A-T)

Google values pages that demonstrate experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. This comes from content written by people who know the subject, identified authors, real cases, verifiable data and a transparent website (contact, privacy notice, terms).

Authority is also built with links and mentions from relevant sites: collaborations, industry directories, press and content worth citing. Quality over quantity: a few good links are worth more than hundreds of irrelevant ones.

7. Local SEO: key if you serve an area

If your business serves a city, such as Cancún, local SEO is a priority:

• Create and optimize your Google Business Profile with category, hours, services, photos and posts.
• Keep your NAP details (name, address, phone) identical everywhere.
• Earn and respond to customer reviews.
• Create service pages with the location in the title and content.

8. Measure and improve with Search Console

Connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4. Each month, review which queries bring impressions, which pages rank well but get few clicks (improve their titles), and which are dropping. SEO is a cycle: publish, measure, adjust.

And remember that solid SEO is also the foundation for appearing in artificial intelligence answers: read how to appear in AI results.

Frequently asked questions