Chapter 1 · 1.1
How to go about it: the order
You have a website and you want customers to find you. In this guide, you set everything up step by step: your site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and your business on Google Maps and Apple Maps. You see exactly what to do in My WebOké, DirectAdmin and the AI Builder.
Would you like to understand first how search engines work, what a sitemap is or why reviews matter? You can read about that in the free course Getting found online, starting with the lesson From search query to result. This guide is the practical side: concrete steps.
What does each service do?
| Service | What for? | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | See how Google sees your site: which pages are in the index, which searches you appear for and what goes wrong. You also submit your sitemap here. | Signing in and adding your domain to Reading the Performance and Page indexing reports |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | The same for Bing. Search engines such as DuckDuckGo and Ecosia also largely use results from Bing. | Bing Webmaster Tools: import or verify yourself |
| IndexNow | Let search engines such as Bing know straight away that a page is new or has changed. Google does not take part. | IndexNow: report changes yourself |
| Google Business Profile | Your business with its address, opening hours, photos and reviews on Google Maps and in the search results. | Creating or claiming a Business Profile to Asking for and replying to reviews |
| Apple Business | Your business on Apple Maps, and in Siri and other Apple apps. | Your business in Apple Maps with Apple Business |
The order
- Check where your DNS is managed. That is where you will add the record that proves the domain is yours. See Where is your DNS? Check that first.
- Check that your site is open to search engines and has a sitemap. See Sitemap and robots.txt with the AI Builder for the AI Builder and Sitemap and robots.txt for WordPress and your own site for WordPress and other sites.
- Add your domain to Google Search Console and verify it with a TXT record. See Signing in and adding your domain and Verifying your domain in My WebOké or Verifying your domain in DirectAdmin.
- Submit your sitemap. See Submitting your sitemap.
- Import your site into Bing Webmaster Tools. This takes a few minutes if your site is already in Google Search Console. See Bing Webmaster Tools: import or verify yourself.
- Do you have customers nearby? Create a Google Business Profile and put your business on Apple Maps. See chapters 4 and 5.
- Go through the checklist. See Checklist: are you easy to find?.
What you need
- A Google account. Preferably use a business account, not an employee's personal account. You can give other people access later.
- Access to your domain's DNS. If your domain is with WebOké, that is My WebOké or DirectAdmin.
- A Microsoft account or your Google account for Bing Webmaster Tools.
- An Apple Account for Apple Business.
Please note: None of these services will move you higher in the search results. Google itself says a top position is never guaranteed. What you do achieve is that search engines find your site, that you see what goes wrong and that your business details are correct everywhere.