If you're starting out for the first time in the blogging world, there is often one important, simple step that's overlooked.

It's so simple that it will take you less than 5 minutes, but has the potential to change the reach of your content indefinitely.

Have you indexed your website fully to make sure Google recognizes (and recommends) it?

Below are the exact steps to crack getting your website ranking higher on Google -- meaning more traffic to your site, more leads to your offers, and more eyeballs on your work.

If you're a CEO, you need SEO

If you don't already know what SEO is, in a nutshell, it's an entrepreneur's best friend (or any business owner, for that matter).

It means Search Engine Optimization - basically, the ability for people who are browsing online to be able to find your content.

If you do already know about SEO, then you're likely already filling out your Alt and Meta Text, creating links to external websites, using (and researching) your keywords, and using/ linking images throughout your posts. Right?

But have you indexed your website or blog first with GSC?

In other words, every bit of SEO you've attempted to do so far doesn't work as much if you haven't done the indexing first?

Let's cut to the chase. Here's the walkthrough you need as a first-time blogger (or even a seasoned business owner wondering why it's taken you this long to find out).

Index with Google Search Console in 12 Easy Steps

🔎 Step 1: Go to search.google.com/search-console/

🔎 Step 2: Sign in with your personal or business Google account (or create one)

🔎 Step 3: Find “Add Property”, and click

🔎 Step 4: Type your domain (yourdomainhere.com, you don't need the www.) into where it says “domain” on the left

🔎 Step 5: Google will give you a TXT record, which looks like "google-site-verification=xnsdvbh473tefbd..."

🔎 Step 6: Copy that entire TXT code. LEAVE this window open for now, don't close it.

🔎 Step 7: In a new tab, go to your domain registrar or DNS host (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc), or log into your website platform (Squarespace, Wix, Showit, Shopify, etc.)

If you have no idea about your DNS host, the easiest thing you can do is go to www.who.is, and type in your domain.

Scroll down to see Registrar Information. That's where you'll need to go to access your DNS records.

(Example: When I do this for writtenbyfe.com, I can see my Registrar is with Squarespace. That's where I need to log in to access mine.)

🔎 Step 8: Once you've logged into your domain registrar/ DNS host, locate the section specifically for DNS settings, and "add a new TXT record".

🔎 Step 9: Fill in the info:

• Host/Name: @ (Usually the case, or you could leave this blank if required)

• Value: Paste HERE the TXT code that Google Search Console gave you that you copied

• TTL: Leave at its current default (e.g. 1 hr)

🔎 Step 10: Save. You can wait a few minutes, but sometimes it can take up to 2 days.

🔎 Step 11: Go back to your Google Search Console tab and the window with the TXT code that was generated (that you copied).

🔎 Step 12: Click verify! You are now indexed.

Don't forget to push through the Sitemaps tab

To finish the process fully:

🔎 Head on over to the 'Sitemaps' tab, found in the left menu back in Google Search Console → type or cut/paste https://www.yourdomainhere.com/sitemap.xml (replace “yourdomainhere.com” with your real domain again, of course). Submit.

This now tells Google to read your entiiiire website, all of its pages, and ties up the process.

That's it!

It's recommended to refresh your indexing with these steps every now and again, so Google is always on top of being able to recognize and push your website in its algorithm.

Subscribe for more essential tips, let me know if this was useful, and as always -- keep carving your path.

-fe