What Search Engines Want - Build a Website that Search Engines will Love

If you’re a small business owner trying to grow online, you might have heard that “Google needs to like your website" in order to succeed. But what do you need to do to get Google to like your site?

Google is a business like any other. The service they provide is a search engine whose goal is to get its users the most helpful, relevant, and trustworthy results as quickly as possible. As you develop your site, keep this in mind and ask yourself "is this decision making my website more easy to use, does its content help answer user questions clearly, and will my website still run fast?" Practice thoughtful design, and your site will be be well on your way into Google's good graces.

Let’s break down what search engines want in more detail, and why that matters when you're investing in affordable web design and SEO.

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High-Quality, Helpful Content

For any given request, search engines want the highest quality pages to appear for the "keyword" that was requested (despite its name, a keyword can be composed of multiple words - it represents whatever was entered into the search bar). In the past, search engines would try to bring up websites which contained many instances of the matching keyword, but this led to low-quality pages full of similar sentences awkwardly strung together. Google and other search engines need to make sure the pages they show their users are as relevant and as high quality as possible so that their users have the smoothest possible experience. This means that your site should:

• Use clear and simple words, since users browsing the web have different reading levels
• Include the keywords your audience is searching for, but only where it is natural to do so
• Have organized, easy-to-follow pages using headings and sections
• Use clear page names and URLs
• Explain your products, services, or location clearly and efficiently
• Keep your content up to date

Your website should effortlessly guide users to the content they would like to see, like a well-laid-out store. Our affordable web design services focus on simple navigation and thoughtful copyright that works for people and search engines.

Tip: The more precise and clear a keyword is, the easier it will be for you to know what to put on a related page. For example, if someone searches for “affordable web design services for small businesses,” and you have a page that talks about exactly that, your chances of showing up increase. Just make sure that the keywords you are using as a reference are actually being searched for! It won't do you any good to make exceptional content if it has no audience.

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Optimized, Mobile-Friendly Design

In 2025, more than half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. Google knows this and ranks mobile-friendly websites higher. This means your website should look great on any device while also being easy to navigate both for those using a computer mouse and those tapping the screen. This is especially important if your website has features or animations when a user hovers a mouse over a button - this won't be as easy to see on a mobile phone.

What's more, mobile phones aren't as powerful as computers or tablets. Studies show most users don't have much patience on the web, and will often leave a site if nothing has loaded in the first 5 seconds. Google and other search engines recognize this and won't rank your website as highly if it runs slowly. And if we put search engines aside for a moment... A fast website keeps human visitors engaged and leads to more sales or bookings, so this should be a top priority regardless. A common theme should be clear by now: making your website's browsing experience better for your customers organically also increases your chances of ranking highly on search engines. We make sure every site we build includes performance optimization as part of our affordable custom web design packages.

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Backlinks & Signals of Trust

Google also pays attention to how trustworthy your site seems. It looks at:

• Other websites linking to yours (these are known as backlinks)
• Customer reviews on Google Business Profiles
• Whether or not your website is filled with ads
• An SSL certificate (HTTPS)

These signals tell Google that your site is real, safe, and valuable - and that boosts your visibility. These strategies take much longer to gather, but can have the greatest impact on your website's effectiveness. Once again, this is just the same as with traditional businesses: Clients will be far more likely to trust you if you have a long list of satisfied clients and completed projects, but you must work hard to create this list over many years. The only difference is that you must keep backlinks in mind: when appropriate, ask satisfied clients to include links to your site whenever possible, or to leave a positive review on your Google Business Profile.

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SEO Signals (for locals)

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, provides a baseline boost to your site's rankings on Google. If you’re a local business, you can push this even further. Google wants to help people find services near them, so you can include local information in your site. Putting these together, it means that you should:

• List your business on Google Maps with a location
• Use location-based keywords (like “web designer in Yellowknife”)
• Provide a sitemap (for Google to crawl your pages effectively)
• Optimize site speed and structure (do not skip headings and other staple website features)

This is a major part of how we help small businesses win in their area with affordable web design and SEO.

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Summing It All Up

Here’s what Google wants:

• Useful, up-to-date content
• Fast load times
• Mobile-friendly design
• Security
• Referrals via backlinks
• Easy navigation
• SEO basics like sitemaps and proper structure
• Relevant local information

And here’s what your customers want:

• A site that looks great
• Answers to their questions
• A smooth experience

That’s exactly what we deliver at Maximum Website solutions. Our affordable web design services for small businesses are built from the ground up with SEO in mind - because a beautiful website means nothing if no one sees it. If you'd like to learn more about Google's official list of requirements in order to rank highly, then you can visit this link to learn more.

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Want Google to Love Your Website?

We specialize in affordable custom web design that’s clean, fast, and flexible. Whether you're starting from scratch or need a full redesign, we’ll make sure your website is ready for both search engines and your customers.

👉 Book a free consultation
👉 See real examples of our work

Let’s work together and bring your vision to life: A website that gets results!

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