10 steps to rank your website on Google’s first page in 2025
Getting your website on the first page of Google can increase visibility, drive more traffic and attract more business.
According to recent data from the Global Overview Report, Google Australia averages just over 80 million visits per month, with 74.3% of Australians using it to search for information.
So, how can you make sure your website stands out in 2025? With a solid search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy and a few essential steps, here’s how to start ranking higher on Google:
1. Choose the right target keywords
Keywords are the foundation of SEO writing. These are the phrases your audience uses when searching for services like yours. For example, if you’re a buyer’s agent in Sydney, ideal keywords might include broad terms like “buyer’s agent Sydney” or “property investment advice Sydney”.
These broader keywords help attract users who are searching for buyer’s agent services in the Sydney area.
Each page on your site should focus on different sets of keywords that target specific user intents. For instance:
- Use broader, high-traffic keywords like “buyer’s agent Sydney” or “Sydney property investment advice” on your homepage to capture general traffic
- Create dedicated pages for each service you offer, such as “first home buyer Sydney” or “investment property strategy Sydney” to attract users with particular needs
- Write blogs targeting long-tail keywords like “how to find a buyer’s agent in Sydney”, “benefits of hiring a buyer’s agent for investment properties” or “Sydney suburbs with the best investment potential”. Long-tail keywords are longer keywords tend that to have lower search volumes, but often attract more qualified, ready-to-convert visitors.
2. Tell Google what keywords you’re using
Once you’ve chosen your keywords, it’s time to tell Google about them. Incorporate these keywords into key areas of your website:
- Meta title: This is what appears in Google search results
- Meta description: A short summary of the page that should include keywords to catch attention
- URL: Keep URLs simple and keyword-focused. For example, “yourbusiness.com.au/sydney-mortgage-broker” is better than something generic
- Alt tags: Use alt tags to describe images on your website, such as property photos or infographics, and include keywords where relevant.
Optimising these elements ensures Google understands your engaging content.
3. Emphasise local SEO
If you’re a real estate agent targeting clients in the North Shore of Sydney, make sure your content consistently mentions your location.
For example, a phrase like “North Shore real estate agent” should appear on your contact and service pages.
4. Focus on search intent
Understanding your audience’s search intent is key. For instance, someone searching “mortgage calculator” may just be exploring options, while a person typing “best mortgage broker in Melbourne” is likely closer to making a decision.
Long-tail keywords that reflect intent – like “how to choose a mortgage broker in Melbourne” or “best investment property tips 2025” – help you create engaging content that answers specific questions and leads to better rankings.
5. Prioritise high-quality content
Google rewards websites with valuable, user-friendly content. Focus on producing content that answers your audience’s questions, such as “how to maximise tax benefits from investment properties”.
Avoid keyword stuffing (the excessive use of keywords to manipulate search rankings, often making content hard to read); instead, write naturally and provide insightful information.
Google’s guidelines for high-quality content can be summarised with the acronym EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness):
- Experience: Your business has first-hand experience with the topic
- Expertise: Your business is knowledgeable about the topic
- Authoritativeness: Your business has a strong reputation in your industry
- Trustworthiness: Your content is accurate and cites trustworthy sources (among other factors)
6. Optimise for voice search
As voice searches continue to rise, optimising your content for natural language queries is important. Finance and property-related voice searches might include phrases like “What’s a competitive home loan rate in Darlington?”
Voice searches often revolve around questions, so update your FAQ pages with direct, clear answers to increase the likelihood of being featured in voice search results. Also, ensure your website is mobile-friendly as many voice searches are made on mobile devices.
7. Use video content
Video content is a powerful tool for engaging visitors and boosting SEO. Whether it’s tutorials, interviews or behind-the-scenes footage, engaging video content helps keep users on your page longer.
Just as you would with written engaging content, optimise your video titles, descriptions and tags with relevant keywords to improve search visibility. Adding text transcripts to your video pages improves accessibility while giving search engines more text to crawl, boosting your SEO.
8. Improve your Google Business Profile
Having a well-maintained Google Business Profile is a must. Include up-to-date details like your business hours, contact information and service areas.
Upload photos of your office or team to engage potential clients. This improves your chances of appearing in local searches, especially on Google Maps.
9. Build quality backlinks
Backlinks, or links from other reputable websites, help Google recognise your website as trustworthy. You can build backlinks by contributing guest articles to industry blogs, collaborating with other businesses, or getting your website mentioned in local or national news outlets.10. Track and adjust your strategy
Once you’ve implemented these SEO strategies, it’s important to track your progress. Use free tools like Google Search Console or paid tools to monitor your keyword rankings and traffic.
Regularly assess what’s working and adjust as needed to stay competitive in SEO.
