We get asked this most weeks: will a new website get me to the top of Google? The short answer is that it gives Google everything it needs to find and read your business. Climbing the rankings is a different job, done by a different kind of agency. Here's where one ends and the other starts, so you know what you're paying for.
What we build into every site
The SEO that lives in the code is part of every build. That means:
- Pages that load fast, on a phone as well as a laptop
- A clear title and description on every page, the words Google shows in its results
- Headings and page addresses that say what each page is about
- Every page submitted to Google through Search Console
That last one matters more than it sounds. Search Console is Google's own tool for website owners. Submitting your pages tells Google they exist and asks it to read them, and it shows you which searches you're turning up for. What it doesn't do is decide where you rank. Google does that.
Why ranking takes more than a website
Google says it ranks local results on three things: how relevant you are to the search, how far you are from the person searching, and how well known you are. A new website helps with the first. Nobody can change the second. The third is built up over months: other sites linking to yours, more reviews, a Google listing that's kept up to date, and new pages about the work you do.
That ongoing work, month after month, is SEO. It's what an SEO agency does, and it's not us. We'd rather tell you that now than sell you something we don't do.
Your Google listing counts too
For local searches, the map results often matter as much as your website. That's your Google Business Profile: your opening hours, photos, reviews and a button through to your site. We can set it up for you as one of our extras, and your new site links to it.
If you want to be at the top straight away
That's what Google Ads is for. Sponsored results sit above the normal ones, and you pay Google each time someone clicks. We can set up your account with tracking for calls and enquiries and a first campaign aimed at your area, for a one-off £49. You run it from there. We're not an ads agency either.
If you do hire an SEO agency
In a busy market, like the trades in Southampton, ongoing SEO can be worth paying for. Two things to watch for. Be wary of anyone who promises the number one spot: Google itself says nobody can guarantee that. And ask what they'll do each month, in plain English, and how you'll see whether it's working. Your Search Console data shows them where you're starting from.
The bottom line
A good website is the foundation everything else on Google builds on, and the SEO in the code comes with every site we build. Ranking above your competitors takes ongoing work, and that's a job for an SEO agency or Google Ads. If you want the foundation sorted, our prices are on the pricing page.
