How People Find Your Website on Google: Keywords
What are keywords and why do they matter for your website?
Now that your website is taking shape, the question of how anyone will actually find it once published might be coming to mind. This is where "keywords" come in.
Keywords are the phrases people type into Google when they're looking for something
If you run a guesthouse, those might be "family hotel Paris" or "pet-friendly accommodation." If you sell cooking oil, they might be "best oil for frying" or "healthy cooking oil."
When your website uses these phrases naturally, Google is more likely to show your site to people searching for them. You're speaking the same language as your future visitors.
Write for your visitors first
Optimizing for search engines matters, but writing for Google before your readers is a mistake. You’ll explain things better if you say them in your own way first, then look for the right keywords.
Your future customers don't know your name yet
Here's something that surprises many first-time website creators: people rarely search for business names. Unless someone already knows about you, they search for what they need.
Think about your own behavior. When you need a plumber, do you type a company name? Or do you type "plumber near me" or "fix leaking tap"?
Your future visitors will do the same thing. Someone looking for a guesthouse in Paris won't search for "Maison Claire" (your business name). They'll search for "guesthouse Paris" or "pet-friendly hotel Paris."
This is actually good news. It means you don't need a famous brand to be found. You just need to use the same words your visitors use.
How to find out what people search for on Google
Google will tell you. Here's how:
Try the search box
Start typing your main topic and watch what appears in the dropdown. Those suggestions come from real searches that real people make every day. If you type "cooking oil," you might see "cooking oil for frying" or "healthiest cooking oil."
Check "People also search for"
At the bottom of any results page, you'll find more phrases people commonly search for.
Spend ten minutes doing this for your main topic and write down the phrases that feel relevant. You've just found your keywords.
How to turn those phrases into titles that work for visitors and Google
The questions you find in Google make excellent titles for your pages and blocks.
If many people search for "What's the healthiest oil for frying?", and you create a section with that title, two good things happen. Visitors immediately see you have what they're looking for and Google recognizes that your content answers a common question.
Page titles matter most
If you offer dog grooming in Melbourne, a page titled "Dog Grooming Services in Melbourne" tells both Google and visitors exactly what they'll find. Compare that to a page simply titled "Services."
Block titles help too
Instead of "Our Approach," try "Why we only use gentle grooming methods." Instead of "FAQ," try "Your most asked questions about dog grooming."
You're not stuffing keywords awkwardly into your writing. You're simply being clear about what each page contains, using the same words your visitors use.
If you'd like to go deeper, our Step-by-Step Guide to How to be Found on Google walks you through everything from meta tags to sitemaps.
You might already know your keywords
The best keywords come from understanding your visitors, not from any special technique.
Think about the questions people ask you in person. Think about how someone who doesn't know you yet might describe what they need. Those thoughts, expressed in plain language, your visitors’ language, are your keywords.
Write clearly about what you offer, in words your visitors will understand, and you're already doing keyword work. You and Google want the same thing: to connect people with helpful websites.
Something to try as you build
Go to Google and type the main thing you offer. Look at the suggestions and the "People also search for" section at the bottom.
Find one question that matches something you're working on. Does that question appear anywhere in your page or block titles? This is a useful check whether your site is still taking shape or already published.
