Part 5: Make It Safe and Easy to Find

Launch Your Website series: Part 5 of 7

Your pages are ready. Before launch, let’s connect your domain, make sure your site shows the padlock, and help Google find you. These are the website SEO basics every beginner needs.

Step 1: Connect your domain

This tells the internet “my address (domain) points to my land (hosting).”

If you bought the domain from your website builder: it’s usually connected automatically. Skip ahead.

If you bought it somewhere else (like Namecheap or GoDaddy):

1. In your website builder, go to Settings → Domains → Connect a domain you own.
2. Type in your domain name.
3. The builder will show simple instructions, often a “connect automatically” button that signs you in to your domain shop and does it for you.
4. If you have to do it by hand, the builder gives you a couple of codes (called DNS records). Copy them exactly into your domain shop’s DNS settings page.
5. Wait. It can take from a few minutes up to 48 hours to start working. This is normal.

Step 2: Check for the padlock

Look at your browser’s address bar when you visit your site. You want to see a padlock 🔒 and an address starting with https://.

The padlock means visitors’ information is protected. Without it, browsers show a scary “Not secure” warning.

• Good news: website builders add it for free, automatically. It’s called an SSL certificate.
• If you don’t see the padlock a day after connecting your domain, look for SSL or HTTPS in your builder’s settings and switch it on.

Step 3: Help Google find you

Being found on Google is called SEO (search engine optimization). You don’t need to be an expert. Do these simple things:

1. Give every page a clear title. In your builder’s page settings (often called SEO settings), write a title like “Sunny Bakery | Fresh Bread Baked Daily in [Your City]”, not just “Home.”
2. Write a short description for each page (one or two sentences). This is the text people see under your link on Google.
3. Use the words your customers would search for, naturally, in your headings and text. Example: “birthday cakes in [your city].”
4. Tell Google your site exists. Go to Google Search Console (search for it), sign in with a Google account, add your website and follow the steps. Many builders have a button that does this for you.
5. Have a local business? Create a free Google Business Profile so you show up on Google Maps.

Be patient

Google can take a few days to a few weeks to show a new site. That’s normal. Keep going.

Next: Part 6: Launch Day Checklist →