Oksurya

I Built a Google-Friendly Site From Scratch. Steal My Steps.

By Jayasurya Mailsamy

Alright, let’s have a real talk.

I remember when I first launched my website. I poured my heart and soul into it. Wrote what I thought was great stuff, hit “publish,” and… crickets. Radio silence. I’d check my stats every day, hoping to see that beautiful spike in traffic from Google, but it just wasn’t happening.

It was frustrating. Sound familiar?

That’s when I realized I was trying to play a game without knowing the rules. Google has a playbook—its official SEO policies—and if you want your site to show up, you’ve gotta learn to use it.

So, I dove in. Deep. And I want to show you exactly what I did, step-by-step, to build my site in a way that Google actually likes. This isn’t a bunch of abstract theory. This is the real, practical stuff that worked for me.

1. It All Starts with Planning (The Non-Boring Way)

Before I wrote a single word, I had to stop and think about people. Not algorithms, not robots, but real people with real problems.

  • Finding What People Actually Ask: I stopped guessing what people wanted to read. I started using tools like Google Search Console (once I had some data) and even just Google’s own search bar to see the “People also ask” sections. The goal wasn’t just to find keywords, but to understand the question behind the keyword. This is what SEO pros call “Search Intent,” and it’s everything.
  • Writing for Humans, Not Robots: This is the whole point of Google’s Helpful Content Update. My old content was… well, it was stuffed with keywords. It read like a robot wrote it.
  • Putting the User First: I structured my pages for easy reading. Short paragraphs. Clear headings. Important info right at the top. I imagined a friend reading it on their phone while waiting in line for coffee.
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2. My Site Had to Work on a Phone. Period.

Look around. Everyone is on their phone. Google knows this, which is why they have Mobile-First Indexing. It basically means Google pretends it’s a mobile user when it looks at your site.

I also got obsessed with something called Core Web Vitals. Fancy name, simple idea: Does your site feel fast and stable? I used Google’s PageSpeed Insights, which gave me a score and a to-do list.

3. Building Trust with E-E-A-T

This acronym sounds super technical, but it’s really just Google’s formula for trust. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

  • Experience: I started writing about what I’d actually done.
  • Expertise: I stuck to topics I genuinely know about.
  • Authoritativeness: I created a detailed “About Me” page.
  • Trustworthiness: I made sure my site had HTTPS, a clear contact page, and a privacy policy.

4. Making My Site Easy to Navigate (For Google and Humans)

Imagine walking into a massive library with no signs. That’s what a site with bad architecture feels like.

  • Clean URLs: My URLs are simple and descriptive.
  • Internal Links & Breadcrumbs: I started linking between my own articles. I also added “breadcrumbs” to help with navigation.
  • The Technical Stuff: I submitted an XML sitemap through Google Search Console. I also made sure my robots.txt file wasn’t blocking Google from important pages.

5. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

Google Discover, that magical feed on your phone’s Google app, is highly visual. Low-quality images won’t cut it.

  • High-Quality Images: I invested in good stock photos and started using my own.
  • Fast-Loading Formats: I switched to using modern image formats like WebP.
  • Descriptive Alt Text: I write descriptive alt text for every image. Here’s Google’s advice on image SEO.
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6. Writing Content That Gets Noticed

I focus on people-first content. I also started using structured data (Schema markup). It’s a bit of code that “labels” your content for Google.

Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites. I completely avoid link schemes or paying for links.

  • Writing guest posts for reputable blogs.
  • Creating useful content that people naturally link to.

8. Keeping an Eye on Everything

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Bonus: How I Think I Got Picked by Google Discover

Getting that Discover traffic felt like winning the lottery. I can’t be 100% sure what did it, but here’s my best guess:

  • Consistency
  • Amazing Visuals
  • Engaging (But Not Clickbait) Titles
  • Authority in My Niche

Want to learn more? Here’s Google’s guide on Discover.

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Look, following Google’s policies isn’t a one-time fix. It’s an ongoing commitment to quality and user experience. It takes time, and it takes work. But building your site on a solid, ethical foundation is the only way to win in the long run.