If someone types your domain name or business name into Google, your website should be the first result. With a new or recently rebranded site, that does not always happen straight away. These are the steps I use to make sure Google connects your name with your website and puts it at the top.

Step 1. Get your new domain indexed in Google:

Add your website to Google Search Console as a Domain or URL prefix property and verify it.
Submit your sitemap under Sitemaps.
Paste your homepage address into the URL Inspection bar at the top.
Wait for Google to check the URL, then click Request indexing. New homepages are often indexed within a few days.

Search for site:yourdomain.co.uk to check which of your pages Google has indexed. My guide on adding a new website to Google covers this in more detail.

Step 2. Include your domain name in your site:

Google needs to see clearly that your website is the official home of your name. Use your brand or domain name (without the “.co.uk” if it reads more naturally) in:

your homepage title tag, for example: <title>Brand Name | What You Do</title>
your homepage H1 heading or opening line
your logo’s alt text, your footer and your contact page
Organization structured data on your homepage, listing your name, logo and social profiles. Most SEO plugins add this for you.
your site title (in WordPress under Settings, General), which SEO plugins use in the WebSite structured data that helps Google choose the site name shown in results.

Step 3. Keep it natural:

You do not need to repeat your domain name many times or aim for a keyword density. Mention your brand where it reads naturally, as above. Stuffing it into every paragraph does not help and makes the site look less trustworthy to visitors.

Step 4. Link it from other websites:

Mentions and links on other trusted websites confirm to Google that your brand and your website belong together:

Create or claim your Google Business Profile and add your website address.
Add your website to your social profiles, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
List your business in relevant directories for your industry and area, with the same name, address and phone number everywhere.
Ask suppliers, partners and professional bodies you belong to whether they list members or partners with a link.

Avoid buying links or building networks of your own sites that link to each other with your keywords. Google treats that as link spam.

If you changed domain

When you move to a new domain, set up 301 redirects from every old page to its matching new page, then use the Change of Address tool in Search Console. Without redirects, both the old rankings and the old brand searches can be lost. I explain more in what happens when a highly ranked domain is redirected.

Still not ranking for your own name?

If your brand name is a common word or shared with a bigger business, ranking first can take longer, and you may need a stronger, more distinctive brand presence. If you are stuck, my first page of Google guide explains the next steps.

Still not ranking for your own brand name? Tell me about your site and I will take a look.