How Google Decides Which Pages Show Up

How Google Ranks Pages (It’s Not Just “Keywords”)

If you’ve ever been told “you just need the right keywords” — you’ve been misled.

Google doesn’t work like a filing cabinet where each page is labelled with one phrase. It works more like a human trying to understand what someone actually means when they search.

This article explains, in simple terms:

• Why Google doesn’t look for exact keywords anymore
• How phrases, synonyms, and related words work together
• What search intent really means
• The difference between appearing on Google, the first page, and the local business panel on the right

No tricks. No hacks. Just how it actually works.

Google Doesn’t Match Words — It Matches Meaning

Let’s start with the biggest misconception.

Google does not sit there asking:

“Does this page contain the exact phrase the person typed?”

Instead, Google asks:

“What is this page about, and does it help with what the person is trying to do?”

For example, all of these searches mean roughly the same thing:

• “fix my website”
• “website not working”
• “WordPress site broken”
• “site down help”

A good page doesn’t need to repeat every one of those phrases. It needs to clearly demonstrate that it’s about website repair — using natural language that a human would expect.

That’s why modern SEO is about topics, not single keywords.

Keywords, Phrases, Synonyms, and “Like Words”

When Google reads a page, it looks for clusters of meaning, not repetition.

So if your page talks about:

• website errors
• broken pages
• slow load times
• plugins conflicting
• hosting problems

Google understands that the topic is website problems — even if the exact search phrase never appears.

This is where synonyms and related terms matter:

• “fix” ≈ “repair” ≈ “resolve”
• “website” ≈ “site” ≈ “WordPress site”
• “slow” ≈ “performance issues” ≈ “loading problems”

You don’t add these to “game” Google.
You use them because that’s how real people explain things.

If your content reads naturally to a human, Google can usually understand it.

Search Intent: What the Person Is Actually Trying to Do

This is one of the most important ideas in SEO.

Every search has an intent behind it.

Common types of intent

• Informational
  “Why is my website slow?”
• Problem-solving / urgent
  “Website down help now”
• Commercial
  “Website repair service Sunshine Coast”
• Navigational
  “Kelly Creative website”

Google tries to match pages, not just words, to that intent.

If someone is panicking because their site is broken, Google won’t show them a long history lesson about the internet — even if it contains the right keywords.

It will prioritise pages that solve the problem.

That’s why tone, structure, and clarity matter just as much as words.

What It Means to “Get on Google”

People often say, “I want to be on Google.”
Most websites already are.

What they usually mean is one of these:

1. Indexed (on Google at all)

Your page exists in Google’s database.
You can find it by searching your business name exactly.

This is the bare minimum.

2. Ranking (appearing for relevant searches)

Your page shows up when someone searches for a problem or service you offer.

This depends on:

• How clearly your page match the topic
• How useful it appears
• How trustworthy your site seems
• Whether it aligns with the search intent

3. First page of Google

This is where competition starts.

Being on page one usually means Google believes your page is:

• Highly relevant
• Clear and focused
• Helpful compared to others
• Supported by signals like internal links, authority, and consistency

There is no single switch you flip to get here.

Organic Results vs the Local Business Panel

Here’s where many small businesses get confused.

Organic Search Results (the Main List)

These are the normal blue links down the page.

They are driven by:

• Page content
• Topic relevance
• Search intent
• Website quality

This is where blog posts, guides, and service pages usually compete.

The Local Map Results (the “Map Pack”)

This appears when Google thinks the search has local intent, such as:

• “plumber near me”
• “website designer Sunshine Coast”

These results come from Google Business Profile, not your website alone.

Your site helps — but it’s not the primary driver.

The Business Panel On The Right-hand Side

This panel appears when someone searches for a specific business name.

It’s controlled almost entirely by your Google Business Profile, not SEO in the traditional sense.

Your website supports it, but it doesn’t replace it.

This is why:

• You can rank well organically, but have a weak business panel
• Or have a strong business panel but poor organic visibility

They are related, but they are not the same system.

Why “Stuffing Keywords” Doesn’t Work

Repeating the same phrase over and over doesn’t make Google trust you more.

In fact, it often does the opposite.

Google expects:

• Clear headings
• Natural language
• Supporting explanations
• Related concepts

If your page sounds like it was written for a machine, it usually underperforms.

The irony is that the best SEO today looks like good writing.

The Simple Way to Think About SEO

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

Google rewards pages that clearly help the right person at the right moment.

That means:

• One page, one main topic
• Write how a real person would explain it
• Answer the questions someone would logically ask next
• Match urgency, tone, and clarity to intent

SEO isn’t about chasing keywords.
It’s about removing confusion — for both people and Google.

Why Some Pages Rank Even When They Don’t Look Like SEO Pages

People often assume that the pages ranking well must be doing something clever or technical.

In reality, many of the best-ranking pages succeed because they don’t look like SEO pages at all.

Google has quietly moved away from rewarding optimisation tricks and towards rewarding clarity, usefulness, and trust.

Google Is Looking for Understanding, Not Formatting

A page can rank without:

• Perfect keyword placement
• Exact-match headings
• SEO-styled titles
• Repetitive phrases

Because Google isn’t scoring how well you followed a checklist.

It’s evaluating whether the page understands the problem the searcher has.

If a page:

• Clearly explains the issue
• Uses natural language
• Covers the topic thoroughly
• Feels written by someone who actually knows the subject

Google can usually tell.

That understanding matters more than visible optimisation.

Topic Coverage Beats Keyword Targeting

Pages that “don’t look SEO-optimised” often do one thing extremely well:

They fully cover a topic.

Instead of chasing a phrase like “best website repair service”, they naturally include:

• The problem
• Why it happens
• What it affects
• What to check
• What fixes usually work
• When professional help is needed

Google sees this and thinks:
“This page answers the question better than most.”

That’s enough.

Search Intent Is Doing the Heavy Lifting

This is the biggest reason.

A page can rank because it matches intent perfectly, even if the words aren’t polished for SEO.

For example:

Someone searches:

“website suddenly broken”

A page that calmly explains:

• Common causes
• What not to panic about
• Simple first checks
• Clear next steps

…will often outrank a page that shouts keywords but doesn’t reduce anxiety or confusion.

Google measures how people interact with results.
Pages that feel right tend to perform better.

Authority Can Be Invisible

Some pages rank because of where they sit, not just what they say.

Google considers:

• The overall trust of the site
• Internal links pointing to the page
• Consistency of topics across the site
• Whether the site regularly publishes useful content

So a page may look “plain”, but it’s backed by a strong foundation.

From Google’s perspective, that page isn’t standing alone — it’s part of a trusted system.

Natural Language Is a Ranking Advantage Now

Many high-ranking pages succeed because they sound human.

They:

• Use varied language
• Explain things simply
• Don’t repeat phrases unnaturally
• Follow a logical flow

This helps Google understand meaning rather than patterns.

Ironically, pages that are “over-optimised” often confuse that understanding.

Design and SEO Are Separate Concerns

A page doesn’t need:

• Callouts
• Highlighted keywords
• SEO-styled headings
• Visual “optimisation cues”

Google doesn’t see design the way humans do.

A page can look understated — even boring — and still rank because:

• The content is clear
• The structure makes sense
• The topic is unambiguous

Simple does not mean weak.

Why This Confuses Business Owners

From the outside, it looks like:

“They’re ranking without doing SEO — that’s unfair.”

What’s actually happening is:

“They’re doing the right kind of SEO, quietly.”

They focused on:

• Helping the reader
• Explaining clearly
• Staying on-topic
• Earning trust over time

And Google rewarded that.

The Key Takeaway

Pages don’t rank because they look SEO-optimised.

They rank because they:

• Solve the right problem
• Match the searcher’s intent
• Communicate clearly
• Sit within a trusted context

Good SEO often looks invisible — because it feels like good writing.

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Next up:
Keyword Research That Actually Helps

If you’d rather not navigate the SEO learning curve on your own, my Local SEO service is designed to support real businesses in a practical, grounded way.