Website Promotion on Google: How to Drive Traffic in 2025

When it comes to promoting a website on Google, classic SEO strategies involving keywords, links, and technical audits immediately come to mind. However, these are only a few of the possibilities today. Marketers today have dozens of tools at their disposal to attract users from Google, including niche services, videos, automated campaigns, and optimization for AI systems. You can consistently get traffic from Google even without classic SEO.

There are many ways to promote your website on Google, and it is worth learning about them so you can decide which ones to use. The most effective promotion method varies depending on the type of website and business, launch date, and available resources.

In this guide, we discuss 13 different methods you can use to increase your Google traffic.

1. Classic SEO
2. Local promotion through Google services
3. Using directories and sites that are already ranked
4. Promotion in Google Discover
5. Optimization for Google News
6. Product listings (Organic shopping)
7. YouTube
8. Niche Google services
9. Search advertising (Google Search Ads)
10. Product advertising (Google Shopping Ads)
11. Display advertising (Google Display Ads)
12. Automated campaigns (Performance Max, Discover, and Demand Gen)
13. Gemini

Some experts categorize promotional methods as either paid or free. However, this is not entirely accurate because, in all methods, you will have to invest time or other resources. Therefore, for this article, we will divide the methods into organic (free) and paid traffic.

Organic search engine promotion methods

Classic SEO

What is it?

It is the process of optimizing a website to improve its position in Google's organic search results for relevant queries. The main goal of promotion on Google is to attract an audience interested in your products, services, or related information.

What does it involve?

A comprehensive set of services, including:

• Technical site optimization, including loading speed, adaptability, and structure.

• Content optimization, including the use of keywords and improving the quality and uniqueness of the content.

• Building external links, which involves obtaining high-quality links from other resources.

• Improving the user experience (UX).

How to get started?

To ensure your website works effectively using the classic SEO method, you must:

• Conduct a comprehensive SEO audit.

• Make a keyword list.

• Create high-quality, relevant content.

• Optimize meta tags, images, and internal links.

• Work on obtaining high-quality backlinks.

• Monitor the technical condition of the website.

How to maintain efficiency?

To maintain effective SEO, regularly analyze results using Google Search Console and Google Analytics. You should also monitor changes in Google's algorithms, update and supplement content, improve the user experience, and gradually build a high-quality link profile.

Key benefits

1. Long-term impact

2. High user trust in organic results

3. Relatively low customer acquisition cost over time

4. Stable traffic

Who is it for?

SEO is ideal for websites that aim to attract stable, targeted traffic over the long term, including online stores, blogs, corporate sites, and service platforms.

Local promotion with Google services

What is it?

Improving the visibility of your business for users searching for products or services in a specific geographic location.

What does it involve?

Local promotion includes:

• Google Business Profile optimization (Google Maps), such as adding the address, hours, photos, and reviews.

• NAP (name, address, and phone number) which involves placing mentions of the company in local directories and catalogs.

• Creating localized content on the website.

How to get started?

First, register your company on Google Business Profile. Create a profile and carefully fill out all the fields. Then, confirm your location.

An important step is to encourage your customers to leave honest reviews, and be sure to respond to them. This will increase trust in your brand and improve your local search rankings.

How to maintain efficiency?

To maintain high visibility in local search results, you should:

• Keep the information in your GBP up to date.

• Add new photos and publish posts.

• Actively respond to reviews.

• Use local keywords in your profile and on your website.

Key benefits

1. High conversion rate: users are already looking for nearby services.

2. Attract interested customers.

3. Build a high-quality reputation through reviews.

Who is it for?

Local promotion is especially effective for businesses with a physical address, such as cafés, restaurants, shops, beauty salons, medical centers, workshops, law offices, and private hospitals.

Using directories and websites that are already ranked (part of SERM)

This allows you to establish a presence even before your own website starts ranking. All you need to do is compile a list of these resources and add your business information to them.

What is it?

Placing company information on third-party resources and in directories that already have stable traffic and trust from Google. It's one of the components of SERM (search engine reputation management) and an effective way to gain visibility at the start.

What does it involve?

Publishing information about your business, products, and services on thematic aggregators, bulletin boards, review sites, industry directories, and other platforms with high Google trust.

How to get started?

1. Identify the key queries you want to promote.

2. Find the top websites that are already ranked for these queries, such as business directories, rating sites, and thematic forums.

3. Post your offer or profile on the selected platforms.

How to maintain efficiency?

Ensure your presence on external platforms remains effective:

• Fill out your profile with complete and up-to-date information.

• Add high-quality, relevant photos.

• Respond to feedback, both positive and negative.

• Regularly update your ads and other information.

Key benefits

1. A fast way to gain visibility

2. Leverages Google’s trust in authoritative platforms

3. Additional traffic and potential leads

Who is it for?

New businesses, service providers, and e-commerce projects in niches with active marketplaces and high-ranking aggregators on Google.

Promotion in Google Discover

In essence, it is Google's version of social media feeds, with an emphasis on relevance. It has become an important source of traffic for media and news sites because it allows them to reach their audience before the user enters a search query.

What is it?

It's a display of your content in the personalized Google Discover feed on mobile devices. The algorithm is based on a specific user's behavior, interests, and search history.

What does it involve?

Creating high-quality, relevant, unique, and engaging content that evokes emotion and appeals to a wide audience.

How to get started?

To get into the Google Discover feed:

1. Create valuable and relevant content with viral potential.

2. Add high-quality, attractive images to each post.

3. Follow Google's content quality and technical optimization guidelines.

4. Ensure that your site is indexed by Google and added to Google Search Console.

How to maintain efficiency?

To maintain visibility in Google Discover and regularly appear in users' feeds:

• Keep track of current topics and trends in your niche.

• Create content with bright, clear headlines and visually appealing images.

• Update old content to ensure it stays relevant.

Key benefits

1. Get a huge amount of traffic without direct SEO.

2. Reach a wide audience that isn't familiar with your resource yet.

Who is it for?

News portals, media outlets, blogs, and websites with entertainment, informational, or viral content.

Google News optimization

What is it?

Placing your publication's news content in a special section of Google News, as well as in the main search results for relevant queries.

Example of news display from various online media outlets

What does it involve?

To be included in Google News, a website must meet the platform's technical requirements. The requirements include the following:

• Have a clear URL structure and clear headlines.

• Indicate the exact time of publication for each news item.

• Avoid duplicate content.

• Regularly create and publish original, relevant content.

How to get started?

To start appearing in Google News, submit your site for review in the Google Publisher Center.

Before submitting, ensure that the resource meets all of Google's requirements for news publications. It should have a technically correct structure, transparent author or editorial office information, and original content that complies with editorial standards.

How to maintain efficiency?

1. Publish news promptly.

2. Monitor content quality.

3. Use clear headlines.

4. Adhere to journalistic standards.

Key benefits

Google News optimization allows you to:

• Quickly index news and appear in search results for relevant queries.

• Get significant traffic from an engaged audience.

• Increase the authority and recognition of your publication among readers and search engines.

Who is it for?

News agencies, online media, and information portals that regularly publish news.

Organic shopping results

What is it?

It's a free way to display your products on Google Shopping and sometimes in the main search results for relevant queries.

What does it involve?

Creating and uploading an up-to-date product feed to the Google Merchant Center that contains detailed information about each product, including the product's name, description, price, availability, image link, and product page.

How to get started?

To start displaying your products in organic shopping:

1. Create a Google Merchant Center account.

2. Prepare and upload your product feed according to Google's requirements.

3. Ensure your feed is error-free and updated regularly.

4. Link your Merchant Center account to your Google Search Console account to verify ownership of your site.

How to maintain efficiency?

To ensure your products consistently appear in organic shopping results and attract traffic, you should:

• Regularly update your product feed.

• Use high-quality, clear images.

• Optimize product names and descriptions for search queries.

• Keep an eye on prices, availability, and data accuracy in the Merchant Center.

Key benefits

Receive free traffic and attract users who are ready to buy.

Who is it for?

Online stores and any e-commerce projects that sell physical products.

YouTube

Therefore, promoting your content on YouTube is another way to generate traffic from Google searches.

What is it?

Video content optimization to increase the visibility of videos in YouTube and regular Google search results.

What does it involve?

To ensure that your YouTube videos appear in Google’s organic search results and attract traffic, you need to:

• Optimize titles, descriptions, and tags for search queries.

• Add subtitles or transcripts to improve indexing.

• Create attractive thumbnails that increase clickability.

• Encourage viewers to interact through comments, likes, and subscriptions.

How to get started?

Create high-quality video content and publish it regularly. It is also crucial to fill in all the fields when uploading videos.

How to maintain efficiency?

To consistently attract traffic from search results to your YouTube content:

• Research keywords for each video and use them in the titles and descriptions.

• Analyze popular videos in your niche to see which formats, topics, and presentation styles work.

• Improve the technical quality of your content, including sound, images, and editing.

• Add clear calls to action, such as subscribing, visiting the website, or commenting.

• Optimize video descriptions by adding active links to redirect traffic to your website.

Key benefits

1. High user engagement.

2. An effective way to deliver information in a convenient format.

3. Expanded audience reach beyond YouTube.

Who is it for?

Bloggers, educational platforms, and companies that create product reviews, tutorials, and webinars will benefit from this method.

Google niche services

What does it involve?

Using this method involved registering on the relevant services, followed by profile optimization.

How to get started?

First, register with the appropriate Google service. Be sure to provide complete, accurate, and up-to-date information about your products or services, including their names, descriptions, prices, availability, and contact details.

Some platforms, such as Google Hotels and Google Flights, require integration with partner systems, like booking systems or data aggregators, that transfer information directly to Google. This ensures that your offer is displayed correctly in the relevant service.

How to maintain efficiency?

To remain competitive on specialized Google platforms, it is important to:

• Regularly update information about prices, availability, services, and offers.

• Ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date.

• Monitor user reviews and respond to them promptly.

• Maintain a high rating, as it affects visibility and trust in the brand.

Key benefits

1. Maximize targeted traffic.

2. High conversion rate.

3. Display in visually appealing Google blocks.

Who is it for?

Businesses that offer niche services, like hotels, travel companies, recruitment agencies, airlines, and transportation ticket providers.

Advertising methods

Search advertising (Google Search Ads)

What is it?

Text ads that appear at the top or bottom of Google search results for selected keywords. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad (PPC — Pay Per Click).

What does it involve?

Launching a Google Search Ad involves the following tasks:

• Creating advertising campaigns in Google Ads

• Selecting relevant keywords, including negative ones

• Writing ads with attractive headlines and descriptions

• Defining the target audience and geography of the ad

• Setting up a budget and bidding strategy

How to get started?

To launch search advertising on Google:

1. Create a Google Ads account.

2. Select relevant keywords.

3. Set up a campaign with effective ads.

4. Connect landing pages with a high probability of conversion.

How to maintain efficiency?

For effective search advertising, ongoing campaign management is needed. It typically involves the following tactics:

• Analyzing keyword performance

• Adjusting bids when necessary

• Testing new ad variations to improve appeal and CTR

Landing pages can also be optimized to increase conversions, and expanding the list of negative keywords will help to prevent untargeted traffic.

Key benefits

Search advertising allows you to: 

1. Quickly drive targeted traffic to your website.

2. Accurately manage your spending.

3. Flexibly tailor campaigns to your business goals.

Who is it for?

Any business that needs quick results, such as online stores, service companies, local businesses, and companies with seasonal offers.

Google Shopping ads

What is it?

An ad format on Google that shows potential buyers an image of a product, along with its name, price, and the store where it can be purchased. These ads appear at the top of search results or in the Products tab and operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) model.

What does it involve?

1. Uploading product feeds to the Google Merchant Center.

2. Creating shopping campaigns in Google Ads.

3. Setting up bids and targeting.

How to get started?

First, make sure your online store meets Google Merchant Center requirements to launch product ads.

Next, create a feed with product data and upload it to your Merchant Center account. Then, set up a Shopping campaign in Google Ads, specifying the country of sale, budget, bidding strategy, and target audience.

How to maintain efficiency?

To maintain an effective Google Shopping ads campaign, you should:

• Improve feed quality by using clear names, descriptions, and high-quality images.

• Optimize product bids.

• Use product segmentation.

• Analyze performance metrics: CTR and conversion rate.

Key benefits

1. High visual appeal

2. Attract potential buyers who are ready to purchase

3. High conversion rate

Who is it for?

Online stores and anyone selling products online.

Google Display Ads

What is it?

Placing graphic (banner) or text ads on websites, mobile apps, and videos within the Google Display Network (GDN). The goal is to attract attention and potential customers while increasing brand awareness.

What does it involve?

Display advertising includes:

• Creating banners in various formats and sizes.

• Writing short text ads.

• Choosing the type of targeting, such as by interests, demographics, website topics, or specific placements.

• Setting up remarketing to bring back users who have interacted with the brand.

How to get started?

First, create your ads, define your target audience, and choose your placement locations. Then set up your Google Ads campaign.

How to maintain efficiency?

For effective display advertising, it must be regularly optimized:

• Test different visuals and copy to identify the most effective combinations.

• Adjust targeting based on changes in audience behavior.

• Exclude underperforming placements.

• Optimize bids to improve ROI.

• Use remarketing to re-engage interested users.

Key benefits

A wide audience reach allows you to:

1. Establish visual contact with the brand

2. Fine-tune your targeting

3. Effectively increase brand awareness

Who is it for?

Google Display Ads is suitable for brands that want to:

• Increase brand awareness

• Remind visitors who have already been to the site about the brand

• Attract a new audience at the start of the sales funnel

Automated campaigns (Performance Max, Discover, and Demand Gen)

What are they?

They are modern, multichannel Google Ads campaigns that use machine learning to automate ad delivery with specific goals across the entire Google network, including Search, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps.

What does it involve?

For automated campaigns, upload all available creative content, such as text, images, and videos, and specify a goal, such as increasing sales. Then, Google's algorithms will select who to show the ads to, where to show them, and when to show them to achieve the set goal.

How to get started?

First, prepare high-quality, diverse creatives, such as texts, images, and videos. Then, clearly define your goals. After that, the system begins learning and automatically optimizes impressions to achieve the best results.

How to maintain efficiency?

To increase efficiency, you should do the following:

• Regularly add new creatives.

• Analyze conversion rates and respond to changes.

• Feed as much conversion data as possible into the system.

• Where possible, use conversion value for more accurate optimization.

Key benefits

1. Maximum automation.

2. Wide coverage of all Google channels.

3. High efficiency thanks to machine learning algorithms.

4. Potential for a higher return on investment (ROI).

Who is it for?

Automated campaigns are suitable for businesses that want to maximize their campaign results without delving into technical settings. They are ideal for e-commerce and lead generation projects.

Gemini

To avoid missing out on this channel, set up traffic tracking with Gemini now to monitor its impact on user behavior and your sales funnel.

What is it?

Implementing and adapting content for the Gemini (formerly Bard) AI ecosystem. Gemini is becoming increasingly integrated into Google's search services. Now, responses to queries are generated not only based on web pages, but also from content that algorithms can interpret without visiting the website.

What does it involve?

You create structured, reliable, and authoritative content that's easy for artificial intelligence to read. The focus is on providing direct answers to questions, concise summaries, logical blocks, and clear comparisons.

How to get started?

1. Optimize your brand for Google Knowledge Graph to help the system better understand who you are and what you do.

2. Next, create high-quality, structured content targeted to specific user queries.

3. Use clear headings, bulleted lists, tables, and FAQs to present information clearly to artificial intelligence.

How to maintain efficiency?

Regularly check the content for accuracy and update information that can be used by Gemini. Follow Google's new recommendations for working with AI content.

Key benefits

Your content can become the basis for Gemini's direct answers and appear in search results before users are directed to your website. This ensures high visibility, quick contact with your audience, and additional trust thanks to your status as a recommended Google source.

Who is it for?

Services, software as a service (SaaS) platforms, information and educational resources, blogs, and companies that publish expert content about their products or services.

How SEO is changing

Modern SEO is rapidly changing due to several factors:

• The growth of zero-click searches, allowing users to find answers directly in the search results without visiting a website.
• The development of the AI Overview and AI-powered chatbots.
• A shift in user attention to other platforms, such as TikTok, which are becoming the starting point for searches.

Conclusions

To successfully attract traffic to your website, there are a few key points to keep in mind.

1. Search is not the only option. Google is more than just a classic search engine. Google Maps, Discover, YouTube, product listings, Gemini, and many niche services are also available. Ignoring these channels means missing out on a significant portion of potential traffic. For certain businesses, traditional SEO may not be the most effective use of resources.

2. Quick results are possible. While SEO is a long-term investment, some organic approaches, such as optimization for Discover or using directories, can bring quick results. Ultimately, it depends on your goals and your willingness to invest resources.

3. Start by determining what methods you want to work with. Instead of applying all methods at once, first clearly define your business goals, target audience, and available resources. Only then should you choose a combination of tools and approaches that are suitable for your needs and will lead to the desired results.