Pages, navigation and the SEO basics that matter

Google finds new pages by following links. Add your page, link to it in your navigation and from relevant pages using normal anchor links, and make the content clear with good titles, headings and alt text. If you need Google to see it sooner, submit a sitemap and request indexing in Search Console.

Before you start

This picks up from a WordPress site running on Hostworld cPanel that you can log in to. If you are not at that point, get WordPress installed and reachable first.

• Have your WordPress admin login to hand. You will create pages and menus there.
• Know the pages you plan to add and what you will call them. Short, clear page names help both visitors and search engines.
• Risks to avoid:
  • Non‑crawlable links such as JavaScript click handlers without an href. Google primarily finds pages by following real <a href="..."> links.
  • Leaving a page with noindex turned on, password protection in place, or blocked in robots.txt. That prevents indexing.
  • Blocking CSS, JavaScript or images to anonymous users. Google needs to fetch those to render pages correctly.
  • Heavy‑handed .htaccess edits or redirect chains that take the site down. Back up before changing server rules.
• If you get stuck with hosting access or file edits, open a support ticket and we will help from our side.

Step 1: Plan your structure and URLs

Decide where the new page fits. For a small site, keep a flat structure with clear top‑level pages in the main menu, and link to any supporting pages from those.

• Pick a short permalink for the page that reflects the content, for example /about/ or /services/web-design/.
• Choose a canonical pattern once, such as with or without www, and whether you want trailing slashes. Keep it consistent.

Why this matters: Google spends its crawl budget following your internal links and consolidates signals by URL. A tidy structure keeps all attention on the URLs you actually want to rank.

Undo: If you change your mind later, set permanent redirects from the old URLs to the new ones so users and Google both arrive at the right place. See Step 10.

Step 2: Create the page in WordPress

In your WordPress dashboard go to Pages, then Add New. This opens the Block Editor.

• Give the page a clear title in the title field. That title also becomes the on‑page H1 in WordPress.
• Write the content in Paragraph blocks. Split sections with Heading blocks.
• Add images with the Image block where they help understanding.

Why this matters: Google evaluates pages one by one. Clear, helpful content that answers a searcher’s intent is the foundation, and headings mark out the topics.

Undo: If you want to remove the page from your live site, set it to Draft or move it to the Bin in Pages. To restore, go to Pages, Bin, then Restore.

Step 3: Add the page to your main navigation

For block‑based themes, edit your Navigation block. Add a Page Link to the new page or a Custom Link if it is an external URL. Save the changes and check the live site on desktop and on your phone.

Why this matters: On small sites, Google should be able to find all pages by following your navigation links. Menus place your most important pages on every page of the site, which is a strong signal for discovery.

Undo: Edit the Navigation block again and remove the item to take it out of the menu. This does not delete the page itself.

Step 4: Link to it from relevant pages using real anchor links

In the Block Editor, select text in a Paragraph, Heading or Button block and use the Link control to add an internal link. Use concise, descriptive anchor text that says what the page is about.

<a href="/services/">Website design services</a>

Do not rely on JavaScript click handlers or anchors without an href. Google follows standard <a href> links.

Undo: Edit the block and remove or change the link. Update the page.

Step 5: Write a unique title and a meta description

Good titles are unique and reflect the page content. Google may rewrite the title link in results based on multiple sources, so keep yours clear and accurate.

<title>Web design in Reading | Example Studio</title>

If your theme or an SEO tool on your site lets you add a meta description, write a one or two sentence summary that would help a searcher decide to click. Google may use it as the results snippet or replace it with other on‑page text if that is a better match.

<meta name="description" content="Bespoke web design for small businesses in Berkshire. See pricing, examples and how we work.">

• Do not add a keywords meta tag. Google does not use it.

Undo: Update the page title and description in the same place you set them. If you remove a meta description, Google will pick a snippet from the page content.

Step 6: Use headings in a logical hierarchy

Use one H1 per page for the main topic. In WordPress, that is the page title. Use H2s for sections and H3s for subsections. There is no magic number of headings, only a clear structure.

Why this matters: Headings help visitors scan the page and help Google understand the sections. It also helps accessibility.

Undo: Change a Heading block’s level from the block settings if you used the wrong one. You do not need to rewrite the content.

Step 7: Add images with descriptive alt text and sensible filenames

• Set Alt Text in the Image block’s settings when you add the image. This is stored for that instance. You can also set a default in the Media Library that will be reused next time.
• Use short, meaningful filenames before upload, for example red-wool-scarf.jpg instead of IMG_1234.jpg.

Why this matters: Google uses alt text and page context to understand images. Alt text also supports screen readers.

<img src="/images/red-wool-scarf.jpg" alt="Red wool scarf rolled on a wooden table">

Undo: Edit the Image block and change or clear the alt text. Replace the image if you uploaded the wrong file.

Step 8: Make sure Google can crawl and render the page

• Do not block the page or essential resources in robots.txt. Robots.txt blocks crawling, not indexing. A URL that is linked elsewhere may still be indexed without content.
• If you need to keep a page out of results, allow crawling and add a noindex robots meta or send an equivalent HTTP header. Or require authentication.

<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Robots-Tag: noindex, nofollow

• Ensure CSS, JS and images are accessible to anonymous users. Do not lock them behind a login or hotlink protection that blocks Google.
• If you previously used a staging plugin or password, remove those before launch.

Undo: If you find a stray noindex, remove the tag or header and update the page. If robots.txt contains a broad block such as Disallow: /, remove it and save. If you edit files directly, take a backup first. In cPanel you can download a copy with the file manager before changing it, or use SFTP.

Step 9: Provide an XML sitemap and submit it

A sitemap helps Google discover pages, especially new or isolated ones. It does not guarantee indexing or improve ranking. Most CMSs, including WordPress, can auto‑generate one. If yours does not, you can build one and host it yourself.

• Find or create your sitemap. Many sites use /sitemap.xml. Confirm it loads in your browser.
• In Google Search Console, add your property if you have not already. Submit the sitemap URL.

Undo: You can remove a sitemap in Search Console if you submitted the wrong one. Deleting a sitemap from your site does not remove pages from the index by itself.

Step 10: Ask Google to recrawl the page

If you want the new page, or an updated page, crawled sooner, use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console and choose Request indexing. You need Owner or Full user access for this action.

Undo: There is no undo for a recrawl request. If you requested indexing by mistake, add a noindex meta tag or protect the page with a login if you do not want it in results.

Step 11: Handle redirects and canonicalisation properly

If you change a URL, set a permanent redirect so users and Google reach the new one. Avoid long redirect chains.

• Use a server‑side 301 or 308 redirect. If your cPanel includes a Redirects tool under Domains, use that. If you need to edit .htaccess yourself, back it up first.

# Redirect one old URL to a new one
Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://www.example.com/new-page/

If you have duplicate or near‑duplicate URLs that must exist, add a canonical link on the duplicates that points to the preferred URL. This consolidates signals.

<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/preferred-url/">

Undo: To remove a redirect added in cPanel, delete it in the Redirects tool. If you added it to .htaccess, remove the lines and save. If a canonical points to the wrong page, correct or remove the tag and request re‑indexing. If you cause a redirect loop or 500 error, restore your backed‑up .htaccess and retest.

Step 12: Check on mobile and serve HTTPS

Google now crawls with the smartphone crawler only. Your mobile content needs to be as complete as desktop. Check the new page on your phone. Do not hide or truncate key content on mobile that you expect to rank.

Serve pages over HTTPS. Google prefers indexing HTTPS by default and treats it as a lightweight ranking signal. If you switch from HTTP to HTTPS, redirect HTTP to HTTPS with a permanent redirect and update internal links.

Undo: If a new HTTPS redirect breaks the site, remove it the same way you added it, then fix the certificate or mixed content and re‑apply. Back up before you change redirect rules.

Step 13: Confirm discovery and indexing

• In Search Console, use URL Inspection on the new page. Check that Crawling is allowed and Indexing allowed shows Yes. If it shows No with a reason, fix that cause.
• Check the Pages report to confirm discovery of your new URLs after a few days.

Undo: If a page should not be indexed, add a noindex meta and remove internal links to it. If a page should be indexed but is not, ensure it is linked, not blocked, and request indexing again.

Common checks that really move the needle on small sites

• Every important page is in the navigation and linked from at least one other page with a real <a href> link.
• Titles, headings and on‑page copy match what a searcher would type. Keep them readable and specific.
• Alt text on key images reflects what is in the image and supports the copy.
• Mobile shows the same core content and links as desktop.
• HTTPS is on, and there are no redirect chains or dead ends.
• No blocked resources, stray noindex, or broad robots.txt disallows.
• Core Web Vitals and UX matter. Faster, stable pages help, but they do not override weak content. Focus on content and navigation first.

If anything here needs a hand from our side, for example you suspect a server block on resources or you need help recovering from an .htaccess error, open a support ticket.

What next

You have the process to add pages that Google can find and understand. If you are growing and want more control over performance, take a look at our UK options at London VPS. If you are weighing up server changes, read through our VPS guides for what running your own instance involves. If you hit a hosting snag, open a support ticket so we can look at it with you.