Your website is a crucial asset.
One that can be leveraged to drive more targeted traffic and deliver new leads to your business. Each day you fail to rank in the search engines for your main keywords, your potential customers are going straight to your competitors.
Website Not Raking In Google?
Definitely not a good thing if you want to remain in business.
Having a website alone is not enough to achieve these rankings. You have to earn it. This is the primary focus of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
The only problem is that some of the information available can actually be damaging and could even help explain the following five reasons why your website is not ranking in Google.
1. Poor optimisation
People use search engines to find specific information. Google relies on a complex algorithm to determine where pages should rank for certain queries. Including relevant keywords throughout your content allows Google to know exactly what your pages are about from the following.
Title: Page titles are the first thing users see in search engine results. These should be written with relevant keywords but also in a way to entice clicks.
Headings: Headings are useful for breaking up blocks of content but also provide another opportunity to include relevant keywords.
Content: Pages that produce garbage or rehashed information have little chance of ranking. Content that is highly relevant and valuable tends to be more visible.
Meta tags: Meta descriptions are displayed directly under the title in the search engine results. These should be written to convey what the page is about and why visitors should click through.
Optimising these factors above is no guarantee for ranking well but doing so also gives you a significant competitive advantage.
Caution also needs to be taken here as over optimising a page (e.g., keyword stuffing) can result in ranking penalties.
2. Offers little value to visitors
Some of the most successful websites in the world have one thing in common: They provide exceptional value.
Google has made it clear with previous algorithm updates (e.g., Panda and Penguin) that pages that engage in questionable tactics to manipulate their rankings will be penalised.
Focusing on providing value not only increases your reach but also protects your website from future algorithm updates. Consumers tend to show loyalty to brands that cater to their needs.
And being an authoritative source of information in a certain industry is one of the best ways to do that.
3. Backlinks from questionable sources
Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors but not all of them are equal. A backlink from a related authority website will always carry more weight than a backlink from an online directory or a blog comment.
Google has recently rolled out Penguin 2.0, a major algorithm update aimed at eliminating web spam. One thing the update has done is penalise websites with backlinks from questionable sources, including paid link networks.
Webmasters must change their link building approach to be successful in the search engines by obtaining links from relevant sources either through social media engagement or content marketing.
4. Lack of a social presence
Social media networks such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are more than just places to connect with friends. They can be leveraged to attract more customers and increase your reach to audiences around the world.
Having a strong presence on these platforms is absolutely necessary. Research has even shown a direct correlation between higher rankings and social signals (e.g., Facebook Likes or Twitter Retweets).
A social media strategy combined with other online marketing methods is highly effective for increasing visibility in the search engines.
5. Poor design
Websites that are badly designed or offer poor user experience stand little chance of ranking well.
You could have the best products or services in your market but the design on your pages could be conveying a completely different message.
Exceptional designs are easy to remember and create a lasting impression. But a balance also needs to be made as search engines cannot index pages built with Flash or JavaScript capability.
Building a site with the proper structure and design allows for better indexing of all your content.
If your website is not ranking well in Google, then it ultimately comes down to one of these reasons as outlined above. Identifying potential problems with your website is the first step to increasing its visibility in the search engines.
If you have seen a negative effect from this, please feel free to contact us
