Are you wondering why your website isn’t ranking on the first page of Google search? Well, you’re not alone. Many businesses are still struggling to increase their website visibility on Google. As a result, they get no traffic at all. According to ahrefs, 90.63% of all websites on the internet receive no traffic from search engines. Is your business website one of these?
One of the main reasons why most businesses create websites is to bring in more customers and increase conversions. So, any website not showing up in google search is as good as none. Customers won’t find it, which leaves no reason in investing to keep it online. By now you know why it’s essential for your business website to show up on the first page of Google searches. But here are more reasons:
Why it’s important to show up on Google Search
There is an assurance of getting more customers to click on your business website if it is appearing in Google searches. And this means you have a higher chance of getting new customers daily. However, it’s not just about showing up in Google searches. But actually, your website should rank on Google’s first page.
The first page of Google receives almost 71% of web traffic clicks. The second, third, and other Google pages will share the remaining portion. For instance, websites on the second page of Google only get 6% of the total web clicks. That is too little for a business like yours. Then it means you will have to increase your website visibility on Google if you want customers to find you easily. But of course, there could be one or more reasons why your website isn’t ranking. Let’s find out why.
8 Reasons why your website isn’t ranking in Google
The internet is becoming so competitive. Therefore, businesses that don’t have an ongoing SEO strategy are struggling to rank on Google searches. If your website isn’t ranking at moment, there could be a couple of reasons as we explain below:
1. Google did not index your website.
The first obvious factor hindering your website from ranking on Google is indexation issues. In other words, Google has no records of your website stored in its database. The first time you publish a website, you must submit it to major search engines like Google, Bing, Yandex, and DuckDuckGo. Otherwise, it won’t appear in online searches.
Your developer must have generated a sitemap (list of pages on your website). And they should have submitted it for crawling. This task is technical and might need an expert in case your developer never did it for you. We recommend you first inquire whether they submitted the website for indexing. It could be the reason your website isn’t ranking or showing up in Google searches.
2. Your pages are marked noindex.
A noindex tag contains HTML values that block search engines from seeing certain pages. In other words, they tell search engines like Google not to include a given page in search results. Definitely, such a page cannot show up in Google searches even if it’s well-optimized for search engines.
Usually, developers mark certain pages, such as author pages with noindex, to hide them from Google bots. But of course, there is no need to mark a website’s main pages with noindex. So, if your pages contain noindex tags, they will not appear in Google searches. And that means your website cannot rank. To rectify this issue, talk to your developer to confirm all your important pages are available for indexing.
3. Your website isn’t mobile-friendly.
Google now considers mobile responsiveness as a ranking factor for showing websites in top search results. So, a website must be well-optimized for mobile devices to rank in the top positions on Google. Actually, most websites have observed this. Currently, up to 80% of all top websites worldwide are optimized for mobile users.
So, be sure to test the responsiveness of your website to know how it performs excellently on mobile gadgets. To achieve that, copy and paste your website URL into Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. If you fail the test, be sure to improve website responsiveness and increase visibility on Google.
4. The website takes forever to load
No one wants a slow website! In fact, 53% of users abandon sites that take 3 seconds and more to load. That is why Google recommends that all websites should load between 0 and 2.5 seconds. The more your website takes a long to load, the higher the chances users will abandon it. And this will result in a higher bounce rate, which affects your rankings and website visibility.
In other words, website loading speed is another ranking factor Google considers. And it is sometimes affected by duplicate media on your server. Google wants to refer its customers to high-quality and user-friendly websites. If you need to know how long your website takes to load, use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to get an idea.
5. Your website has no On-Page or off-page SEO
Many businesses have unknowingly abandoned the relevance of SEO monthly tasks. Little do they know SEO is the top organic traffic-driving factor Google values so much. Unfortunately, such businesses are penalized the more they live without SEO. As a result, they cannot rank on major search engines!
So, to win Google’s favor and rank higher, you must put certain things in place. And these are On-page and Off-page SEO factors. Without them, you’re doomed! On-page SEO involves optimizing your website elements, such as pages and products. On the other hand, Off-page SEO includes things outside your website that will increase your visibility. For example, social media shares, link building, and business directories.
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6. There is thin content on your website.
Thin content is another critical factor commonly affecting website ranking. If you have pages with content less than 300 words, that’s thin content. Such content lacks depth and has little or no value to the visitors. Another typical example of thin content involves duplicated content.
You will likely fail to rank or show up in Google searches if you have any of the above content not optimized for search engines. Google condemns thin content and will penalize any website found guilty. So, check your web page content and confirm its quality and value to your users. It would be helpful if you considered a content marketing strategy for your website. This will help you rank faster, gain a competitive edge, and increase your visibility online.
7. You’re using the wrong keywords.
“Keywords” are the phrases people insert in Google to find relevant information. They are also called “search terms”. Each industry has specific keywords businesses should target to get relevant visitors. For instance, if you are a Tourism Agency, there are specific keywords you should be ranking for. Maybe game parks, resorts, tour guides, etc.
It is the keyword that links your business website to the right customer base. That is why SEO keywords are essential for any business that wants to boost its lead generation strategy. So, if you are not getting any traffic, it’s likely because you are using the wrong keywords.
8. Your industry is a competitive one
Besides the above, competition is another factor that might hinder your website from ranking or showing up on Google. Many websites in your industry have implemented a well-streamlined SEO strategy, which you lack. Of course, you cannot beat such websites out of the top positions unless you perform thorough SEO.
So, it’s not just about using the right keywords. But you must find keywords that are easy to rank for in your industry. Perhaps there is no value in targeting a keyword with a lot of competition. Precisely, you will need a keyword researcher on your marketing team. If you lack one, it would be best if you hired an SEO expert to find the relevant keywords to rank for. You can also check out how we can assist you to achieve tangible results.
We can help you rank
We’re an SEO agency that has helped businesses like yours rank and increase their online visibility through our SEO premium tools. They’re now our happy clients getting customers online. Let’s help you as well to maximize your online potential.
- We will analyze your website to find the most critical areas to address.
- Research your industry to find the top traffic-driving keywords.
- Optimize your website for major search engines.
- Create engaging SEO-friendly content.
- Craft a winning Off-page SEO campaign to increase your brand authority
