#5 Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Ranking on Google

Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Ranking on Google

One of the reasons many businesses come to our digital marketing agency is to improve Google rankings for their website. In this article, our SEO team exploring a number of the most common reasons for a website not ranking and explain how you can go about improving this issue.

#1 – Poor Keyword Placement and Density

The Google algorithm categorises and ranks your website by searching it for keyword phrases and determining their relevance to the queries typed in on Google. It searches several areas of your web page for this, including title tags, meta description, website domain, the beginning of the page content, and the written content itself.

The keyword you are trying to get your website to rank for should be included in each of these sections in a way that is natural and easy to read – NOT spammy. If you start keyword stuffing, the algorithm will actually punish your website with lower rankings, so avoid it at all costs.

#2 – No New Content

Regularly posting your own, original new content shows the Google algorithm that your website is active, engaged with your customers and adding value – which are all critical to increasing your rankings. Content should be optimised for SEO and can include blogs, videos, infographics, news items, eBooks, downloadable items and more, so it’s easy to create content the algorithm – as well as your audience – will love.

#3 – The Website is Outdated

Websites are like any physical asset – you can manage them and service them but, over time, they are simply no longer going to work as they used to. The internet is a very dynamic place and customers (as well as tech giants like Google) place a lot of emphasis on having the latest, most up-to-date features.

Customers and the algorithm itself will penalise your website if page loading speeds are slow, if your links no longer work, if your contact or product information is out of date, or if you are using outdated or black hat SEO tactics. It’s also a good idea to renew your domain to a long-term registration to show you’re here to stay.

#4 – Not Enough Quality Link Building

As with keywords, link-building should be natural and instinctive, and all links should be working correctly. A good link-building strategy with backlinks to high-quality organisations and reputable sources, as well as clear internal link-building to products, services and information is not only useful for your customers, it helps improve Google rankings for your website too.

Good links have text within the link that links to the domain and keywords of the content you are linking to, and that links to a source that offer credible expertise and authority on the topic. This helps increase your trust, authority and expertise factors, making your website look more credible, authentic and valuable to the Google algorithm.

#5 – Your Website Has Incurred Penalties

Unfortunately, there are a lot of less-than-ethical SEO specialists out there, many of whom offer quick fixes for SEO issues that do a lot more harm than good – and it’s easier than you think to fall victim to these so-called black hat SEO tactics, especially when businesses were first getting online. A lot of these tactics, which can incur penalties from Google, are still in use today:

  • Hidden text and hidden links
  • Keyword stuffing
  • Buying links
  • Rich snippet mark-up spam
  • Using link farms, link wheels and link networks
  • Sending automated queries to Google
  • Duplicate content
  • Using private blog networks (PBNs)
  • Comment spamming

The reality is that a good quality SEO strategy takes time to develop and deliver results, which is why many people are tempted to try these unapproved tactics. As the Google algorithm becomes increasingly sophisticated, websites using these tactics are increasingly penalised and even delisted. It’s just not worth the risk!

Digital Marketing Made Easy – Proven Methods, Solid Results, Hassle-Free Services

One way to make your website as high-ranking and rewarding as possible while avoiding the pitfalls is to partner with a digital agency that has the experience to guide your business to success. Our teams cover every service you need, from web design and email marketing to PPC, SEO and social media marketing, and our aim is to give you a strategy that works – no fuss, no big price tags, and no so-called quick fixes – just good marketing done right. Talk to us today and find out how we work to improve Google rankings.

Melody Sinclair-Brooks

Written by

Michelle van Blerck – Communications Manager

I take a spark and turn it into a fireworks show! From internal client communications to LinkedIn authority articles, social media, and blogs, I write it all. My aim is to represent clients authentically with high-quality content that Google loves. I’ll show consumers why you’re the business they want to work with, buy from, and follow for life!

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