Is your website struggling to show up on Google search results? Good news, you are not the only one. Bad news, Google just indexes less than 5% of the total internet. So, most of the websites are unsearchable.
If your website fails to show up on Google, you can keep losing valuable traffic to make sales. Here, we are going to take a look at the top reasons your website is not showing up on Google.
1. Not Being Indexed by Google
Website indexing issues could be to blame. In our guide, we will outline the common problems that prevent search engines from indexing the pages on your website and provide solutions to fix them. By addressing these challenges, you can ensure your website ranks higher on the search engine result pages and reaches its potential.
Indexing allows search engines to discover, evaluate, and store information about your website’s content. Google’s web crawlers follow external links from existing pages and examine sitemaps submitted by website owners. This process helps Google build a comprehensive index of web pages across the internet, improving the chances of your site being found in search results.
When your website has indexing issues, it can become invisible to the search engines. So, your target visitors won’t be able to find your website through organic searches.When deciding whether to index a page, Google’s algorithm evaluates its quality and relevance carefully. Google considers a wide range of factors, including the freshness, goal, and clarity of the content. It also considers internal linking.
Technical SEO problems can cause Google indexing problems, too. Unethical SEO practices, such as keyword stuffing, get your website penalized and removed from the search engine result pages.
2. Lack of Quality Backlinks
Search engines, like Google, use backlinks to understand the reputation of a website. Backlinks remain one of Google’s strongest ranking signals, significantly influencing your site’s visibility in search results. It signals Google that your content is valuable and trustworthy. Without a strong backlink profile, it is challenging for your website to rank high in search results. Spammy or low-quality backlinks can harm your SEO and cause lower rankings. Thus, your website might fail to show up on Google.
To create a strong backlink profile, you have to focus on creating high-quality content that high-authority websites would try to link to. Choose guest blogging, establish partnerships, and take part in industry forums. An SEO agency can help you develop a strong backlink strategy to improve the authority of the site and rankings on the SERPs. Their skilled copywriters can craft attractive and informative content for your website that attract backlinks from reputable sites, naturally.
Remember, even one high-quality backlink from a trusted domain is more valuable than multiple low-quality links.
3. Minimal High-Quality Content
Well-written content is important if you want to succeed on Google. When you have minimal content that does not match the standards of your competitors, you might have considerable issues even making it to the top 50.
When you are considering what to do in terms of competition, ensuring your content is well-written is key to success. The content you put up on your website has to be informative and of high-quality. It has to answer questions and provide information that your customers are searching for. You must ensure that your point of view should be different enough from other websites belonging to the same industry as yours. If it fails to cater to those standards, Google will end up finding a site with better quality content.
Review the search engine results pages for your target keyword to see what’s currently ranking. Understand what users are looking for and how the top-rankings pages cater to that intent. Start your SEO projects with in-depth keyword research and identify the high-intent queries that align with the needs of your target audience. Collaborate with expert copywriters to create and refresh content that resonates with both search engine algorithms and user intent. Consistent content audits and analysis can detect and resolve any issues. It will ensure a smooth user experience.
4. Poor User Experience
Google wants its users to find the solution and information they are looking for. Search engines ensure they have a good experience on the websites they visit to get those details. In fact, Google uses a policy of indexing sites first on mobile devices. Sites with poor mobile experience, due to speed, display, or other issues, might see a lower or almost non-existent ranking.
With Google’s mobile-first algorithm, it is crucial for websites to deliver a seamless mobile experience. Neglecting mobile optimization can drastically reduce your site’s visibility in search engine results. To stay competitive, adopt a responsive design that automatically adjusts to any device. Moreover, improve page load speed and overall usability to ensure the best possible experience for your users. An SEO audit can help you identify areas of improvement to enhance rankings.
5. Google Leveraging Penalties
Another possible reason your website isn’t appearing on Google is that it may have been penalized for violating search engine guidelines. When websites use black-hat SEO practices, Google penalizes them. Some of these black-hat SEO practices are using keyword stuffing, buying links, duplicate content, or cloaking.
The best way to avoid a Google penalty is to follow its official guidelines. Though black-hat techniques might offer quick wins, they often lead to long-term penalties and damage your site’s credibility. If Google detects manipulative practices, your site could be penalized or removed from search results altogether. To stay safe, regularly monitor and audit your backlinks using tools provided by Google and trusted third-party platforms. These tools help you identify and remove spammy or suspicious links while keeping track of important messages and performance issues affecting your website.
6. Competitors Doing Better SEO
Improving your website isn’t always just about correcting mistakes. It is also about outpacing the competition. Your competitors may already have stronger backlinks, more engaging content, and better user interaction, giving them a clear advantage in search rankings.
To overcome this challenge, use competitive analysis tools to evaluate your top-ranking rivals. Study the pages that perform well in search results and identify areas where your content can be better. Aim to create more in-depth, valuable content, and consider adding unique features or visuals that your competitors haven’t included.
7. Pages are Not Internally Linked
Internal linking connects one page of your website to another, guiding visitors and search engines through your content. If your web pages are not internally linked, the only way Google crawls them is through your sitemap. However, most of the time, Google will still not index them as pages without internal linking.
If there are no internal links to a page on your website, then your visitors will not be able to find it. As visitors on your platform are unable to find it, Google, too, won’t index it. It basically tells Google that the web page is not useful.
Perform a site audit to find the pages on your website without internal linking. Once you find them, make sure you implement internal linking.
8. Security Issues
Google can strip your website of its rankings when it detects any security problems that puts the personal data of the customers at risk. Security penalties can happen due to hacked pages containing content published without your approval or malware on the site. Also, socially engineered content that compels visitors to download software, providing valuable information, can also lead to a security penalty.
Check the security issues on your website by taking a look at Google Search Console’s Security Issues report. However, you must keep in mind that security problems are not going to remove your site entirely from the search pages. They will only push you down the search engine result pages.
9. Poor and Outdated SEO Strategy
An outdated or poorly executed SEO strategy can hold your website back from reaching top search rankings. If your meta descriptions, title tags, and URLs are not properly optimized, or if you neglect local SEO, Google may struggle to index your site effectively.
Take time to reassess your current SEO practices. Aim to target a well-balanced combination of short-tail and long-tail keywords that match the search intent of your audience. Additionally, investing in quality link building can help your site gain authority and rank for more competitive search terms.
