Common Reasons for Not Showing Up on Google
How to Fix a Site That Isn’t Showing Up on Google
1. Indexing
1. Indexing
Problem: Crawling and indexing serve as the foundation to showing up in Google search results. Robots.txt errors and/or noindex commands will result in a site that doesn’t appear in Google. That’s why it’s worth troubleshooting this issue first!
Solution: Use Google Search Console to investigate possible crawling and/or indexing issues. You can inspect URLs individually or use the Page indexing report. For the robots.txt file, use the robots.txt file report in Settings. Each report will provide more information on resolving any issues.
WebFX Approach
- Our initial SEO audit thoroughly examines your site’s indexation status, identifying any roadblocks preventing Google from discovering your content.
- We optimize and regularly submit your XML sitemap to Google, facilitating faster indexation and ensuring your pages are promptly added to search results.
- Our ongoing technical SEO audits proactively detect and resolve any “noindex” SEO issues, safeguarding your high-value pages from being overlooked by search engines.
2. Backlinks
2. Backlinks
Problem: Search engines like Google use backlinks to understand a website’s reputation. In fact, backlinks are one of Google’s biggest ranking factors. A weak backlink profile can result in lower rankings or a site that doesn’t appear on Google.
Expert insights from
“Link building is the icing on the cake for those other initiatives to build up your trustworthiness and competitiveness.”
Solution: Develop compelling content, tools, and insights to attract links from reputable sites in your sector. Link building is competitive, and one of the most difficult parts of SEO optimization, which is why many businesses will partner with reputable SEO companies for link building.
WebFX Approach
- Our dedicated earned media specialists tirelessly pursue high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources, boosting your site’s credibility and rankings.
- Our skilled copywriting team crafts compelling, informative content for your site that naturally attracts backlinks from reputable sites.
3. Search Intent
3. Search Intent
Problem: Google aims to please — and that includes serving content that answers a user’s question, also called search intent. Content that doesn’t answer the question (or doesn’t answer it fast enough) will struggle to show up on Google search results.
Solution: Look at the search engine results pages (SERPs) for your target keyword. Understand what users want from the search, and how the top-ranking pages meet that intent. Consider the content structure and reading level, for example, and then bring those takeaways to your content.
WebFX Approach
- SEO projects start with in-depth keyword research, identifying high-intent queries that align with your target audience’s needs.
- For ongoing clients, our expert content strategists collaborate with skilled copywriters to create and refresh content that resonates with user intent and search engine algorithms.
- Ongoing content audits and content clustering analysis proactively detect and resolve any content cannibalization issues, ensuring a seamless and focused user experience.
4. Content
4. Content
Problem: Your content doesn’t offer unique value and/or is lower quality than what’s ranking. Search engines like Google want to deliver helpful and trustworthy content, and are prioritizing that when indexing and serving content in search results.
Expert insights from
“It is also important to be strategic regarding your content strategy – make sure to remove old, outdated information and also focus on building new content that is focused on trending relevant topics.”
Solution: Produce unique, high-quality content as a part of your content strategy. Your experience, from your knowledge of the industry to your target audience, can help create compelling content that appears on Google and persuades users to take action, like contacting your business.
WebFX Approach
- Our comprehensive content audit identifies gaps and opportunities within your existing content strategy.
- We craft a tailored content strategy aligned with your business goals.
- Our team of professional copywriters creates compelling, search-engine-optimized content.
5. Mobile UX
5. Mobile UX
Problem: With more users browsing the web from smartphones and tablets, Google takes a mobile-first approach to crawling, indexing, and ranking content. Sites with a poor mobile experience, whether due to display, speed, or other issues, will likely see lower or nonexistent rankings.
Expert insights from
“With the mobile-first algorithm, it is crucial for a website to be set up for a seamless user experience on mobile, and ignoring this experience can make it impossible to gain momentum in the search results.”
Solution: Adopt a responsive design — which adapts to a user’s device — to deliver a seamless user experience, no matter the device. Consider other page experience upgrades, too, like improved usability and page speed to deliver an optimal user experience.
WebFX Approach
- Our initial SEO audit analyzes your mobile experience, identifying areas for improvement to boost rankings.
- Our expert CRO team collaborates seamlessly, leveraging data-driven insights to optimize your mobile UX.
- When redesigning your website, we prioritize responsive design from the ground up, ensuring a seamless and engaging mobile experience.
Industries That Commonly Face This Business Challenge
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