“Can people find my site using Google?”
That’s the million dollar question…seriously.
Whether or not search engines can find your website can have a tremendous affect on your sales. So, how do you know if people can find your website using Google?
What should you do if your name isn’t in the search results at all?
What’s the Big Deal?
We just wrote a post about the importance of the first page of results – it makes a huge difference in your potential profits. That may be the least of your concerns, though, if someone typing in your exact company name (a “branded search”) returns nothing, or worse, your competitors! Are you unknowingly referring business to rival companies?
That’s been a recurring theme in organizations asking us for help lately. It can be a nightmare for business owners used to getting a chunk of change attributable to search traffic finding their site. With each passing moment, potential money in your pocket could be passing you by.
Don’t let businesses with better SEO soak up all the leads that should to be yours.
Here’s a guide on checking up on this yourself, and what to do if you find your site has fallen off the map.
How to Check if Your Site is Being Indexed by Google
“Being indexed by Google” is the technical way of saying Google knows your site exists and chooses to show it in search results.
As mentioned above, a search for your company name should return your business. Maybe, you’ll even get a helpful “knowledge graph” block of information on the right side of the page. If you have a more common name, and that doesn’t produce direct results, try typing “site:yoursiteurl.com” into the search bar. Hey look, it’s us! Whew.
Wait…I Didn’t Show Up
Don’t panic! If you use WordPress as your CMS, did you recently do any of the following?
A. I recently redesigned my website
B. I hired someone to redesign my website
C. I just finished setting up my first site
D. I gave someone access to my site who may not be familiar with how WordPress works
If you answered “yes” to any of the above, we may be able to help you right now.
Why You’re Not Indexed by Google
Sometimes, developers check a box in your WordPress Settings that discourages search engines from indexing your site while they do a redesign. This can also happen by accident if you are new to WordPress and poking around. The former was the case with two organizations who came to Sixth City having search traffic issues recently.
Checking this box is actually a great idea…while the new site is under construction. It indicates to Google that the site is a work in progress.
The problem begins when it is left checked, after the work is done. When you were ready to begin getting visitors again, it’s as if you’ve been inside your web store ready to help customers and make some money, but your sign is still flipped to CLOSED.
How to Fix It (If That’s the Issue)
In the words of my beloved running idol Forrest Gump, “[Stuff] happens”. Take a deep breath, and flip your sign back to OPEN by unchecking that pesky little box. Then if you have Google Analytics access (which you should), watch your search traffic trickle back in. Cha-ching.
It’s that simple, sometimes.
Other times, it may not be, but that is what we at Sixth City Marketing are here for.
Did you submit your XML sitemap to Google? This is a critical step that can be a little intimidating for first-time website-builders. Maybe you hired a firm in the past that used methods for ranking your site that Google does not like. The punishment for this could be being knocked down a few notches in results, or not being listed at all.
Drop us a line or fill out a contact form to set up a time to chat about Sixth City Marketing’s SEO services. Those two organizations were sure glad they did.
Other recent posts you may find helpful:
“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington, on backlinks (a couple hundred years ahead of his time)
