If you want your business to thrive online, the best way is for your site to pop up at the top of the search engine list because potential customers are more likely to find your website based on organic searches.
Fewer leads to your site means fewer sales and less revenue gained for your business. So, it is vital for your website to show up as high as possible in that search engine ranking! If your site isn’t popping up, here are some reasons why that may be!
1. Your Website Isn’t Indexed
When your site isn’t indexed by Google, there is no way that it will show up during a user’s search. A couple of reasons why your website would not be indexed include:
- It is relatively new – It is possible that Google simply hasn’t found your site yet. Google will crawl looking for new websites and links; however, this does not happen immediately.
- You have a “noindex” tag – If your site is not new, there may be a “noindex” tag to your HTML code. This code distinctly tells Google not to index your website.
Pro tip: Make sure you have Google Search Console and Bing Webmasters verified so you can expedite your website being found by submitting your website’s sitemap to allow search engines to index you site quicker. – Sarah Blocksidge, Marketing Manager
2. You Are Lacking Links
Building up links to and on your website is a vital search engine optimization (SEO) tactic. Links help greatly with your search engine rankings, with quality external links in particular being prized by Google. The two important types of links for SEO are:
- Backlinks – These are links from other websites which lead back to yours. By increasing your number of quality backlinks, Google will view your site as more trustworthy. If credible sites link to you, Google views your site as more credible and ranks you higher on search engine lists. The most common way to earn backlinks is through content creation, specifically on industry-related sites. By doing so, you can drive traffic directly to your website.
- Internal Links – These are links within your site leading users to other pages on your site. Adding internal links keeps users on your website for longer periods of time, gives them access to key areas you want to direct them to, and makes your site more navigable. Google views both a well-interlinked site and longer time spent on pages as being more valuable, which can help give you a higher search engine ranking.
For external links, it is important to note that these links must NOT be spam. Google will reward you if your links are credible and trustworthy.
3. You Aren’t Optimizing Your Content
The actual content that you put on your website is very important. You must:
- Define your keywords – You need to research and decide which keywords you would like your business to rank for. Once you choose them, you will need to strategically integrate them into your content. When Google crawls your website, it looks for keywords to define your site and allow you to rank for them. It is also important to not overdo it. Overuse of keywords, or “keyword stuffing,” could negatively affect your rankings.
- Having enough copy – Along with quality, Google rewards sites that have lengthy copy. A study has shown that articles of 2,000 words get more top ten positions in the search engine rankings than those which are shorter. With more content, you can also include more internal links, external links, infographics, and optimized images which can additionally improve SEO rankings.
Reach Out to Sixth City Marketing to Improve Your SEO!
At Sixth City, we are determined to help you achieve your online goals. We will work with you to create a unique strategy to match your campaign priorities.
To get started, fill out our website evaluation form for our feedback. Be sure to reach out with any questions or concerns!
