Stumped by SERPs: Why isn’t my website ranking?

For businesses today, having an online presence and getting your website to rank high in search engines is critical. But many companies find themselves asking – why isn’t my website ranking? There are a variety of factors that determine search engine rankings. Optimizing these key elements provides the best chance for improving visibility and search performance.

Let’s examine some of the most common reasons a website may not rank well and what can be done to boost its search presence.

In short: SERPs stands for Search Engine Result Pages.

Not Conducting Keyword Research

One of the main reasons a site doesn’t rank is because it needs to target keywords people are actually searching for. As explained in the podcast, you have to do keyword research and optimize for relevant, high-volume search queries.

Ranking for low-search terms that only some people look for does little good. The goal is to get your pages to rank for keywords with substantial search volume and align with your offerings.

Tools like Keywords Everywhere, Google Keyword Planner, etc., allow you to find valuable keywords to target.

Creating Valuable, Unique Content

Simply targeting keywords is not enough – you need compelling content that offers a unique take. You have to create good content. It can’t just be the same lame old blah, blah, like everybody else.

Google and people value pages that provide insightful, original information that meets search intent. Of course, it needs to be authoritative on the subject as well. Relying on generic content makes it much harder to rank. Ensure your content stands out by:

• Offering fresh perspectives and analysis
• Including current data and statistics
• Featuring expert opinions and interviews
• Providing useful tips, how-tos and actionable advice
• Creating visual aids like infographics and videos

Optimizing Technical SEO

A site’s technical SEO establishes the infrastructure for search visibility. According to digital marketing expert Stephanie Long, “Technical SEO has to do with the coding and development side of things – organize your site architecture properly so search engines can crawl and index your site correctly.”

Some vital technical elements to optimize include:

• Site Speed – Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to improve load times. Image compression and caching help. Slow page speeds negatively impact rankings.
• Mobile Optimization – Make sure the site is mobile-friendly and secure.
• Eliminating Errors – Fix any 404 or other errors through redirects or updating broken links. Multiple errors hurt crawlability.
• Optimized Title Tags and Metadata – Page titles, meta descriptions, alt text, and schema should be keyword-optimized.
• Strong Information Architecture – Structure information logically with straightforward navigation and internal linking to improve crawlability.
• Duplicate Content – Consolidate similar content and avoid thin pages. Duplicate content confuses search engines.

Leveraging platforms like WordPress makes technical SEO easier out of the box. However, custom-built sites may require extra diligence to identify technical deficiencies dragging down performance.

Read next: Stay ahead with these SEO tools for digital marketing

Optimizing Existing Website Content

Many sites have old content that was never fully optimized initially. Revisiting and updating content can significantly improve search visibility.

Some key aspects of optimizing include:

• SEO Title Tags – Include target keywords but write compelling titles focused on searcher intent.
• Headings – Proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3) emphasize the main topics and themes of pages.
• Image Alt Text – Add descriptive alt text with keywords to images, videos, and graphics.
• Keywords – Sprinkle keywords naturally throughout content without over-optimizing.
• Links – Add relevant internal links across related content.
• Meta Descriptions – Write meta descriptions that entice searchers.

Leveraging Content Marketing & Blogging

A content marketing strategy with an active blog is extremely valuable for SEO.  Blogging might not be as simple or easy as it used to be back in the early days of content marketing, but it still works.

Blogging helps increase organic traffic from search engines in several ways:

• Adds new keyword-optimized pages to index
• Creates opportunities for internal linking
• Provides fresh, regular content for search engines
• Builds domain authority and expertise on topics
• Generates shares and links to the site

Focus blog content around targeted keywords and answer your ideal customers’ questions. Integrate multimedia-like videos as well.

Read next: Getting on a schedule: How often should I blog?

Gaining High-Quality Backlinks

The number of sites linking back to your pages (backlinks) strongly correlates with higher rankings. But, not all backlinks have the same impact. You want natural backlinks.

Tactics to build quality backlinks include:

• Creating share-worthy content that sites link to organically
• Reaching out to partners for strategic guest posting opportunities
• Participating in relevant online discussions and forums with a link to your site
• Securing press mentions and links from media coverage
• Obtaining local directory citations

Buying links or using shady tactics can hurt your site. Focus on earning authoritative editorial links.

Read next: What’s voice search SEO?

Establishing an SEO Strategy

Beyond specific tactics, overarching SEO success requires a documented strategy. You have to have a strategy and know who your persona is, who you’re trying to reach, and what you have to share with them that’s worthwhile.

A thoughtful SEO plan entails the following:

• Identifying target customer demographics, their needs, and behaviors.
• Selecting competitive keywords to go after based on search volume and intent match.
• Performing technical SEO audits to diagnose site issues.
• Producing tailored content around keywords for each persona.
• Promoting content through social, PR, influencers, and more.
• Building backlinks from high-authority sites.
• Continually optimizing pages as search algorithms evolve.

Ongoing optimization around a core strategic framework leads to sustainable search visibility. SEO requires patience and persistence, but the long-term payoff can be worth the investment.

Read next: How long does it actually take to rank in SEO for a term? [SEO commentary]

Start With The Highest-Impact Areas

Not all SEO activities make equal contributions to rankings. Focus first on the areas that provide the biggest “return” on time invested:

• Core Web Vitals – Optimizing site speed, mobile experience, and page interactions.
• Content – Producing regularly updated, keyword-focused content.
• Technical – Ensuring a search-friendly technical foundation.
• Links – Securing authoritative, relevant backlinks from trusted sources.

Perfecting the essentials makes a big difference.

Listen To What The Search Engines Are Saying

Use various tools to keep an eye on performance:

• Google Search Console – Review crawl errors, indexing issues, links, and impressions.
• Google Analytics – Analyze site traffic sources and high bounce rate pages.

Let the search engines themselves guide your optimization efforts for maximum impact.

Rankings Take Time & Consistency

SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time quick fix. You must get on the content marketing bandwagon for long-term payoffs.

Be realistic about the timeline. It takes search engines time to crawl fully, index, and rank new content. Focus on consistently improving your site through the following:

• Publish new content every 1-2 weeks minimum
• Promote content through multiple channels
• Keep optimizing existing content
• Build links slowly over time
• Analyze metrics each month for changes

With regular attention, rankings will gradually improve over 6-12 months. Avoid looking for overnight results.

Boosting your website’s search presence requires a multifaceted approach addressing both on-page and off-page factors. You can understand and resolve why your site is underperforming by leveraging the tips covered here around keyword targeting, content quality, technical SEO, backlinks, and strategy. Keep inspecting analytics for changes monthly. With a comprehensive optimization plan executed consistently, your website can go from the back pages to the front of the SERPs.