A search engine optimisation campaign is a complex activity with a lot of moving parts. For it to do its job, each component has to work flawlessly on its own but also blend seamlessly with each other. There will be times where you feel that you have used all of its elements and still not get the results you expected. It is important to note that while this could be due to a number of factors, there is a solution to all of them.
Below are some of the possible reasons why search engines could not see your website despite your best efforts. Each item is followed by a recommended solution that can help increase your search ranking, boost your online visibility, and take your brand to the next level.
Reason 1: The Website is Still New
Search engine optimization is one of the most important digital marketing tools available today. It is the cornerstone of a successful marketing campaign, especially as more and more consumers continue shifting to digital platforms. Still, while it is highly effective, it would take some time before you can reap its benefits.
What to Do:
Search engines like Google need time to discover a new website or even content. The best thing that you can do after launching it is checking whether Google is aware that your website exists. You can do this by running a search using “site:yourwebsite.com” as search terms. Even if only one result comes up, then it means that Google knows your website.
Reason 2: The Visibility Setting Set to “Discourage”
Around 60% of all websites are created using WordPress, which means that there is a high chance that you are using it. If you are using WordPress and search engines are having trouble finding your website, you might have enabled the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” option.
What to Do:
The default setting of this option is “On,” and there is a low chance of this being turned off manually. Still, it is very easy to spot and to correct, so it might be a good idea to take a quick look at it. In case you find that the “Discourage” option is active, all you have to do is deactivate it so your Robots.txt will be updated.
Reason 3: Weak Backlink Structure
For search engines to pay attention to your website, it needs to receive a high ranking. One of the best ways to do this is by having enough high-quality backlinks. Out of the hundreds of algorithms that search engines use, this is one of the strongest.
Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites, and search engines interpret this as a strong ranking signal. If you are struggling to get the attention of search engines, this is one of the things you can look into.
What to Do:
There are ways to check the number of unique websites linked to your page. One way is by pasting your URL to Site Explorer or other free backlink checkers then going to the Keyword Explorer. From there, you can search the keyword you are trying to rank in and scroll down to the SERP overview where you will find the Domains column. This column contains the number of links to each page on your website.
Reason 4: Your Website Could Not Be Crawled
Most websites today have a robots.txt file that tells search engines which pages they can go to and which pages they could not. If this file is set to block search engines, then they would not be able to crawl your website, which means that they could not give you any ranking points. However, you must keep in mind that this type of file is tricky to handle. Your best option is to hire professionals to fix it.
What to Do:
If you haven’t submitted a sitemap, you can check this item manually by heading to yourdomain.com/robots.txt. If you see the code “Disallow: /” under any of the user-agents, then this could be the source of your problem. If you have already submitted your sitemap, you will be automatically alerted of this issue so you can make the necessary changes.
Reason 5: Your Website Could Not Be Indexed
There is a way to tell search engines not to show certain pages in SERPs, and this is with the “noindex” meta tag. Pages embedded with this code would not be indexed, even if a sitemap is submitted. While it is highly unlikely that you would intentionally add this code, one wrong check of a box in WordPress would add it to every page.
What to Do:
Take a quick look at the “Coverage” report in Google Search Console and see if there are any “noindex” errors.
Reason 6: Your Website or Pages Lack Authoritativeness
A website’s overall “authority” is determined by the quality of both its backlinks and internal links. It is directly tied to a website’s credibility as a source of information. Lack of authoritativeness points to a weak backlink and internal linking structure.
What to Do:
To boost your brand’s credibility online, make sure that you have enough high-quality backlinks and internal links. Internal links are much easier to add, so this is a good starting point.
Conclusion
SEO requires a lot of time and effort, but if done right, it can increase your online visibility and grow your brand. Do not let all your efforts go to waste by ensuring that it is doing what it is meant to do: making your website more visible to search engines and putting your brand in front of your target audience.
