SEO should be the automatic route to better page ranking. But what happens if you’re still stuck in the doldrums on page three for your chosen keywords after 18 months of consistent effort?
If that happens, there could be a problem with your strategy. What might be causing you to miss out on the gains?
That’s the topic of this post. We look at why you might be doing SEO wrong and failing to rank the way you’d like. Numerous potential issues could be causing the problem, everything from the strategies you are using to the agencies you’re working with.
Not Researching Your Chosen Keywords
One common problem is poor keyword research. The phrases you’re targeting might be in the rough ballpark, but they might not be precisely what prospects are tying into Google.
Furthermore, you may be trying to compete for the most popular national keywords without the supporting budget. For example, if you’re a new gym brand, you’re not going to muscle in on those that have already cornered the market for the most popular keyword search terms in 18 months unless you have a larger budget than they do, and that’s unlikely.
To get around this, speak to experts like MMC Digital and see if there is another way to drum up sales that doesn’t require as much competition. Take the time to figure out whether you can improve on your existing approach.
Low-Quality Content
Low-quality content is another issue that could be preventing you from making the progress you want. While experts might recommend writing blogs and creating videos to rise in rankings, they have to be useful to users. If they aren’t, Google won’t forward people to your domain.
Low-quality content is usually obvious from a mile away. It’s thin, reads poorly, and doesn’t offer audiences what they want.
To fix this problem, make sure what you offer is unique. Try to make it insightful and based on original research, if possible. If the point is to entertain, then make it funny. Don’t drag up gags from years ago.
Weak On-Page SEO
You might also be failing to see progress in Google rankings because of weak on-page SEO. For example, you might not have the proper headers, internal linking structure, etc.
If this is a problem, simply log into your website platform or editor tool and start changing things like the meta description and title tags for each page. You can also try adjusting the schema markup to tell Google more about what you do.
Lastly, check you have sufficient internal links to guide users on where to go next. Show them how to proceed and what to do. Link to your main pages to tell search engines they are your priorities.
Poor UX
Lastly, poor UX can hold back SEO. Even if you’re doing everything else right, like backlinking, it can all come undone if people don’t stay on your site after they arrive.
Therefore, use tools to improve website page speed. Consider changing your server provider or boosting the bandwidth.