16 reasons why your page isn’t ranking on Google

It’s irritating. You place time, vitality and a variety of hope right into a webpage. But it surely simply received’t rank.

Your opponents’ pages are rating effectively, regardless that (subjectively) they’re worse. Yours deserves to be prime of Google. So why isn’t it?

Determining the levers to drag to get your content material to the highest of Google isn’t fast, however it may be completed.

Figuring out the issue

The important thing to figuring out why your web page isn’t rating is to systematically rule out the opposite potentialities. For this, you’ll want knowledge, business context and a methodical strategy.

Firstly, it is advisable to confirm if the web page will not be rating in any respect versus not rating effectively. That is key.

If a web page isn’t rating effectively, then it speaks to an issue with how Google perceives the content material. This implies you’ll possible have to optimize it additional.

If the web page isn’t rating in any respect, this might imply that it’s not been seen by Google or Google merely can’t index it.

Utilizing Google Search Console in your investigation

Let’s begin with a simple strategy to see whether or not the web page ranks for any key phrases. Use the efficiency report in Google Search Console and filter the outcomes by the web page in query. 

Then, look to see if that web page will get impressions or clicks. Whether it is, be aware of the key phrases. If it isn’t, that signifies that it may not be rating in any respect but.  

Subsequent, improve the time interval you’re reviewing to the utmost. Take a look on the impressions and clicks graph over this time. Did the web page used to get visitors, however not now? Has it by no means ranked for any key phrases?

Is that this a site-wide or page-specific situation?

Additionally it is useful to know in case your entire web site is affected by poor rankings or whether it is particular to this one web page or group of pages. By discovering this out, you possibly can start to slim down the trigger and potential repair.

Technical points

Firstly, it’s a good suggestion to examine if there are any technical the explanation why your web page may not be rating. This may be one thing that has just lately occurred, comparable to a improvement change. Or it may very well be a long-standing situation, like rendering points.

So, let’s begin by ruling out code, structure and different technical issues.

1. Crawling blocks

Google has to have the ability to entry and skim a web page to take the knowledge it comprises again to its database and doubtlessly serve it as a search end result. If a web page isn’t rating, it is likely to be that it may possibly’t be accessed.

Typically, SEOs will use numerous strategies to forestall search bots from accessing pages they don’t need them to crawl. For instance, we will use the robots.txt or password-protect it so bots can’t crawl.

It is very important examine if any of those strategies apply to the web page you’re auditing. They could not have been utilized deliberately.

For instance, if a robots.txt will get rolled again to an earlier model by the builders engaged on the location, it could be that the web page is inadvertently blocked.

2. Indexing points

If the web page isn’t rating, it could be that it’s not really out there to index or Google doesn’t suppose it’s index-worthy.

There are some fast methods to examine whether or not a web page is in Google’s index, the quickest of which is by working it via Google Search Console.

Enter the web page URL within the “Inspect page” tool. Right here, it is possible for you to to see if Google has listed the web page and certainly if it has any points with crawling the web page. It should additionally offer you some clues as to why the web page will not be within the index.

3. Inner hyperlinks

One other technical purpose that is likely to be stopping a web page from rating is whether or not it’s the vacation spot for hyperlinks from the remainder of the location.

Linking to a web page from different locations on a web site offers Google the sign that you simply really feel the web page is related to customers. If there aren’t any methods to entry the web page from throughout the web site, that will recommend the web page isn’t necessary.  

The textual content (anchor textual content) that’s used to indicate the hyperlink, like “click on right here” or “view extra merchandise like this,” may give indicators of the relevance of the web page being linked to. The dearth of inner hyperlinks or poorly utilized anchor textual content is likely to be contributing to a web page’s lack of ability to rank effectively.

4. Velocity

Over the previous few years, Google has been relying extra on person expertise indicators to assist rank pages. One among these indicators is the velocity at which a web page masses.

Extra precisely, three elements of web page load velocity are generally known as the Core Web Vitals: largest contentful paint (LCP), interplay to subsequent paint (INP) and cumulative format shift (CLS).

Though Google representatives have prompt that these are solely light-weight indicators and can act as a “tie-breaker” in conditions the place competing pages are very shut in different rating indicators, it nonetheless would be the distinction between your web page rating greater than a competitor’s.

5. Rendering

We’ve spoken about Google’s capability to crawl and index a web page being a doable purpose why a web page isn’t rating effectively, one other can be the rendering of a web page.

Merely put, when a browser tries to entry a web page, it has to render it. That is the method of turning the HTML, CSS and JavaScript code into an interactive web page. Though Googlebot doesn’t behave fairly like a browser, it does nonetheless take that code, render and execute it.

If one thing is stopping Googlebot from rendering a web page, then it could not have the ability to see its content material. You need to use Google Search Console to test how Google renders your page.

Content material causes

Typically, once we take into consideration rating points, we have a look at the web page’s high quality. Is the content material helpful and informative, and does it tackle a searcher’s question?

Narrowing down particular points with a web page’s content material may be tough.

6. Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization is a matter the place a number of pages on a web site goal the identical set of key phrases with the identical kind of content material.

This will occur on a web site as a result of pages are too comparable within the subjects they tackle and the way they tackle them.

It could additionally occur for technical causes, comparable to a tag system on a weblog or merchandise solely differing by coloration or dimension, creating nearly equivalent pages.

When this occurs, Google might select a distinct model of the web page to be the “canonical” (i.e., the one it chooses to rank).

A fast strategy to see if a web page is taken into account the canonical of a set of comparable pages is by checking Google Search Console. Via the URL inspection device, you will notice which URL Google considers to be “canonical.”

If the URL within the “canonical” area will not be the one you’re inspecting, it reveals that Google considers them duplicates of one another. It’s, due to this fact, unlikely that the inspected URL will rank effectively, as Google considers one other model of it to be the one that ought to rank.

There are methods, comparable to utilizing canonical tags, to indicate to Google which web page from a set of duplicates you need it to rank. Nonetheless, these are simply indicators.

So, if Google ignores your canonical tag and chooses one other model to rank, it could be that it’s the “stronger” web page. It might have extra inner hyperlinks pointing towards it, suggesting it’s the model you need customers to go to. Or it could be higher optimized than your inspected URL.

7. Content material format

Even when your content material is beneficial, informative and distinctive, Google may nonetheless choose a distinct kind of content material for rating. This implies your web page may have problem climbing greater in search outcomes.

For instance, your haberdashery web site is attempting to rank a web page about embroidery strategies. You search a few of the key phrases you consider your web page needs to be rating for: 

• “What’s embroidery”
• “What are embroidery stitches”
• “The way to make embroidery stitches look neater.” 

You discover that Google is displaying many movies within the SERPs for these phrases. Your web page of written content material detailing “embroidery strategies via the ages” might by no means rank above these movies. 

It is because Google thinks customers can be extra glad by a video when trying to find solutions to those questions. Together with a video along with your written content material might mean you can compete with these different pages.    

8. Searcher intent/relevance

Additional to content material kind being a difficulty, it could be that your web page will not be capturing the intent of a searcher.

Taking the above instance, in case you are attempting to rank for “what’s embroidery,” however your web page solely discusses the most effective kind of supplies to make use of in embroidery, Google will know {that a} person will likely be unhappy with the content material of your web page. They won’t get the reply to their query.

Subsequently, though your web page may be very detailed and informative, it’s not answering their query.

Equally, if the searcher is on the lookout for “low-cost embroidery patterns”, then Google may have no purpose to rank your web page in regards to the historical past of embroidery strategies. “Low-cost embroidery patterns” is a search that will recommend industrial intent.

Individuals looking out it are pretty close to the underside of the conversion funnel. They know what they need, they’re simply trying to buy it. Google will rank pages promoting embroidery patterns, not an informational web page about what embroidery is.

Suppose too in regards to the construction of the web page as a complete. Chances are you’ll be mixing too many search intents on a web page.

For instance, an academic web page discussing historic details about embroidery strategies instantly adopted by listings on your total catalog of embroidery threads on the market. Google is likely to be unable to determine which customers’ wants will likely be served by the web page.  

Dig deeper: How to optimize for search intent: 19 practical tips

9. Competitor content material is healthier

Typically, your web page isn’t rating effectively as a result of it isn’t nearly as good as your opponents. Maybe it doesn’t go into sufficient depth or it’s merely not as useful. 

Chances are you’ll want to take a look at the pages that Google is rating extremely and be very crucial of why they’re higher than yours. 

Dig deeper: How to do a content audit as painlessly as possible

10. Poor optimization

Chances are you’ll effectively want to start out at the start along with your web page and actually dive into its optimization for these phrases you’re feeling it needs to be rating for.

Check out the “Content material” components on the Search Engine Land Periodic Table of Elements

Google has undoubtedly moved previous the times when including your chosen key phrases to the copy a number of instances was sufficient to get a web page to rank. Nonetheless, some easy tweaks might mean you can reveal the web page’s relevance to searchers’ queries higher.

11. Uniqueness

It might be that the web page you are attempting to rank is of excellent high quality. It solutions searchers’ questions and in the appropriate format. Nonetheless, it’s not including something new.

If Google is already rating a quantity of pages that tackle the identical subject, with the identical form of content material, why would it not rank your web page amongst them?

In case your web page will not be distinctive in the way it addresses a subject or directs customers to the identical set of merchandise as a whole lot of others, you’ll battle to rank it.

Think about including one thing distinctive to the web page that differentiates it substantively. This might give Google a purpose to incorporate your web page amongst these already rating for the subject.

12. Language

If you’re hoping to rank your web page in a selected location, is it written within the language that searchers from that location primarily search with?

It might be that you’re merely not rating as a result of your content material, though very helpful and priceless, will not be accessible within the language that Google has decided customers are studying content material in.

13. Guide motion

Guide actions are sanctions enacted by Google when a web site severely contravenes its insurance policies. They may end up in a web page or total web site being unable to seem as a Google search end result. 

They cowl many points comparable to spammy content material, low-quality/skinny content material and cloaking. In case your web page has a component that contravenes Google’s Spam Insurance policies then it could obtain a guide motion.

To see in case your web site has any guide actions, go to Google Search Console and look within the Manual Actions report.

Dig deeper: Google issues search ranking penalties through manual actions

Credibility causes

One of many key ways in which Google determines whether or not a web page can be helpful to a searcher and evaluates its place within the rankings is by assessing its credibility. It does this in a number of methods.

14. Hyperlinks

We’ve already decided that hyperlinks along with your web site are a great way of exhibiting Google {that a} web page is related to customers. Nonetheless, hyperlinks from exterior websites may be much more priceless. 

A hyperlink from a web site that in itself ranks effectively for subjects just like the one your web page is addressing can present Google {that a} third get together (the exterior web site’s writer) considers your web page to be related to its readers. It acts as a verification from a human that your web site’s content material is effective and pertinent.

In case your web page isn’t rating effectively, it may very well be as a result of there aren’t many hyperlinks pointing to it from third-party sources. It may merely be that your opponents’ pages have extra hyperlinks from related, rank-worthy web sites.

Dig deeper: 7 signs links aren’t dead: Why to plan for them in 2024

15. E-E-A-T indicators

E-E-A-T, which stands for “expertise, experience, authoritativeness and trustworthiness,” is an idea that comes from the Google search quality rater guidelines. It’s primarily a template for a way Google charges the content material high quality of web sites.  

That is significantly necessary for pages that cope with “your money or your life” pages (abbreviated to YMYL). These pages include info that might trigger hurt to readers if it’s inaccurate or deceptive (e.g., medical, monetary or authorized recommendation).  

For most of these pages, Google might put extra weight behind indicators that decide if a web page is written by a topic skilled (experience) who has real expertise of the topic. It should additionally put inventory in pages on web sites which are thought of an authority within the topic and show indicators that present it’s reliable.

16. Algorithm causes

I’ve deliberately left algorithm adjustments because the final purpose to contemplate why a web page isn’t rating. When a as soon as well-ranked web page begins to descend the SERPs, it may be very simple to ascribe it to “algorithm updates.”

It’s handy to elucidate to your boss and also you don’t usually have to provide concrete details. Nonetheless, that excuse solely lasts so lengthy.

In case your web page is struggling following a rating “system” replace (as Google now calls its algorithms) you’ll nonetheless want to analyze it to find out find out how to higher optimize your web page to regain rankings.

Actually, it’s best to rule out all the above points earlier than declaring a rankings drop as being resulting from a system replace.

Even when you’ve gotten completed so, it is very important look via the case studies and impact reports from different seemingly impacted web sites. This fashion, you usually tend to perceive what you will want to vary about your web page to make it extra rank-worthy following the replace within the rating system it fell foul of.

Troubleshooting roadblocks holding again your web optimization success

There might merely be one purpose, like a big technical situation, that’s inflicting your webpage to not rank. It is also a mix of points stopping it from rating effectively. 

Earlier than leaping to conclusions and making massive adjustments to your web page, it’s essential that you simply determine the potential points and methodically check the influence of any adjustments you make. 

The very last thing you need to occur is your web page dropping additional in Google’s rankings due to your efforts to make it higher.