One of the most frustrating things you might experience when trying to market your business online is not ranking for your keywords. Even after thorough keyword research and trying to do everything you can to make sure your potential customers can find you when they’re searching for services or products you provide on Google, you might still not be ranking in the first page of Google. Here are six reasons why you might be struggling to rank for your keywords.
1. Your keywords are too competitive
Sometimes, being highly skilled at SEO isn’t enough. If you’re trying to rank for a highly competitive keyword or your business is in a highly competitive field, you might struggle to ever make it to the first page of Google. Instead, you might want to readjust your expectations and look towards long-tailed, unique keywords that you’re more likely to rank for.
2. You don’t include your keywords in your website copy
Many people neglect to include their keywords in their website content, or neglect to include them in the right ways. Good content always comes first, but if you can add your keywords in a natural way, you’ll get bonus points from Google. This blog includes information on how to include keywords in an article or webpage.
3. You aren’t keeping your website updated regularly
It’s a good idea to keep your website updated and relevant. If it’s been more than six months without any changes to your content or updates to posts, you might be struggling more with ranking for keywords.
4. You aren’t using backlinks, social media, or Google My Business to your benefit
SEO tactics that aren’t directly related to your website are called “off-page” SEO tactics. Some of these tactics include social media, Google My Business listings, and backlinks. If you’re not updating your Google My Business listing regularly, maintaining your social media presence, and working on backlinks, you might have a harder time with rankings.
5. There is an issue with your website
Google favours websites that have good user experience, load quickly, and are free of errors. If your site is returning 404 errors or loads slowly, you’ll be penalised by Google. Fixing up these issues should give you a bit of a boost.
6. You aren’t treating SEO as an ongoing process
SEO isn’t something that you can ever “complete”. It’s an ongoing process and requires agile practices. If you worked on SEO a year ago and haven’t touched your website since, you won’t get the same benefits as if you were regularly working at it.
Take the next step towards improving your website’s SEO
If you’ve been struggling to rank for your keywords, the good news is that there is never a bad time to start working on new tactics to improve your SEO.
If you have questions about SEO, you can contact Digital Bridge at hello@digitalbridge.com.au or you can check out our blog to find resources on SEO.