SEO (search engine optimisation) uses a range of tactics to align your content with what people are searching for online. The aim is for search engines such as Google to recognise that your website is relevant through their crawl techniques that pick up on SEO. As a result, your website will hopefully slide to the top of their results pages.
Since 75% of users who create some 5.4 billion Google queries a day do not go past the first page of the results pages, appearing as one of the first results will mean your website is more likely to get clicked on.
But SEO isn’t always as easy as it seems. If it feels like you’ve tried everything but your SEO strategy still isn’t having much effect, there could be many issues that are hampering your progress. Here are some of the main SEO problems you’re likely to encounter to help you get ahead. If you’re not sure how to fix them, you can always hire SEO service specialists to set you back on track.
You’re expecting too much too soon
It can take anywhere from 6-9 months for a typical SEO strategy to have a real impact. We know this timeline can make it seem like SEO isn’t worth your efforts, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, without SEO, Google will struggle to connect its traffic to your content meaning nobody would be able to find your website. So, you must stick with your efforts, though with a little patience.
SEO can be likened to a savings account, in that it’s designed to offer a large payout over time, rather than being a get rich quick scheme. Regardless of how good your SEO strategy is, your efforts are not going to reach their full potential overnight. It takes time for servers and even search engines to catch up with themselves. Plus, SEO also relies on backlinks and a low bounce rate on your website, which can also take a while to accumulate to a healthy level.
A lack of professional SEO software
Every business is going to differ when it comes to how competitive its industry is, including how many people are competing for the same keywords as you. One of the top ways to boost your efforts is to invest in some decent SEO software, ideally with an SEO professional conducting the research and implementing their findings into your website.
Paid SEO tools include SEMrush, Moz, SurferSEO and Ahrefs. Each of these tools offers different things, which is why it’s important to do your research. For example, SurferSEO gives you the ability to paste in your webpage’s URL, where it will tell you how many keywords are needed to rank above your competitors.
Although SEO itself is free, SEO software can get very expensive, especially if your website has hundreds of pages that all need optimising. But as the saying goes, ‘go big or go home’.
Poor keyword Implementation
If you’re doing your SEO right, you should have a long list of keywords in a spreadsheet along with information relating to how many people are searching for each term and the overall competition. Keyword research is only half the battle though, as these keywords will need to be implemented into your website, including your website copy, blog, social media channels and any other digital means you use to market your business.
Professional SEO software can point you in the right direction when it comes to your keyword density. Ultimately though, unless you rewrite your content ensuring SEO keywords are being used throughout, you’re going to struggle to climb the ranks.
You aren’t Considering Search Intent
Not all keywords are created equal. There’s no point in using keywords and phrases that aren’t related to the content on your website, because users will simply exit the page. This will push up your website’s bounce rate, signalling to search engines your website offers a poor result, sliding you down the rankings as punishment.
Instead, you need to consider what the page you are trying to attract users to is actually offering them. For example, even though they fall under the same category, ‘best tooth whitening products’ isn’t going to be of much use for people looking for ‘emergency dental treatment’. So while you definitely need to be using keywords, make sure whatever ones you use directly correspond with what people can find on your website, and preferably the exact page they land on too.
Website Errors are Turning Visitors Away
SEO has a huge technical component covering everything from broken links to slow page load times, as well as poor website design. It’s impossible to ignore any aspects that affect how user friendly your website is because ultimately users are fickle – they will head elsewhere if your website isn’t giving them what they want.
For websites that aren’t easy to fix or worse still outdated, then a fresh website design may be needed to remedy the problem. Just know that even the best use of keywords cannot compensate for the likes of ‘404 not found’ errors and gateway timeouts.
You need expert help
If you’re struggling to grasp why your website isn’t ranking, then it’s probably time you called in an SEO specialist. They’ll get under the bonnet of your website, making all the necessary tweaks to put your website on the path to success.
The process normally begins with an SEO review, which will help them and you to track your website’s progress over time. Once all the necessary fixes have been made by someone in the know, your website will fly up those search engine rankings in no time.
To sum up
Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s definitely the case that patience is key where any SEO is concerned. That said, it’s always worth making sure you are putting in every effort to allow your website’s visibility to soar online.
There’s no need to struggle on though, as there are plenty of talented SEO specialists who can point you in the right direction so that your website reaches its potential online.
Chris Mcdonald has been the lead news writer at complete connection. His passion for helping people in all aspects of online marketing flows through in the expert industry coverage he provides. Chris is also an author of tech blog Area19delegate. He likes spending his time with family, studying martial arts and plucking fat bass guitar strings.