Why Your Website is Not Ranking?

If you’ve posted a page online, and it’s failing to get traffic, there could be many reasons why your website is not ranking. Here are some tips to help.

Every company wants their website to be on the first page of a Google search. This is also what makes it so difficult to get on that first page. Research has shown that the vast majority of internet traffic goes to the websites that make it on the first page of a Google search. The amount of internet traffic that goes to sites on subsequent pages decreases drastically with each page.

You may have done all the research and your website may be amazing, but it still isn’t ranking. If your website doesn’t rank, it won’t matter how amazing it looks; it still won’t get you any customers. Here are just a few of the reasons that your website may not be ranking.

Search Ranking Takes Time

SEO will almost certainly test your patience. Not only does it take time to make the necessary changes to optimize your website, but it will then take Google time to notice those changes, compare your page to the other ranked pages, position your page, then reevaluate over time and reposition you as an ongoing process.

A website won’t rank immediately after posting. Google accounts for over 200 ranking factors, so it takes time for Google to gauge the factors that will cause your website to rank. On average, it can take 3 or more months to rank in a competitive keyword.

Poor Spelling and Grammar

Quality content is necessary for your site to rank. Grammatical and spelling errors will count against your website’s rankings because Google won’t consider it to be a credible source for consumers. Always write your content with the user in mind.

The Competition

Basic SEO techniques may be sufficient for some websites to rank for specific keywords. However, if your company is in a particularly competitive niche, it will certainly be harder for your site to rank.

Your competitors may already have backlinks, authority, and engagement in place. Time, consistency, and natural links all play a role in improving rankings.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is never the right decision. Google will recognize when keywords are inserted unnaturally and will penalize pages that do so. Content should contain keywords naturally and in context.

Your Website Is Not Mobile-Friendly

Many users search from mobile devices. Websites that are not mobile-friendly will rank lower, especially since Google uses mobile-first indexing.

A Few Google Ranking Factors

Here are additional factors that influence rankings:

Duplicate Content

All content on your website must be original. Duplicate content can cause ranking penalties, even if another site copies your content.

High Bounce Rate

If users click away quickly, Google may interpret your content as irrelevant. Accurate meta descriptions and relevant content are critical.

Content Length and Thin Content

Longer, in-depth content tends to rank better. Aim for 1,000–1,800 words of high-quality content where appropriate.

Website Loading Speed

Slow websites lose visitors and rankings. Tools like GTmetrix and Pingdom can help identify speed issues.

Image Optimization

Images should be compressed, properly named, and include descriptive alt tags to improve performance and search visibility.

Multimedia Content

Pages that include images and videos tend to perform better in search results.

Conclusion

While there are many ranking factors to consider, the most important practice is to prioritize the user. If your content is useful, relevant, and easy to navigate, you will naturally satisfy many SEO requirements.

SEO allows you to intentionally target keywords and opportunities rather than relying on chance. Whether handled internally or by an agency, it remains a powerful driver of long-term growth.

Do you have a question about SEO or a ranking factor not covered here? Leave a comment and we’ll answer it.