You’ve put a lot of work into your website. It’s live, it looks good, and maybe you’ve even published a few blog posts. But when you search for your services on Google, your site is nowhere to be found. Frustrating? Definitely. Unfixable? Not at all.
Sometimes the issue isn’t that your website is bad—it’s that search engines don’t fully understand it, or worse, can’t even see it.
Here’s what might be going wrong.
Your Site Isn’t Being Indexed
This happens more often than most people realize. If your site isn’t being indexed, it simply won’t appear in search results.
Maybe the settings on your CMS are wrong, or maybe a rogue line in your robots.txt file is telling Google to ignore your pages.
What to do:
- Log in to Google Search Console and check the Index Coverage report.
- Look for any errors or warnings. If Google is blocked from accessing your pages, you’ll see it there.
- Also, make sure your site has a valid sitemap submitted.
You’re Optimizing for the Wrong Keywords
It’s possible you’re writing great content—but for search terms nobody’s using. Or maybe you’re aiming too high with super competitive terms like “web design.”
What to do:
- Use tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or even Google Autocomplete to find what your customers are really searching for.
- Go after specific, long-tail keywords that match real intent.
- Don’t just write about “SEO”—write about “affordable SEO services for restaurants in Vancouver.”
Site Speed Is Dragging You Down
Google doesn’t like slow websites. Neither do your visitors. A few seconds of extra load time can push you down in rankings and send users running.
What to do:
- Compress your images.
- Cut unnecessary plugins or scripts.
- Use caching.
- Choose a hosting provider that’s actually fast.
Your Content Is Too Thin
If your pages are short, generic, or obviously written just for search engines, they won’t do well. Google rewards content that’s helpful, original, and covers a topic in depth.
What to do:
- Write naturally, like you’re talking to a real person.
- Add real examples, comparisons, and context.
- Aim for depth—not fluff.
No Backlinks = No Authority
You could have the most useful site on the internet, but if nobody links to it, Google won’t trust it.
What to do:
- Reach out to people in your niche.
- List your site on directories (but only the good ones).
- Create content worth linking to. That could mean a guide, a local resource list, a tool—something genuinely useful.
Mobile Experience Is Bad or Broken
These days, Google checks how your site works on a phone before anything else. If buttons are too small, pages don’t load, or it just looks messy—you’re in trouble.
What to do:
- Use responsive design.
- Test your site on your own phone (and not just one model).
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see what’s wrong.
You’ve Got Technical SEO Problems
This one’s a bit less obvious—but critical. Broken links, duplicate content, poor internal linking… all of these can quietly kill your visibility.
What to do:
- Run an SEO audit using Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs.
- Fix or redirect any broken links.
- Make sure every page has a unique title and meta description.
You’re Not Telling Google Where You Are
If you’re a local business and your site doesn’t mention your city or region anywhere, how’s Google supposed to know you serve people in that area?
What to do:
- Mention your city and province throughout your site (naturally).
- Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile.
- Get some local backlinks if you can.
SEO isn’t magic, but it’s not guesswork either. If your site isn’t ranking, there’s always a reason—and usually a solution. Keep testing, keep publishing, and don’t be afraid to tweak things along the way.
And if you need help making sense of all this, get in touch with Maple Web Design. We know what Google looks for—and we build websites that deliver.
