Top 30 Website Ranking Issues on Google

Getting your website to rank well on Google is crucial for online visibility and success. But with a constantly evolving algorithm, it’s easy to miss the mark. This article outlines 30 common reasons why your website might be struggling to rank, along with actionable solutions and a look at newer ranking factors.

30 Most Common Website Ranking Issues and How to Fix Them:

We’ve broken down the most common reasons why your website might be struggling to rank on Google, along with simple, actionable solutions.

Content Problems:

1. Thin Content: Pages with very little or no valuable information. Fix: Add more in-depth content, examples, and helpful resources. Think quality over quantity, but ensure your pages offer real value to visitors.
2. Duplicate Content: Identical content appearing on multiple pages (either within your site or elsewhere online). Fix: Use “canonical tags” to tell Google which version of a page is the original. Alternatively, rewrite the duplicate content to make it unique or consolidate similar pages into one comprehensive resource.
3. Keyword Stuffing: Unnaturally overusing keywords, making your content sound forced and unnatural. Fix: Write naturally! Focus on topics and concepts, not just individual keywords. Google is smart enough to understand related terms.
4. Lack of Keyword Targeting: Not using the words and phrases your target audience actually searches for. Fix: Do keyword research! Use tools (many are free) to find relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally into your content, titles, and descriptions.
5. Poor Content Quality: Spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, factual inaccuracies, or just plain boring writing. Fix: Proofread everything! Double-check facts. Invest time in creating engaging, well-written content that people want to read.
6. Outdated Content: Information that’s no longer relevant, accurate, or current. Fix: Regularly review and update your content. Add new information, correct errors, and refresh older articles to keep them useful.
7. Lack of Content Freshness: Not publishing new content regularly. Fix: Create a content calendar and aim for a consistent publishing schedule. Even a small amount of regular, high-quality content is better than nothing.
8. Ignoring User Intent: Not giving visitors what they’re actually looking for when they search. Fix: Think about why someone is searching for a particular term. What are they hoping to find? Create content that directly answers their questions and fulfills their needs.

Technical SEO Problems:

9. Slow Loading Speed: A frustrating experience that can hurt your ranking. Fix: Optimize images (reduce file size without losing too much quality). Use caching. Consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Test your site’s speed with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
10. Mobile-Unfriendliness: Your site doesn’t look good or function well on phones and tablets. Fix: Make sure your website is “responsive,” meaning it automatically adapts to different screen sizes. Test it on different devices.
11. Broken Links: Links on your site that lead to nowhere (404 errors). Fix: Regularly check for broken links using a website crawler tool and fix or remove them.
12. Poor Site Architecture: Your website is hard to navigate, confusing for visitors and search engines. Fix: Plan a clear and logical site structure. Use menus and internal links to guide users and search engines through your content.
13. Lack of HTTPS: Your website isn’t secure (doesn’t have an SSL certificate). Fix: Get an SSL certificate and switch to HTTPS. This is a basic requirement for all websites today.
14. Robots.txt Issues: Your robots.txt file is accidentally blocking Google from crawling important parts of your site. Fix: Review your robots.txt file carefully. Make sure it’s only blocking what you intend to block.
15. XML Sitemap Issues: Problems with your sitemap, making it hard for Google to find all your pages. Fix: Submit and validate your XML sitemap in Google Search Console.
16. Indexing Issues: Google isn’t crawling or indexing your pages at all. Fix: Use Google Search Console to check your site’s indexing status and submit URLs for crawling.
17. Canonicalization Problems: Incorrect use of canonical tags, confusing search engines about which page is the “main” version. Fix: Double-check your canonical tags to make sure they are pointing to the correct page.

Backlink and Authority Problems:

18. Lack of Backlinks: Not enough other websites linking to your site. Fix: Earn high-quality backlinks by creating great content that people want to share and link to. Guest blogging and outreach can also help.
19. Low Domain Authority: Your website doesn’t have much authority or trust in Google’s eyes. Fix: Focus on creating excellent content, earning backlinks from reputable sites, and building your online reputation over time.
20. Toxic Backlinks: Links from spammy or low-quality websites that could actually hurt your ranking. Fix: Use Google Search Console to disavow toxic backlinks.
21. Unnatural Link Building: Trying to get backlinks through shady tactics (buying links, link schemes, etc.). Fix: Focus on organic, ethical link building. Don’t try to trick Google.

On-Page Optimization Problems:

22. Missing or Poor Title Tags: Your title tags are missing, too short, or not descriptive enough. Fix: Write unique, compelling, and keyword-rich title tags for every page. Keep them concise (under 60 characters).
23. Missing or Poor Meta Descriptions: Your meta descriptions are missing or don’t entice users to click. Fix: Write compelling meta descriptions (the snippets of text under the title tag in search results) that accurately describe your page and encourage clicks.
24. Improper Heading Tags (H1-H6): Incorrect use of heading tags to structure your content. Fix: Use heading tags (H1 for the main title, H2 for subheadings, etc.) in a logical hierarchy to organize your content.
25. Image Optimization Issues: Large image file sizes, missing alt text, or poorly named image files. Fix: Compress your images to reduce file size. Add descriptive alt text to every image. Use descriptive file names.

Other Problems Websites Ranking Issues:

26. Google Penalty: Your website has violated Google’s webmaster guidelines. Fix: Identify the reason for the penalty and fix the problem. Then, submit a reconsideration request to Google.
27. High Competition: You’re trying to rank for very competitive keywords. Fix: Focus on long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) and niche markets.
28. Lack of Local SEO: Not optimizing for local searches. Fix: Claim and optimize your Google My Business profile. Make sure your website includes your address and phone number.
29. Poor User Experience: Your website is difficult to use, confusing to navigate, or just plain ugly. Fix: Focus on creating a user-friendly website with clear navigation, a clean design, and a positive user experience.
30. Not Tracking Results: You’re not monitoring your website’s performance. Fix: Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your traffic, rankings, and other important metrics. This will help you identify what’s working and what’s not.

New Search Engine Ranking Factors:

Google’s algorithm is constantly evolving, but some newer and increasingly important factors include:

• E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google emphasizes content created by authors with demonstrable experience, expertise, and trustworthiness on a given topic.
• User Experience (UX): Google prioritizes websites that offer a positive user experience, including easy navigation, fast loading times, and mobile-friendliness.
• Core Web Vitals: These metrics measure website speed and user experience, including Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
• Structured Data: Using schema markup to provide context to search engines about your content. This can improve visibility in search results.
• Voice Search Optimization: Optimizing content for conversational queries as voice search becomes more prevalent.

What Factors Affect Google Ranking?

Google’s ranking algorithm considers hundreds of factors, but some of the most influential include:

• Content Quality and Relevance: High-quality, informative, and relevant content is crucial.
• Backlinks: High-quality backlinks from authoritative websites are a strong signal of trust and authority.
• Technical SEO: A well-optimized website with no technical issues is essential.
• On-Page Optimization: Optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, and other on-page elements.
• User Experience: A positive user experience is a critical ranking factor.
• Mobile-Friendliness: Websites must be mobile-friendly to rank well.
• Domain Authority: The overall authority and reputation of your website.

By addressing these issues and staying up-to-date with the latest ranking factors, you can significantly improve your website’s visibility in Google search results. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, so continuous monitoring, optimization, and adaptation are crucial for long-term success.

Remember, SEO is a long-term strategy. It may take time to see significant changes, but with persistence and attention to detail, your website can begin to rank higher and drive more traffic. At GreatInflux, we specialize in SEO strategies that can help your business website rank higher on Google. Whether you need an SEO audit, content strategy, or technical SEO fixes, we’re here to help. Reach out at GreatInflux to get started with a tailored SEO plan that works for your business.