Why your Google Ranking Sucks

So, you're scratching your head, wondering why yourwebsite's Google ranking is so low? Don't worry, you're not alone! Many websiteowners struggle to understand the factors that affect their search enginerankings. But fear not my friend, in this article, we'll discuss some of themore common reasons why your website might be ranking closer to the bottom of Google’sresults page rather than the top and what you can do to improve it.

Let's start with website design and structure.Think of it like this, would you rather look at a beautiful sunset or a pile ofdirty dishes? (ok, maybe not the best analogy, but you get the point) Poordesign can greatly affect a website's search engine ranking. Search engineslike Google or Bing use complex algorithms to determine the relevance andquality of a website. If your website is poorly designed or difficult tonavigate, it may be difficult for search engines to understand what yourwebsite is about and how it should be ranked. To improve your website's designand structure, make sure your website is using a responsive design that adjuststo different screen sizes, uses a clear and consistent layout, and optimisesyour website's loading speed.

Now, let's talk content. Content is the heart ofyour website; without it, your website’s a ghost town. A lack of qualitycontent can also negatively impact a website's search engine ranking. Searchengines use the content on your website to determine what it is about and howit should be ranked. If your website doesn't have enough quality content, itmay be difficult for search engines to understand what your website is about,and it may be ranked lower as a result. To improve your website's content,consider creating high-quality, well-researched and informative articles, blogposts, and other content, also, the more targeted the content is to your audience,the better your results will be.

Next, let's talk about backlinks. Backlinks arelike a popularity contest, the more you have, the more popular you are. They'rean important factor in determining a website's search engine ranking. Backlinksare links from other websites that point to your website, the more of them youhave, the more authority Google believes you have on your chosen topic. But notall backlinks are created equally, so spamming the web with low-quality links won’tget you as far as a few high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. Forexample, who would you believe more, the Wall Street Journal or the crazy catlady from down the street? To improve your website's backlinks, considerreaching out to other website owners and asking them to link to your website orcreating high-quality content that other website owners will want to link to.

Lastly, let's talk about technical issues. Your website’sspeed can drastically affect your ranking on Google, as well as your users’ experienceon your website. Nobody likes a slow website; research has actually shown that a‘1-second delay inpage load time equals 11% fewer page views, a 16% decrease in customersatisfaction, and 7% loss in conversions.’ So this just goes to show thatnot investing in the right technology for your website, which includes your hosting,image compression and the right Content Delivery Network (CDN), can actually becosting you money. To improve your website's performance, consider using onlinetools such as Google Analytics or PageSpeed Insights to analyse yourwebsite's performance and fix any issues that you find.

By addressing these issues and optimising your websitefor search engines, you can improve your website's search engine ranking anddrive more traffic to your website. And if you're still unsure of why yourwebsite's ranking is low or just don’t have the know-how to implement some ofthese changes, reach out and see how I can help.

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