- 08 March 2025
If your website isn't ranking highly on Google, it's typically not because of competitors or a low budget. Frequently, the website is just not prepared, either strategically or technically, to attract attention. Here are seven reasons why, despite having a respectable appearance, your website is "silent" in search results. And how to handle it.
1. Pages are not indexed (or the wrong ones are indexed)
This is already a warning if you notice a large number of pages in Google Search Console marked "Excluded" or "Not in index." The robots.txt file, noindex meta tag, incorrect canonical URLs, duplicates, or an out-of-date sitemap could be the cause. The CMS itself occasionally makes duplicate pages (for instance, with and without / at the end), which makes it difficult for the search engine to determine what should be promoted.
Do a technical SEO audit as a solution. Check robots.txt, make sure that important pages are open for indexing, that canonical links are spelled correctly. Remove duplicates, customize sitemap.xml, add it to Search Console and wait for indexing. The website doesn't even enter the ranking queue without this.
2. Lack of structure: search engines prefer order, and the website functions more like a warehouse than a showcase.
It is difficult for a search bot to comprehend the purpose of a website if it lacks a clear hierarchy (main → categories → pages). This is especially critical for sites with a large number of services or publications, where everything falls into one pile without logic and nesting.
The answer is to create a map of the site's architecture. Every category has its own section, and every service has its own page. Make use of "breadcrumbs," create internal links, and write nested URLs (such as /uslugi/seo/). Google can understand and assess content more easily if the reasoning is clear.
3. Content that has been "watermarked" or rewritten from competitors
In addition to being original, content should be organized and helpful. Google will notice if you use ChatGPT to paraphrase an article from a competitor and post it on your website. For a long time, algorithms have been able to identify duplicates as well as useless repackaged garbage. Additionally, you have nothing to advertise if your pages are completely text-free.
Writing pages "for search intent"—what people are actually looking for—is the answer. See what queries people have about the subject by using services such as AlsoAsked. Every text passage has its own H2 subheading and a rational response. Steer clear of stationery and water. A useful 700-word page is preferable to five meaningless 300-word pages.
4. External links are at zero. And nobody is mentioning you.
SEO encompasses more than just a website's content. Google calculates the amount of time you are "talked about" online. Search engines view your brand as inauthentic if there are no relevant resources linking to it, no one shares your content, and you are not included in directories and the media.
Developing a link profile is the answer. Register first with professional forums, industry directories, and Google Business. Create high-quality content that you will want to share, such as a checklist or guide. Seek out chances for crowd marketing, mentions, and guest posting. Even ten quality links are preferable to one hundred spam links.
5. Meta tags are either not set up at all or are the same on every page.
Google looks at the page title and meta description first. They decrease clickability and deteriorate topic comprehension if they are blank, generated automatically by the CMS, or identical everywhere. Because pages are automatically multiplied in online stores and lending, this is particularly detrimental.
The answer is to manually create distinct titles and descriptions for each significant page. Include a call to action in the description and start the title with a keyword. Examine how your snippet appears in search results; positions are also impacted by CTR. Work by hand instead of relying on plugins for this.
6. The website is difficult to use on a smartphone and fails to Essential Web Elements
Starting in 2021, Google is indexing sites on a mobile-first basis. If your site doesn't work well on a phone, elements stick out of the screen, the font is too small, and CLS jumps around, it's a straight path to the sandbox. Even good content won't save you from a technical fiasco.
The answer is to pass the Mobile-Friendly and PageSpeed Insights tests. Change the template, modify the design, and make the animations simpler if the website fails. Keep an eye on loading speed, particularly when using 3G networks. If not, Google will lower your site's rendition because it believes it interferes with the user.
7. No goals and analytics set up - you don't know what's working
If you're not tracking which pages are bringing traffic, which queries people are coming from and where they're leaving - you're losing control. Driving while blindfolded is analogous to this. You are unaware of whether the site is receiving requests, even if it is receiving traffic.
Solution: install Search Console and Google Analytics 4. Establish objectives for contact views, button clicks, and form submissions. Ads should use UTM tags. You can only determine which pages are functioning properly by looking at the data. Without analytics, SEO is a costly guessing game.
