Why Your Website Isn’t Ranking (Top 15 Reasons) — and How to Fix Them

Here are the top 15 reasons – Why Your Website Isn’t Ranking — written in a friendly, no-jargon way—with practical fixes you can actually apply.

If your website isn’t showing up on Google (or it’s stuck on page 3 forever), don’t panic. Most ranking issues come down to a few common problems—usually fixable once you know where to look.

At Grocito, we work with businesses that have great services/products but poor search visibility because their site has hidden SEO leaks: technical issues, weak content targeting, confusing structure, or slow performance.

1) Your Pages Aren’t Indexed (Google Can’t Rank What It Can’t See)

This is the most basic (and most overlooked) issue.

Common causes:

• Your page is blocked by robots.txt
• Your page has a noindex tag
• Canonical tags are pointing to another URL
• The site is new and Google hasn’t discovered it properly

Quick checks:

• Search Google: site:yourdomain.com
• Check if important pages appear
• If nothing appears, indexing is the problem—not “SEO strategy”

Fix:

• Ensure important pages are indexable
• Submit your sitemap
• Remove accidental noindex
• Fix robots/canonical issues

2) You’re Targeting the Wrong Keywords (Or No Keywords at All)

A lot of websites try to rank for keywords that are:

• too broad (“web development”),
• too competitive,
• not aligned with what customers actually search.

Fix:

• Focus on intent keywords:
  • “website design company in [city]”
  • “WordPress maintenance services”
  • “ecommerce website development cost”
• Use one primary topic per page instead of mixing everything everywhere

Friendly tip: It’s better to rank #1 for a specific, high-intent term than #40 for a broad one.

3) Your Content Doesn’t Match Search Intent

Google ranks pages that best satisfy what users want when they search.

Example:

• If someone searches “website redesign cost”, they want pricing ranges + what affects cost.
• If your page is just “we offer redesign services,” it won’t rank.

Fix:

• Match your page format to intent:
  • Informational search → guide/blog
  • Comparison search → comparisons, pros/cons
  • Transactional search → service page with proof + CTA
• Answer the query clearly in the first few sections

4) Your Content Is Too Thin (Or Too Generic)

If your page has:

• 200–400 words,
• generic claims,
• no examples,
• no depth…

…it’s unlikely to outrank stronger content.

Fix:

• Create “complete” pages:
  • Clear explanation
  • Steps / framework
  • Examples
  • FAQs
  • Visuals where helpful
• Add unique value: your process, checklists, local insights, case examples

5) You Have Duplicate Content (Accidental Clones)

Duplicate content confuses search engines: “Which page should rank?”

Common duplicates:

• Same service pages in multiple locations with minor changes
• Category/tag pages creating duplicates
• www vs non-www duplicates
• HTTP vs HTTPS duplicates
• Printer-friendly pages

Fix:

• Use canonical tags correctly
• Redirect duplicates to one preferred version
• Avoid publishing multiple pages targeting the same keyword

6) Your Website Is Slow (Especially on Mobile)

Speed isn’t just a “tech thing.” Slow pages increase bounce rates, reduce engagement, and hurt rankings over time.

Common causes:

• Heavy images
• Too many scripts/plugins
• Cheap hosting
• No caching
• Unoptimized themes/builders

Fix:

• Compress images (WebP/AVIF if possible)
• Use caching
• Remove unnecessary plugins/scripts
• Optimize fonts and critical loading elements

7) Your Site Structure Is Confusing (Bad Navigation + Weak Internal Linking)

If your pages are not connected properly, Google struggles to understand:

• what’s most important,
• how content is related,
• which page should rank for what.

Signs of weak structure:

• Important service pages are buried deep
• Blog posts exist but don’t link to services
• No clear topic clusters
• Too many unrelated pages

Fix:

• Build a clean structure:
  • Home
  • Services (separate pages per service)
  • Case studies
  • Blog (topic clusters)
  • About + Contact
• Add internal links strategically:
  • Blogs → service pages
  • Service pages → case studies
  • Case studies → related services

8) Your On-Page SEO Basics Aren’t Done (Titles, Headings, Meta)

This is classic, but still common.

Issues:

• Titles are missing or duplicated
• H1 tags are missing or used multiple times
• Pages don’t mention the target keyword naturally
• Meta descriptions are empty or irrelevant

Fix:

• Write unique page titles:
  • “UI/UX Design Agency for Startups | Grocito”
• Use one clear H1 per page
• Use H2/H3 to structure sections
• Add descriptive alt text for important images

9) Your Website Doesn’t Look Trustworthy (Weak E-E-A-T Signals)

Even if your content is good, trust matters—especially for competitive queries.

Trust signals that help ranking (and conversions):

• Clear About page and real team info
• Contact info (address, phone, email)
• Case studies and proof
• Testimonials with real details
• Policies (privacy, terms if relevant)

Fix:

• Add credibility where it’s missing
• Add case studies and “how we work” sections
• Show real work, real process, real outcomes

10) You Don’t Have Enough High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are still one of the strongest ranking signals (especially in competitive spaces). If competitors have strong links and you have none, ranking becomes harder.

But important: quality matters more than quantity.

Fix:

• Get links naturally through:
  • case study collaborations
  • partnerships
  • local directories (relevant ones)
  • guest features/interviews
  • shareable resources (checklists/tools)

Avoid: spam link packages. They can backfire.

11) Your Content Is Not Updated (Stale Pages Lose Relevance)

Google prefers content that stays accurate and useful.

If your blog post is from 2021 and competitors updated in 2025, your page may slowly drop.

Fix:

• Refresh key pages every 3–6 months:
  • update examples
  • add new FAQs
  • improve clarity
  • add better visuals
  • fix outdated claims

12) Your Local SEO Is Weak (If You Serve a City/Region)

If you’re a service business and you want local leads, local SEO matters a lot.

Common issues:

• No location signals on site
• No dedicated location pages (when needed)
• Weak NAP consistency (Name/Address/Phone)
• No local proof (reviews, maps, local work)

Fix:

• Add location keywords naturally:
  • service pages + footer + contact page
• Create location-targeted pages if you serve multiple areas
• Add local case studies if possible

13) Your Website Has Technical SEO Errors (Quiet But Costly)

Technical issues can block ranking even if your content is great.

Common technical problems:

• Broken pages (404s)
• Redirect chains
• Incorrect canonical tags
• Crawl traps (endless filtered URLs)
• Sitemap issues
• JavaScript-heavy pages that don’t render well
• Mixed HTTP/HTTPS elements

Fix:

• Run a technical audit regularly
• Fix indexation + crawlability first
• Clean up broken links and redirects
• Ensure sitemap is accurate and updated

14) You’re Competing With Yourself (Keyword Cannibalization)

This is when multiple pages target the same keyword and Google doesn’t know which one to rank. Result: none ranks strongly.

Example:

• “Website Design Services” page
• “Web Design Company” page
• “Custom Website Design” page
  All saying basically the same thing.

Fix:

• Combine similar pages into one strong page
• Keep one “primary” page per keyword/topic
• Use internal linking to support it (not compete with it)

15) You Don’t Have a Consistent SEO Content Plan

SEO isn’t a one-post miracle. It’s consistency.

If you publish randomly (or once every 3 months), growth is slow.

Fix:

• Build content clusters:
  • One main “pillar” page (big topic)
  • Supporting blogs targeting subtopics
  • Internal links connecting them
• Publish consistently:
  • even 2 strong posts/month is better than 10 posts once a year

Friendly tip: SEO rewards momentum. Small, consistent effort wins.

Quick “Fix Order” (What to Work on First)

If you want the best results faster, follow this order:

1. Indexing + crawl issues
2. Technical SEO + speed
3. Keyword targeting + intent alignment
4. Improve core service pages (depth + trust + structure)
5. Internal linking + site structure
6. Content plan + topic clusters
7. Backlinks + authority building

This prevents you from wasting effort on content while your site has technical blockers.

Mini Checklist: What You Can Do This Week

• Check indexing with site:yourdomain.com
• Update page titles and H1s on key pages
• Improve one main service page (add proof + FAQs + clear CTA)
• Compress images on homepage + service pages
• Add internal links from blogs to services
• Remove or replace risky/outdated plugins (WordPress sites)

Small steps add up fast.

Final Thought (Friendly but Real)

If your website isn’t ranking, it doesn’t mean your business isn’t good. It usually means Google is seeing:

• technical friction,
• unclear topic relevance,
• weak authority signals,
• or content that doesn’t fully match intent.

Fix the biggest leaks first, and rankings usually improve in a clean, predictable way.