There are a number of different reasons why a website might not be getting a lot of traffic from Google and, if your website hasn’t been performing well, it can be difficult to know which reason that is.
To help you out with that, here’s a list of the most commonplace reasons your website may not be getting traffic from Google.
1. No Index
Oftentimes a website is created, but left in “no index mode”, which means it won’t show up in Google. The good news is that this issue is easy enough to fix.
2. Poor Code or Structure
Trying to build a website cheaply can come back to haunt you, as websites with poorly written code generally have terrible output, and this confounds Google. It’s wiser to build a site with good coding and structure from the beginning to avoid this problem.
3. Hard to Navigate
Websites that are difficult for users to navigate and interact with, and that get lower engagement as a result, will not be able to rank well on Google.
4. Backlink Problems
Backlinks, which are links from other sites, can make a big difference to your website. Google evaluates backlinks for quality, quantity and relevance. Make sure you have enough backlinks that link to relevant sites in order to rank well on Google.
5. No Information
When users type a question into Google and end up on your website, they are looking for information that will answer the questions they have. If your website doesn’t provide this information and the user leaves after a couple of clicks, it can hurt your Google ranking. Make sure you’re providing the answers customers need.
6. Vacant Business Page
If you’re a local business, make sure it’s listed on Google Maps. Showing up in the ‘3 pack’ on Maps means that you will get more, and quality, traffic.
7. Bad SEO Provider
There are a lot of bad SEO providers that simply allow automation tools to do the work. As a result, the sites are messy and end up getting penalized by Google.
8. Multiple Websites
While in the past, having multiple sites for the same business might have worked well, Google has tightened the ropes and prefers for you to keep just one website per business.
9. Plagiarised Content
If the content on your site has been taken from another website, or multiple websites, it won’t work out well for you. However, it’s fine to post articles or blogs that are copied from other sites as long as you credit them properly.
10. “On Page SEO” Isn’t Optimized
This is the technical side of things; making sure you have set up your pages and posts correctly, using titles, image & H tags, Meta descriptions and all the rest.
11. If You Are Getting Traffic
Perhaps you have been getting traffic, but it hasn’t been converting into customers. To fix this, you’ll need to consider other issues. Is there a problem with the content? Do you seem like an unreliable or questionable business? If so, it’s time to fix those issues and turn your visitors into paying customers.
