Having your Leicester business listed on Google can mean the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to survive. So what happens when you can’t find your business on Google?
There are many reasons why a business does not rank highly on Google. Fortunately, most of these reasons allow for self-diagnosis and improvement.
Here are 7 of those reasons and what you can do about them.
1. Are You Using the Same Search Terms as Your Customers?
If your business has a strong grasp on industry lingo and the phrases your customers use to search for your product or service don’t align, you may be missing out on relevant searches.
Concentrate on the less competitive searches and work to optimise for those to give your business the best opportunity to rank for relevant searches.
2. Are Your Target Locations Clear to Google?
Google needs to understand the geographic areas you operate in order to effectively promote your business. Merely saying “I serve the people of Leicester” will not help.
Create web content, ideally in the form of FAQs, for each location you serve and include it on your website.
3. Is Your Google Business Profile Optimised?
Your Google Business Profile can be used to promote your local business. Add and update your business’s name, contact details, hours, website, and business category. Provide a photo or two.
The information you provide will help you stand out to potential customers.
4. Is Your Website Content Sufficient?
Google will not rank a page for a service you offer just because that page exists on your website. Consider what information your website provides and determine if that information answers a potential customer’s questions.
You should have pages that answer questions like what services you offer, who can utilise those services, and where do you operate. Include examples of the work you have done, case studies, and other relevant information.
The goal should be to generate content that is helpful to the user, not to exploit the keyword stuffing loopholes that Google is trying to close.
5. Are Technical Issues Affecting Your Website?
If the answer is yes,, it could be the web infrastrucuter.
Slow page response times, dead or broken links, poor mobile web, not to mention incorrect 301 redirects and a myriad of other issues can hurt your web presence.
The Google Search Console is great for identifying and resolving web presence issues.
6. Could Your Website Authority Be Improved?
The web page is evaluated in an isolated fashion, however, other factors come into play including the domain authority of the entire site.
Relevant site mentions and links from authoritative sites can impact search results in a positive way.
In the case of a Leicester business, some authoritative sites can include local media mentions and directory listings.
The goal should be to acquire a small number of quality site mentions and links.
7. Have You Given Your SEO Strategy Enough Time?
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and SEO changes can take some time to be reflected in search results. Generally, it takes longer to move the needle in competitive searches.
Discuss other ways of measuring performance besides being at the top of Google.
Improve Your Online Visibility in Leicester
If your website isn’t currently getting the visibility you want, the first step is understanding what’s holding it back.
At Freetimers Digital, we help businesses identify opportunities to improve their search presence through keyword research, content development, technical improvements and ongoing SEO.
We work with businesses looking to improve their online visibility across Leicester and the surrounding areas, developing SEO strategies focused on attracting relevant traffic and generating genuine opportunities. If you’d like to find out how we could help your business achieve greater visibility online, get in touch with our team.