What I Learned When I First Started With SEO

I began SEO work in 2021, and honestly, I felt completely lost when I first started digging into why some websites don’t show up in search results. A lot of conflicting advice is out there, and everyone seems to have different ideas about what Google “wants”.

My research and testing on my own sites made me realize that most website visibility problems are caused by a handful of common issues. The good news? Once you know what to look for, most of them can be fixed pretty easily.

Google Needs Clear Signals (And Most Sites Don’t Give Them)

I really wish someone had just said it plainly: Google’s not being difficult. It really just needs to know what your site is about and why it should show it to people searching, then it can help you!

When those signals are missing or confusing, your site basically becomes invisible, no matter how great the content is.

The Big Technical Roadblocks I Keep Seeing

• Pages that aren’t indexed: At first, this was mind-blowing to me. Even if your website is amazing, if Google doesn’t index your pages, you will never appear in search results. Sometimes this happens because of technical settings, other times it’s just that Google hasn’t discovered your pages yet.
• Missing sitemaps: I used to think sitemaps were advanced SEO things I didn’t need to worry about. Turns out they’re basically a roadmap that helps Google find and understand all your pages. Without one, Google’s job is harder than it needs to be.
• Crawling issues: Things can quickly become technical here. A website can sometimes be set up in such a way that search engines are unable to read its content. When you’re trying to run a business, it’s like a “Do Not Enter” sign outside your front door.

The Setup Mistakes That Kill Your Chances

These are the ones that make me SCREAM because they’re so preventable:

• Terrible page meta-titles: Every page on your site needs its own descriptive title. I see so many websites where their meta-titles are just called “Home” or “About Us.” Google has no idea what to do with that, and neither do your potential web visitors.
• Ignoring local keywords: Unless Google knows who your customer base is, it won’t show your website to them. Even though this seems obvious in hindsight, many people overlook it when they are focused on other things.
• No Google Business Profile: In the agencies I’ve worked in, I’ve seen clients put off setting this up for too long because they thought it was optional. Spoiler: it’s not. If you want to show up in local search results, you need a Google Business Profile. Period.

How to Figure Out What’s Actually Wrong

The most satisfying part about troubleshooting website visibility issues is that you don’t have to guess. There are tools that tell you exactly what’s broken.

• Google Search Console: This is free and comes straight from Google. It’ll show you which of your pages are indexed, what search terms people are using to find you, and any technical issues that need fixing. I check mine obsessively now, at least 5 times a week.
• SEO audit tools: There are tons of these, from free options to expensive enterprise tools. They crawl your website and generate out a report of everything that needs attention. Fair warning: the first time you run one, the list of issues might feel overwhelming. Try not panic, most of them are usually minor fixes.

Changes That Can Make a Real Difference

Some improvements take months to show results, but others can help quickly.

• Submit your sitemap: After setting up Google Search Console, upload your sitemap. Your pages will be discovered by Google faster, which means they’ll appear in search results faster.
• Fix your page titles and descriptions: Every page should have its own unique, descriptive title that contains keywords relevant to your services and offerings. Then, write meta descriptions that convince people to click on and through your website. If you need help, check out my SEO services designed for small businesses.
• Get your Google Business Profile sorted: Fill out every section completely; business hours, photos, descriptions, everything. Then make sure it’s linked to your website and vice versa.

The Best Way to Get Found Doesn’t Cost a Fortune

The majority of website visibility problems are caused by technical issues or missing basics, not by mysterious algorithms. Google actually wants to help people find businesses like yours. You just need to make it easy for them to understand what you’re offering and who exactly should see it.

The key is being methodical about it. Before working on content improvements, fix the technical issues. An SEO audit is the best place to start if you want to uncover what’s holding your site back. Work like this isn’t fun, but it’s necessary to make everything else work.