Let’s look at this a bit deeper and see if we can figure out what’s going on…
What, exactly, do you mean “My website doesn’t work?”
Is it indexed on Google?
(check by typing this into your browser search bar “site:your domain name here” i.e “site:webseoassist.co.uk“) That will show all of your website pages that are indexed.
Do you know what your keywords or search terms are?
Your website should target keywords or phrases that people actually type into Google. This is part of basic keyword research and can’t be skipped.
If you sell Purple Fairy Widgets, then if you type that term into Google you should appear, hopefully, on the 1st page.
You can check your ranking for keywords using this tool – https://ahrefs.com/keyword-rank-checker This will tell you where you rank for a given term.
You should have local or regionally targeted keywords such as Purple Fairy Widgets Oxfordshire or Oxford. After all, will it really help if people can find you if your product or service is in Brighton but you get found easily by people in Scotland, which you don’t serve!
As part of your keyword research, you should be able to find roughly how many people search using your keywords each month.
I rank in the top ten of Google
OK, so you’ve checked your keywords and found you’re within the top 10 on Google. But, you’re telling me your website doesn’t work…
What do you mean, doesn’t work?
You get no enquiries?
What, none at all? No-one emails you or fills out your contact form or phones up and says “I saw your website…” None of that?
Let’s start with simple things…
Does your email work? Have you checked it? Go on, do a little test… send yourself an email, just to make sure. Did it work? You’d be amazed how many companies never check their email is actually getting to them. Things do break or stop working and as this is your business it’s essential that your email get’s to you, check it once a month.
What about that contact form… does it work? Again, check it, check it once a month, just to be sure. Things change on your website, frequently due to updates and sometimes your contact form may just stop working.
Ok, so assuming your email and/or contact form are working, let’s delve a bit deeper…
The fact you are in the top ten on Google for the right keywords suggests that your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) isn’t too bad. So what else could be the problem?
Are people actually coming to your website?
What do they do when they get there?
You need to have some sort of analytical software, such as Google Analytics or Statcounter, installed and take a look at what it’s telling you.
How many visit your website in a day?
Where do they come from?
How long are they on your website?
Do they immediately click away?
Which page do they land on?
Which page do they leave from?
Analysing the above should give you clues as to what’s going on.
If you are starting with a good number of visitors and you can see they come from organic searches on Google (i.e. they type your keywords in), then that’s a good start.
But, when they land on your page, do they immediately click away? That would suggest that you weren’t what they were looking for and this could be for lots of reasons – your content, your offering, wrong area, too cheap/expensive… all sorts of things.
Perhaps the layout of your website is a bit off or overly complicated.
Try this simple check… When you land on the first page of your website, can you tell, within three seconds, what it is you do and whereabouts you do it?
It’s not just about SEO and being in the top ten of Google. Your website has to reflect what it is that you do in a simple, logical way that appeals to your potential customers. Ideally, you want a page on your website for each thing you do and each area you do it in. That way each page can be keyworded to reflect that. Multiple offerings on single pages are just confusing, especially if you use terms like specialist or specialising – you can’t be a specialist in everything. Narrow down your target and you’ll have better results.
Well, that’s it until next week.
If you have anything you’d like me to explain in a blog, drop me an email.
Best wishes
We build WordPress websites primarily for local businesses in the Oxfordshire area. If you’d like to get in touch to see how I can help your business to get online or improve its online presence, then drop me an email: mail@webseoassist.co.uk
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