Why Isn’t My New Website Listed in Google's Top 10?
Imagine the scenario: You have a new website and you're happy with it. Your web designer uploads it and now its there on the World Wide Web open for business. So you wait for some visitors to your website and in turn sales enquiries: No enquiries yet, but it's early days. You get a few friends come by and say "hey, nice website!" but you wait and wait and no enquiries still. So you check out Google, type in your main keyphrase (lets say novelty washing baskets) and you can't find your website listed on the top 10 … nor the top 20 … Oh my God, not even the top 100!
Before we start any type of analysis on what may have gone wrong, let's just take a quick reality check: Just because you have a website, does not mean that you are suddenly going to rank immediately for every keyphrase you've chosen. It may have worked 10 years ago when there were only a handful of websites on the internet, but nowadays there are literally millions all vying for different keyphrases.
To demonstrate my point, type your keyphrase into Google: How many results do you get? Google has 576,000 pages in its results for Novelty washing baskets. This can vary from direct competitors to a few pages that just happen to mention "novelty" and/or "washing baskets". If you're not within the first couple of pages for any chosen keyword, then don't expect many sales or enquiries.
Here are just a few things to consider before you begin to panic:
The next thing to consider is if your main key phrase is listed anywhere on your web page(s). Search engines (certainly the top 3) don't use people, they use automated programs (aka bots or spiders) to crawl and index web pages. If novelty washing baskets isn't mentioned anywhere on your novelty washing baskets website then your customers won't find it when they come to search.
At best, your main keyphrases should be included in the page title, main page heading and within your textual content. There are many recommendations online for the number of times you should repeat your key phrase within your content but I shall cover that in another article.
If the problem isn't any of the above then the chances are Google just doesn't trust you. I'll explain:
All new websites used to be subjected to a honeymoon period to see if they are trustworthy. At seminars, Google reps used to advise new website owners "Don’t expect any real results from the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for about 6-9 months, even a year". Although, if you haven't made any effort to optimise your website for your main keyphrases then this figure could be as long as 2 years.
It is still hard for a new website to get up in the rankings, but not impossible. There a few things you can do to get your website noticed by Google:
Google is responsible for 65% of searches on the worldwide web. It is good to get on their right side early on. I have only outlined some key areas today, which I shall elaborate on at a later date.
Any campaign on any website will take time and a LOT of patience, but if done correctly your site could rank in a matter of a few months.
Reality Check
Before we start any type of analysis on what may have gone wrong, let's just take a quick reality check: Just because you have a website, does not mean that you are suddenly going to rank immediately for every keyphrase you've chosen. It may have worked 10 years ago when there were only a handful of websites on the internet, but nowadays there are literally millions all vying for different keyphrases.
To demonstrate my point, type your keyphrase into Google: How many results do you get? Google has 576,000 pages in its results for Novelty washing baskets. This can vary from direct competitors to a few pages that just happen to mention "novelty" and/or "washing baskets". If you're not within the first couple of pages for any chosen keyword, then don't expect many sales or enquiries.
Here are just a few things to consider before you begin to panic:
Does Google know you exist?
Google or any of the major search engines) aren't telepathic. You do have to let them know that your website is there to begin with. There is more than one way to tell the search engines about your website.- Site Map: A sitemap is an XML file that includes every web page listed on your website. It can also provide additional information such as date of last update and relevance of each page compared to the rest of the site. Sitemaps.org can provide more information on the whole concept of sitemaps. Once this is completed you can submit them to the search engines.
- Directories: Although the jury is still out on whether search engines crawl and index online directories as much now as they used to, it is still good practice to submit to a few directories. The main directories include Yahoo directory, Dmoz and Best of the Web. Niche directories relevant to your trade or keyphrase can also prove valuable. They can be found by searching for your keyphrase +directory in Google.
- Submission to search engines: Although Google (et al) tend to find websites by following links on other websites nowadays, most of the main search engines still offer a page where you can submit your web address. But this can take anything from several weeks to several months.
Where is your Keyphrase?
The next thing to consider is if your main key phrase is listed anywhere on your web page(s). Search engines (certainly the top 3) don't use people, they use automated programs (aka bots or spiders) to crawl and index web pages. If novelty washing baskets isn't mentioned anywhere on your novelty washing baskets website then your customers won't find it when they come to search.
At best, your main keyphrases should be included in the page title, main page heading and within your textual content. There are many recommendations online for the number of times you should repeat your key phrase within your content but I shall cover that in another article.
Domain Age Algorithm
If the problem isn't any of the above then the chances are Google just doesn't trust you. I'll explain:
All new websites used to be subjected to a honeymoon period to see if they are trustworthy. At seminars, Google reps used to advise new website owners "Don’t expect any real results from the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for about 6-9 months, even a year". Although, if you haven't made any effort to optimise your website for your main keyphrases then this figure could be as long as 2 years.
It is still hard for a new website to get up in the rankings, but not impossible. There a few things you can do to get your website noticed by Google:
- Links: Quality backlinks to your website can help you to override any domain age algorithm. Therefore start looking for related websites to link to your website. Ask Google directly by searching for your keyphrase +links. Also writing articles, social bookmarking sites (such as Digg and StumbleUpon), networking and just talking to other companies are some of the best tried and tested methods.
- Unique Content: Links and content go hand in hand: Websites aren't going to link to you if your web content is the same as everyone else's. So look at your content again. Is it unique? A list of FAQ's, a glossary, how to articles, or an online tool, to name but a few, will help visitors especially if they are researching your product/service or new to your industry in general.
- Google Tools: There are many channels of Google that are still quick and free. First of all, adhering to Google's Webmaster guidelines before launching your site will reduce Google's ageing delay, enabling your site to climb the rankings quicker. There is also:
- Webmaster Central: Web owners resource where you can submit sitemaps and see how Google is crawling your web pages.
- Google Analytics: Site analysis tool which can be used to monitor activity on your website.
- Google Shopping: Price comparison resource. Handy for online shops.
- Pay per Click: If the linking campaign is proving more difficult than you anticipated and you really want those visitors to come through the door, then consider a short term pay-per-click campaign. Google Adwords allows you to set up a daily budget and talks you through the whole process of setting up a campaign.
Conclusion
Google is responsible for 65% of searches on the worldwide web. It is good to get on their right side early on. I have only outlined some key areas today, which I shall elaborate on at a later date.
Any campaign on any website will take time and a LOT of patience, but if done correctly your site could rank in a matter of a few months.
Softening the Blow of 404 Pages
Some of you may have heard of 404 Pages They look a little bit like this.
Not very interesting to look at, I think you’ll agree, but some thought has gone into this standard document. The page might not be gone altogether: it might only be temporarily unavailable or had its name changed. But all is not lost, try checking the web address is correct or if still no luck, be sure to tell the owner of the site that they have a broken (dead) link about their site or click “Back” on the browser and start again.
You’ll also agree how infuriating it is to find one when you are browsing a website. Picture the scene: you are on a website and you see something on a page you would really like to buy. You click on the link clearly marked “More on this product” and instead of being greeted with the widget, you are greeted with a standard 404 page suggesting that you check the web address for any errors.
Well the average surfer will not even bother to let the web owner know that they have broken links on their site because they would be off the site, onto a competitor's and the web owner would be none the wiser that he’s losing business.
So how do you stop the same thing happening to your website?
But should the worst happen and your client has to be faced with a 404 page (e-commerce or not), creating your own 404 page template for your site is a must. Here are some basic tips on what you should include on your custom page to keep your customer’s inconvenience as brief as possible.
Brand your page: Keep your page consistent with your site, but only use a basic template. Strip the template of adverts, movies and other fancy stuff. By keeping your template as minimalist as possible ensures the page downloads quickly and emphasises that something may not be right, encouraging the visitor to read on. Que Publishing uses their page template so it blends in with the rest of their site. This works as they have a minimalist design with emphasis on the main heading. For the same reason Tesco.com also have a simplistic 404 page.
Keep it polite: It doesn’t matter who’s fault it is: Your fault, their fault or whatever. The bottom line is that your customer has been presented with a 404 page from your website and you want them to do business with you and not your competitors. So apologise to them, reassure them. Firebox.com do both of these. They also bring me onto my next tip;
Offer helpful links: If the page isn’t there, where do they go now? Now you need a few useful links to get your customer back on track. A few more links to your categorical pages would be useful. A site map when designed properly can serve as a great help page or if they get really stuck, can they contact you by email or phone? Firebox.com also offer a list of their latest products, a list of categories or a link back to their home page for the really lost. First Fairway also list their categories to help confused customers back on track.
On one final note, 404 Area is a list of 404 pages that are not at all dull, just funny, shocking or downright peculiar.
Not very interesting to look at, I think you’ll agree, but some thought has gone into this standard document. The page might not be gone altogether: it might only be temporarily unavailable or had its name changed. But all is not lost, try checking the web address is correct or if still no luck, be sure to tell the owner of the site that they have a broken (dead) link about their site or click “Back” on the browser and start again.
You’ll also agree how infuriating it is to find one when you are browsing a website. Picture the scene: you are on a website and you see something on a page you would really like to buy. You click on the link clearly marked “More on this product” and instead of being greeted with the widget, you are greeted with a standard 404 page suggesting that you check the web address for any errors.
Well the average surfer will not even bother to let the web owner know that they have broken links on their site because they would be off the site, onto a competitor's and the web owner would be none the wiser that he’s losing business.
So how do you stop the same thing happening to your website?
- Check your links regularly: Even if you only have a few links pointing to a couple of resourceful pages, there’s always a chance that the page will be renamed or be removed. If you are an online shop, then all the more reason to run a check. There are excellent link checker tools available in both web editor software and online. A good one is W3C’s link checker This goes through every link on your website and picks out the broken ones.
- 301 Redirects: If you really have to rename a page that has been established for a while, setting up a permanent 301 redirect will both redirect visitors onto your new web page and preserve the search engine ranking from the old page. A 301 redirect can be easily set up in an .htaccess file on an Apache server (check with your hosting provider if unsure).
But should the worst happen and your client has to be faced with a 404 page (e-commerce or not), creating your own 404 page template for your site is a must. Here are some basic tips on what you should include on your custom page to keep your customer’s inconvenience as brief as possible.
Brand your page: Keep your page consistent with your site, but only use a basic template. Strip the template of adverts, movies and other fancy stuff. By keeping your template as minimalist as possible ensures the page downloads quickly and emphasises that something may not be right, encouraging the visitor to read on. Que Publishing uses their page template so it blends in with the rest of their site. This works as they have a minimalist design with emphasis on the main heading. For the same reason Tesco.com also have a simplistic 404 page.
Keep it polite: It doesn’t matter who’s fault it is: Your fault, their fault or whatever. The bottom line is that your customer has been presented with a 404 page from your website and you want them to do business with you and not your competitors. So apologise to them, reassure them. Firebox.com do both of these. They also bring me onto my next tip;
Offer helpful links: If the page isn’t there, where do they go now? Now you need a few useful links to get your customer back on track. A few more links to your categorical pages would be useful. A site map when designed properly can serve as a great help page or if they get really stuck, can they contact you by email or phone? Firebox.com also offer a list of their latest products, a list of categories or a link back to their home page for the really lost. First Fairway also list their categories to help confused customers back on track.
On one final note, 404 Area is a list of 404 pages that are not at all dull, just funny, shocking or downright peculiar.
Labels: advice, custom 404 pages
