Most businesses don’t actually realise they’re hard to find online until someone points it out (or they do a bit of digging because they’re not getting the sales they thought they would). That’s because it usually seems to be fine and as though you’re doing everything you’re meant to be doing. 

But when you do a search for what you actually do and you’re nowhere near the top (or you’re not there at all), it can all start slotting into place – but the question is, what can you do about it? Keep reading for some useful advice. 

Having A Website Isn’t The Same As Being Visible 

A website on its own doesn’t actually guarantee anything, although that’s what a lot of people do think. It might look good, it might explain your services clearly, it might even convert well once someone lands on it, but the reality is that if no one can find it, none of that matters at all. 

The fact is, search engines aren’t going to rank sites based on how nice they look – they rank them on things like structure, relevance, authority, speed, clarity, and basically dozens of other signals that most business owners never even think about. So it’s very possible to have a wonderful looking website that just isn’t optimised. 

Competition Is Increasing

Even if your industry doesn’t feel crowded offline, online is probably a different story because you’re not just competing with the business down the road, you’re competing with everyone who offers something similar and understands how search works. 

And over time, the gap between you is only going to grow, which means that businesses that invest in strategy early are the ones that will go further, and those that don’t are the ones that will stay invisible without understanding why. That’s the kind of reason why people start looking for the best SEO consultants, because they’ve reached a point where they need some extra help. 

Inconsistent Effort Slows Everything Down

Another issue is inconsistency. Having a few blog posts written years ago and some social media updates that only get done once in a while when someone remembers or has the time isn’t really going to help much. 

If you want to be seen, you’ve got to put in some steady effort, with ongoing updates. Posting little and often is much better than posting one big thing and then forgetting about it for ages. 

Messaging Isn’t Always Clear 

Sometimes businesses aren’t found because they’re not describing themselves in the way customers search – they’ll use specific language that the lay person won’t understand (and won’t type into a search engine), and so on. 

So since customers search using everyday words, that’s what your website, blogs, social media posts and so on have to use as well. And don’t worry that you’re having to dumb things down, you’re just working on the same level as your customers, which is going to improve your sales and make you come across as a lot more approachable and trustworthy.