SEO Troubleshooting: Fix Common Problems

🔍

Pages Not Showing in Google

Your pages aren't being indexed or found in search results

❌ Problem: My page isn't showing up in Google at all

🔎 Diagnostic Questions

● Is your page brand new (published less than 2 weeks ago)?

● Have you submitted your sitemap to Google Search Console?

● Does the page have any links pointing to it (internal or external)?

✅ Solution: Force Google to Index Your Page

1

Check if it's actually indexed

Go to Google and search: site:yourwebsite.com/page-url
If nothing shows up, it's not indexed.

2

Use Google Search Console URL Inspection

• Go to Google Search Console
• Paste your page URL into the search bar at the top
• Click "Request Indexing"
• Wait 2-7 days

3

Check for blocking issues

Make sure your page doesn't have:
• <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag
• Blocked in robots.txt
• Protected by a password or login wall

4

Add internal links

Link to the page from your homepage, blog posts, or other pages. Google finds pages by following links.

5

Submit your sitemap

In Google Search Console: Sitemaps → Add sitemap → Enter "sitemap.xml" → Submit

❌ Problem: Google Search Console says "Discovered - currently not indexed"

🔎 What This Means

● Google found your page but decided not to index it (yet)

● Usually happens to low-priority pages or duplicate content

✅ Solution: Improve the Page to Get Indexed

1

Add more valuable content

Thin pages (under 300 words) often don't get indexed. Expand to at least 500-800 words with unique, helpful content.

2

Add internal links to the page

Link to this page from your homepage, navigation menu, or related blog posts. The more internal links, the higher the priority for Google.

3

Request indexing manually

Use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console and click "Request Indexing" after improving the page.

4

Be patient

For new sites, Google is cautious. This status often resolves itself after 2-4 weeks as your site gains more authority.

📉

Not Ranking / Dropped in Rankings

Your pages are indexed but not ranking well, or you lost rankings

❌ Problem: My page is indexed but ranking on page 5+

🔎 Diagnostic Questions

● How competitive is your keyword? Search it and check who's ranking

● Does your content match search intent? Look at the top results

● Is your content better/longer/more helpful than what's ranking?

✅ Solution: Optimize for Better Rankings

1

Analyze the top 5 ranking pages

Google your keyword. Look at pages 1-5. What format are they? (Blog post? Video? Product page?) How long are they? What topics do they cover that you don't?

2

Match or exceed the top content

If the top result is 2,000 words, yours should be at least that. Cover everything they cover, plus add something unique (your experience, better examples, data, images).

3

Improve on-page SEO

• Put your keyword in the title tag (first 60 characters)
• Use it in H1, at least one H2, and first 100 words
• Write a compelling meta description
• Add internal links from other pages on your site

4

Build backlinks to the page

Even perfect on-page SEO won't outrank established sites without backlinks. Focus on getting 3-5 quality links from relevant sites.

5

Wait 4-8 weeks

After making improvements, Google needs time to re-crawl and re-evaluate your page. Rankings often improve gradually over 1-2 months.

❌ Problem: My rankings suddenly dropped

✅ Solution: Diagnose and Recover from Ranking Drops

1

Check if it's a Google algorithm update

Search "Google algorithm update [current month year]" to see if there was a recent update. If yes, check what it targeted and adjust accordingly.

2

Check Google Search Console for manual actions

Go to GSC → Security & Manual Actions → Manual Actions. If you see a penalty, follow Google's instructions to fix it.

3

Check for technical issues

In GSC, check Coverage/Pages for new errors. Make sure your site is still indexed, not blocked by robots.txt, and pages are still accessible.

4

Analyze what changed in the SERPs

Google your keyword and see who's now ranking. Did Google shift to preferring videos? Different content format? More authoritative sites? Adjust your strategy to match.

5

Refresh your content

Update the page with new information, better examples, current data, and republish. Google favors fresh, updated content.

⚙️

Technical Errors

Site speed, mobile issues, crawl errors, and technical problems

❌ Problem: My site is too slow (failing Core Web Vitals)

✅ Solution: Speed Up Your Site

1

Test your speed

Go to pagespeed.web.dev and test both mobile and desktop. Focus on mobile first.

2

Compress images

Images are usually the #1 cause of slow pages. Use TinyPNG.com to compress, or convert to WebP format. Never upload images larger than 200KB for web use.

3

Install a caching plugin (WordPress)

Install WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or WP Super Cache. Enable page caching and browser caching. This alone can cut load time by 50%.

4

Minimize CSS and JavaScript

Use a plugin like Autoptimize (WordPress) or enable minification in your caching plugin. This combines and shrinks code files.

5

Upgrade your hosting if needed

If you're on cheap shared hosting ($3/month plans), your server response time will be slow. Upgrade to better shared hosting ($10-20/month) or managed WordPress hosting.

❌ Problem: Google says my site isn't mobile-friendly

✅ Solution: Fix Mobile-Friendliness

1

Test your mobile-friendliness

Go to search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly and enter your URL

2

Switch to a responsive theme

If you're using an old theme, upgrade to a modern responsive theme. Most themes built after 2018 are automatically mobile-responsive.

3

Fix common mobile issues

• Make text at least 16px font size
• Make buttons and links large enough to tap (minimum 48x48px)
• Remove horizontal scrolling
• Don't use Flash or other unsupported plugins

4

Test on a real phone

Pull up your site on your actual phone. Can you read the text? Are buttons easy to tap? If not, fix it.

📊

No Traffic / Low Traffic

Your site is getting very few visitors from search

❌ Problem: My site gets almost no organic traffic

🔎 Diagnostic Questions

● Is your site new (less than 6 months old)?

● Are your pages actually indexed? (Check in GSC)

● Are you targeting keywords that people actually search?

✅ Solution: Build Traffic from Zero

1

Target low-competition, long-tail keywords

Don't target "marketing" (impossible). Target "email marketing for real estate agents" (possible). Start with 50-500 search volume keywords.

2

Publish 10-20 optimized articles

You need content volume. One page won't bring traffic. Create 10-20 solid, optimized pages targeting different keywords. Then wait 3-6 months.

3

Build 5-10 backlinks

New sites need external validation. Write guest posts, get featured on resource pages, or use HARO to earn a few quality backlinks.

4

Be patient and consistent

SEO takes time. Most sites see little traffic in months 1-3, slow growth in months 4-6, and exponential growth after month 6-12. Keep publishing.

✍️

Content Not Performing

Your content exists but isn't ranking or getting engagement

❌ Problem: My content is high quality but still not ranking

✅ Solution: Diagnose Content Issues

1

Check search intent match

Google your keyword. Are the top results the same format as yours? If they're all lists and you wrote a guide, that's a mismatch. Reformat to match intent.

2

Check keyword optimization

Is your target keyword in:
• Title tag? (Yes/No)
• H1? (Yes/No)
• First 100 words? (Yes/No)
• At least one H2? (Yes/No)
If you answered no to any, fix it.

3

Analyze content depth vs competitors

Is your content as comprehensive as the top 5 results? If they cover 10 subtopics and you cover 5, expand your content.

4

Build backlinks to the page

Even perfect content won't rank without authority. Get 3-5 backlinks from relevant sites to boost this page specifically.

🔧

Tool Setup Issues

Problems setting up Google Search Console, Analytics, or other tools

❌ Problem: Can't verify my site in Google Search Console

✅ Solution: Verify Your Site in GSC

1

Choose the HTML tag method (easiest)

In GSC, choose "HTML tag" verification. Copy the meta tag they give you.

2

Add the tag to your site's <head> section

WordPress with Yoast SEO: Go to SEO → General → Webmaster Tools → Paste the code

WordPress manually: Appearance → Theme Editor → header.php → Paste before </head>

Other platforms: Find your theme settings or HTML head section

3

Click "Verify" in GSC

After adding the tag, go back to Google Search Console and click "Verify." If it fails, wait 10 minutes and try again (caching delay).

"I'm Stuck" → Here's How to Fix It

What's your problem?

Pages Not Showing in Google

❌ Problem: My page isn't showing up in Google at all

✅ Solution: Force Google to Index Your Page

❌ Problem: Google Search Console says "Discovered - currently not indexed"

✅ Solution: Improve the Page to Get Indexed

Not Ranking / Dropped in Rankings

❌ Problem: My page is indexed but ranking on page 5+

✅ Solution: Optimize for Better Rankings

❌ Problem: My rankings suddenly dropped

✅ Solution: Diagnose and Recover from Ranking Drops

Technical Errors

❌ Problem: My site is too slow (failing Core Web Vitals)

✅ Solution: Speed Up Your Site

❌ Problem: Google says my site isn't mobile-friendly

✅ Solution: Fix Mobile-Friendliness

No Traffic / Low Traffic

❌ Problem: My site gets almost no organic traffic

✅ Solution: Build Traffic from Zero

Content Not Performing

❌ Problem: My content is high quality but still not ranking

✅ Solution: Diagnose Content Issues

Tool Setup Issues

❌ Problem: Can't verify my site in Google Search Console

✅ Solution: Verify Your Site in GSC

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