You’re a small business owner who’s not a huge fan of social media, you’d rather be ranking on Google. So you’ve spent quite a lot on your website: professional photos, modern design that would make Apple jealous…
You’ve done all the right things to establish your online presence, but something’s not happening….
While you’re getting visitors, they’re not becoming your clients and you’re not sure what’s going on.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
I’ve audited so many service-based websites that look like they could get a design prize but performance-wise, it’s the opposite. The brutal truth? Pretty only doesn’t pay the bills.
Let’s dig into why your stunning website is not ranking on Google. And more importantly, how to change that with 7 simple SEO fixes so you can get found this month, without starting from scratch of course!
Here’s the map of the article:
- Why good design alone won’t get your website found on Google
- 7 common SEO mistakes stopping small businesses from ranking and the quick SEO fixes
- Start ranking and turning visitors into clients
Why good design alone won’t get your website found on Google
Your website can look amazing, but if people and Google can’t find it, it won’t bring you clients. All the fancy photos, colors, and fonts won’t help if your site isn’t set up to show up in search results.
Most small business owners focus on making their site look pretty, but forget the basics:
- using the words people actually type into Google (keywords),
- making sure your site loads fast (site speed, because people don’t like waiting, and Google penalizes a slow-loading site),
- works on mobile devices (mobile responsiveness, smartphones and tablets),
- and has clear, quality content that answers what people are looking for.
Your potential clients don’t care about how beautiful your site is, they simply care about finding a solution to their problems.
They want to know if your business can solve their problem, but if Google can’t show your site when they search, they’ll never even see your design anyway.
Being found on Google is all about making your site a functional business tool that actually brings in clients.
7 common SEO mistakes stopping small businesses from ranking and the quick SEO fixes
1) Your content doesn’t match what people actually search for
If your pages are full of jargon or vague statements, Google won’t know what you’re about, and neither will your clients.
Quick fix: Use keywords your clients actually type in.
Think like your ideal client: what would they Google to find your service? Sprinkle those terms naturally in headlines, page copy, and meta descriptions.
Tip: Think about how they’d talk about their problem to their best friend around a cup of coffee.
2) Your site loads slower than Google’s standards
People leave websites that take forever to load, and Google notices. Slow sites harm rankings and therefore don’t convert visitors into clients… since they leave before it even loads.
Quick fix: Compress images (lookup tinyjpg, it’s a free compression tool), ditch unnecessary plugins if you’re using wordpress, and choose a fast hosting provider (my personal favorite is Hostinger – affiliate link).
Test your speed with Google PageSpeed Insights and aim for under 3 seconds (and green everywhere).
3) You’re missing the technical SEO basics
No sitemap, missing alt tags, broken links. These are errors tell Google your site isn’t reliable.
Quick fix: Audit your site for technical issues. Add alt text to images, fix broken links, submit a sitemap to Google Search Console, and make sure your site is secure (HTTPS).
This might sound a bit technical but it’s not difficult. Book your free strategy call and I’ll show you exactly what to fix and where so you don’t have to guess.
4) Your content is not catchy or specific enough (or too fluffy)
Short, generic pages won’t rank and won’t convince clients. Google prefers detailed content that actually answers questions.
Quick fix: Make your pages longer and more specific with actionable tips, examples, and client-focused explanations. Educate your visitors while showing your expertise.
5) You have zero local SEO game
If clients can’t find your business locally, they’ll call your competitors.
Quick fix: Set up a Google Business Profile, make sure your name, address, and phone are consistent online, and get local citations or reviews.
Even if you’re working 100% online and remotely, a local page can’t harm. People from your area can always find you and recommend you, that’s still business coming to you.
6) Your website isn’t mobile-friendly
Most people browse on their phones, if your site looks wonky, they bounce fast (meaning they click away and resume browsing).
Quick fix: Use a responsive design, check all pages on mobile, simplify forms and make your buttons big enough for thumbs-only navigation.
7) You’re not building any authority/backlinks
Google ranks sites it trusts. No links pointing to your site = no trust.
Quick fix: Guest post, collaborate with other sites in your niche or niches that are complementary to what you do, and create shareable content. Every link from a relevant site boosts your credibility.
One copywriting fix that will indirectly improve your ranking
Show your homepage to anyone outside your industry for 5 seconds and ask:
- What do I do?
- Who do I help?
- How do they contact me?
If they can’t answer all three, your site + copy need work.
Start ranking and turning visitors into clients
Your website should work 24/7 (aka harder than you). Every element should guide visitors toward one goal: picking up the phone, filling out your contact form or booking online directly.
However, you don’t need to start over. Small, strategic changes to your copy and structure can turn your website into a client-generating machine that actually works for you 24/7.
By only optimizing headlines, meta data and a specific backlink strategy, I could get one of my clients from 5k to 9k impressions and ranking for 317 keywords, putting him at the top of page 1 and outranking competitors who had been in town for over a decade.
Ready to turn your website into a high-ranking client magnet?
I help small business owners have website that get them found and words that sell their offers like hot croissants, without relying on social media, without doing more marketing tasks. Just proven sales copywriting and SEO strategies that turn visitors into paying clients.
Book your free strategy call, I’ll personally review your site and show you the exact changes needed to start ranking and getting calls this month. No sales pitch, just actionable insights you can implement immediately.
Because life’s too busy for websites that look amazing but perform like they’re powered by a hamster running in a wheel.
See you soon,
Morgane
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