You launched a website. You posted some blogs. You waited… and waited…
But your site is buried on page 7 of Google where no one ever goes (except maybe your mum).
So, what gives?
SEO can feel like black magic, but it’s not. Most of the time, poor rankings come down to a few common (and fixable) issues.
Here’s a straight-talking SEO checklist to get your site seen, clicked, and converting.
✅ 1. You’re Not Targeting the Right Keywords
Problem: You’re either not using keywords, or you’re using ones that are way too competitive.
Fix it:
Use tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner to find low-to-medium competition keywords that real people are actually searching.
Focus on long-tail keywords like “Melbourne wedding photographer prices” instead of just “photographer”.
Pro Tip: Each page on your site should target one main keyword.
✅ 2. Your Site Is Slower Than a Snail on a Sunday
Problem: If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, people bounce—and Google notices.
Fix it:
Compress images using TinyPNG
Use caching and a CDN (like Cloudflare)
Consider upgrading your hosting plan
Test your speed: PageSpeed Insights
✅ 3. Your Site Isn’t Mobile-Friendly
Problem: Over 60% of users are on mobile. If your site’s a hot mess on phones, Google penalises it.
Fix it:
Use responsive design (your site should adapt to all screen sizes)
Test on different devices
Run it through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
✅ 4. Your On-Page SEO is Missing in Action
Problem: Google’s bots need help understanding your content. If your pages don’t include basic SEO elements, they won’t rank.
Fix it:
Use your main keyword in the:
Page title
URL
H1 heading
First 100 words
Image alt text
Meta description
Break content into scannable sections with H2s and bullet points
Example: Instead of/services
use/melbourne-digital-marketing-services
✅ 5. You Don’t Have Enough (Quality) Content
Problem: Thin content = low value in Google’s eyes. If your site is a few bland pages with no blog or updates, you’re toast.
Fix it:
Add a blog and post regularly (1–4 times a month)
Write detailed, helpful articles answering questions your audience is Googling
Avoid fluff — aim for 900–1,500 words of quality content per post
Bonus: Internal links to other pages on your site boost SEO.
✅ 6. You’ve Got Technical Issues Holding You Back
Problem: Crawl errors, broken links, duplicate pages — all of these confuse search engines.
Fix it:
Set up Google Search Console to monitor indexing and errors
Submit an XML sitemap
Fix 404 errors and redirects
Use an SEO plugin like Yoast or RankMath (if you’re on WordPress)
✅ 7. You’re Not Building Backlinks
Problem: Without other reputable websites linking to yours, Google sees you as a nobody.
Fix it:
Write guest blogs
List your business on directories (e.g., Yellow Pages, Hotfrog, Yelp)
Get featured in local or industry-specific media
Share content worth linking to (like case studies, how-tos, and stats)
✅ 8. You’re Ignoring Local SEO (If You’re a Local Biz)
Problem: If you’re a Melbourne-based tradie or cafe, showing up in local searches matters most.
Fix it:
Set up and optimise your Google Business Profile
Get Google reviews
Add your suburb and service area to your website copy and meta titles
Example: “Custom Cakes in Fitzroy | Order Online”
📈 Time to Climb the Rankings
SEO isn’t instant, but it’s absolutely worth it. Fix these issues and you’ll be on your way to climbing the Google ladder — without needing a PhD in algorithm science.
At Mushroom Cloud, we make SEO simple, human, and effective. Want us to audit your site for you?
No fluff. Just results.