The REAL Reason You’re Not Ranking Higher in Google

Ahrefs

62,843 views • 2 years ago

Video Summary

If your pages aren't ranking highly, it's likely not because Google dislikes your site, but because the page doesn't deserve a top spot. This can stem from eligibility, content, or link issues, or a combination thereof. Eligibility factors include technical settings like "no-index" tags or robots.txt blocks, manual penalties, and crucially, time – many new pages take longer than a few months to rank.

Content issues are often the most challenging to diagnose because quality is subjective. However, search engines aim to provide the best information. To assess your content, consider if it matches the dominant search intent by analyzing what's already ranking for your target query. Also, evaluate if your content is fresh enough for the search, and if it's thorough and provides the most complete information or solution to the topic. This involves using tools to identify subtopics and manually reviewing top-ranking pages for inspiration, while also incorporating expertise and experience to build trust.

Finally, link authority is a major ranking signal. You need to assess if you're competing on a similar playing field as your rivals, considering page-level link authority, topical authority, and brand reputation. This involves comparing your domain and URL ratings against those of top-ranking pages. Additionally, examine the quantity and, more importantly, the quality of referring domains pointing to competing pages versus your own. If these aspects are lacking, you'll need to build quality backlinks to improve your chances.

Short Highlights

Pages fail to rank due to eligibility, content, or link issues, or a combination.
Eligibility can involve technical settings like "no-index" tags, penalties, or simply the time it takes for a page to gain traction.
Content quality is key; pages must match search intent, offer fresh information when relevant, and be thorough, expert, and experienced.
Link authority is crucial; compare your domain and URL ratings, and the quality of referring domains, to competitors.
To improve rankings, analyze data, think like searchers, make educated guesses, optimize, and track progress.

Key Details

Eligibility Issues [0:29]

Setting a page's meta-robots tag to "no-index" prevents it from ranking.
Blocking a page in the robots.txt file also makes it ineligible to rank.
Manual actions or other penalties can affect eligibility.
Time is a significant factor; only 22% of pages in a study ranked in the top 10 were created within one year.
If a page hasn't ranked in the top 10 within six months, it's advisable to allow more time before making significant changes.

This section focuses on technical and temporal barriers to ranking, emphasizing that a page might be fundamentally unable to rank if it's configured not to, or if it hasn't been given sufficient time to gain visibility.

The majority of pages are going to take quite a while to make its way up to the first page.

Content Issues [1:42]

Search engines aim to provide the best information and solutions for any given query.
A page must match the dominant search intent, which is the reason behind a searcher's query.
Observing top-ranking pages for a query reveals the dominant intent (e.g., list posts for "best mouse pad," e-commerce pages for "mouse pad").
If your page doesn't serve the dominant intent, you'll likely struggle to rank.
Freshness is crucial for certain queries, like "best headphones," where users expect current year information.
Content should be thorough, covering all vital points to serve the searcher's intent, not necessarily being the longest.
Using tools like Ahrefs' Content Gap and Keywords Explorer can help identify relevant subtopics and what top pages are discussing.
Manually reviewing top-ranking pages can provide inspiration for commonalities and important aspects to cover.
Incorporating expertise and experience, such as showing before/after results or personal anecdotes, builds reader trust and demonstrates knowledge.

This part delves into the critical role of content in SEO, stressing the need to align with user intent, provide up-to-date and comprehensive information, and demonstrate genuine expertise.

Search engines strive to provide the best information and solutions to Any Given query.

Link Authority Issues [8:28]

Backlinks remain a prominent Google ranking signal.
When assessing link issues, it's important to play within a similar playing field as competitors.
Three categories are considered for a similar playing field: page-level link authority, topical authority, and reputation.
Tools like Ahrefs' SERP Checker and Keywords Explorer can help assess competitors' link authority by looking at domain and URL ratings.
A high number of referring domains is often needed if top-ranking pages have many.
URL rating measures the quality of referring domains.
Low domain and URL ratings across the board suggest a potential opportunity if you can generate comparable or more referring domains.
Topical authority and brand reputation are harder to quantify but involve assessing if you're competing against niche or general authority sites.
Skimming domain names and looking at the DR (Domain Rating) column in tools can provide insights into a website's link authority and reputation.
Competing against highly authoritative sites like HGTV or Family Handyman requires significant effort and potentially outdoing them on links.
A basic link comparison involves analyzing the number of referring domains for top pages versus your own.
The quality of backlinks is more important than just the quantity; spammy or scraper sites provide little value.
Building quality referring domains is essential to be competitive from a link standpoint.

This section highlights the importance of backlinks and how to analyze a site's link profile in comparison to its competitors, focusing on both the quantity and quality of links.