If you're a small business owner, you've probably spent a fair amount of time building and maintaining your website. But despite all your efforts, you might notice that it’s not ranking as high in search results as you'd like.
So, why isn’t your website ranking? More importantly, what can you do to fix it? The answer lies in Search Engine Optimisation (also known as SEO).
SEO can feel like a mystery at times, especially with so many factors influencing rankings.
In this blog, we'll dive into common reasons why small business websites struggle to rank higher and how you can fix them by integrating reviews and best practices for local SEO.
Local SEO is crucial for small businesses that want to show up in searches made by customers in their area. If you’re not optimising your site for local search, it’s unlikely you’ll rank well, especially when potential customers are searching for “best plumber near me” or “electrician in Auckland.”
Reviews play a massive role in how your business ranks in local search results. Google uses reviews not just to judge your reputation but also to determine relevance and trustworthiness.
If you don’t have enough reviews—or worse, you have a lot of negative reviews—it could be hurting your SEO.
Did you know that more than half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices? If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, Google may penalise it by ranking it lower, even if the rest of your site is perfect.
People expect websites to load quickly and display properly on their smartphones, so a poor mobile experience can drive potential customers away.
Content is king in SEO. If your website’s content is thin, outdated, or irrelevant to what your potential customers are searching for, it won’t help your rankings.
Google rewards websites that provide valuable, informative, and fresh content.
User experience (UX) is a critical factor in SEO.
If visitors land on your website and find it difficult to navigate, or if it takes too long to load, they’re likely to leave quickly. Google takes this into account and may lower your ranking as a result.
Integrating reviews and local SEO best practices doesn’t have to be difficult.
With betterbunch, you can automate the process of collecting customer feedback and reviews, which can directly boost your local search rankings. betterbunch also helps streamline your Google Business Profile management, ensuring that all the key elements of your local SEO strategy are working together to drive results.
By combining high-quality content, optimised website design, and an ongoing review strategy, you’ll be well on your way to improving your search ranking and attracting more customers to your business.
If your website isn’t ranking as high as you’d like, the solution likely lies in optimising for local SEO, improving your mobile experience, gathering more customer reviews, and ensuring your content is high-quality and relevant.
By integrating these elements, your small business can climb the ranks and become more visible to potential customers searching for your services.
Start making these changes today, and watch your website’s rankings improve! If you need help managing reviews and feedback, betterbunch is here to support you every step of the way.