SEO: not even on the map

[Giles]

Im not sure if it’s because my site is only about 2 months old or I’m doing something wrong - or not enough - but I’m not showing up at all on Google search results.

I went through the first 7 or 8 pages and not a mention of my site. I figure I’d at least be listed way down.

I’ve got keywords for computer repair and computer service, got the Yoast SEO plugin, blog content(not much but some) and business directory listings and a few back links.

Could this be because my site is only about 2 months old? Any ideas why I’m not listing at all.

 

[Joep]

Care to share the URL?

 

[Joep]

NVM.
https://www.gtechnc.com

 

[Mick]

@Giles Have you asked Google to crawl your site?

 

[Giles]

@Giles Have you asked Google to crawl your site?

Yes, I did submit my sitemap to the Google search console.

It shows "success" with 11 valid pages and 0 errors.

 

[DataMedics]

You've got some major SEO mistakes destroying any chance of it coming up in SERPS.

For example, you need to look at your H1, H2, H3, etc. headers and make sure they're encasing your most relevant keywords and nothing else. You have your phone number right in your H1 tag, which is making Google think that's part of your homepage's company brand. That's gotta go. Your H1 on the homepage should only be the company name.

 

[Giles]

You've got some major SEO mistakes destroying any chance of it coming up in SERPS.

For example, you need to look at your H1, H2, H3, etc. headers and make sure they're encasing your most relevant keywords and nothing else. You have your phone number right in your H1 tag, which is making Google think that's part of your homepage's company brand. That's gotta go. Your H1 on the homepage should only be the company name.

Thanks for the recommendations. I probably need a better theme too. I really don't like that one, but it's more of a placeholder until I can get a better one.

 

[nerd2u]

What theme are you using for WordPress? Getting a good theme can make a big difference.

Some themes are a disaster in the back end and look like they are coded by a 5 year old which can also hurt as it slows load times.

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

 

[Giles]

What theme are you using for WordPress? Getting a good theme can make a big difference.

Some themes are a disaster in the back end and look like they are coded by a 5 year old which can also hurt as it slows load times.

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

Currently I'm using the Lightning theme. I found a couple of paid ones I'm interested in, but do you have any recommendations?

 

[Diggs]

I’m not showing up at all on Google search results.

What was your search term(s)? I see in my Google Search Console the most often used search term is "computer repair near me".

 

[Your PCMD]

What @DataMedics said and I will add that keywords do minimal to absolutely nothing now-a-days. All data is pulled from the content now (and has been for quite a while). Headers is where its at. For example, I searched one of your headers partially:

"Computer service in Franklin, NC"

There if you click on the first result under More Places, you do show up in the list. All this is pulled from the index page first then so on and so forth. It also helps to have a correct .htaccess file as well to direct the search engine crawlers. Have the file deny everything but relevant pages: index, page 1, page 2, etc. and deny image folders, css folders, etc. In SEO, less is more. The less time a crawler spends"crawling" your site the better the search results will be and the faster your site will climb the ladder, so-to-speak.

You need to redo your headers. And also note, that during a search for "computer repair, etc.", it will list company's in your location to those searching "in" your location in a radius of X miles.

Edit: No Google Analytics either. You need that as its a major help and advantage to you.

 

[Giles]

What was your search term(s)? I see in my Google Search Console the most often used search term is "computer repair near me".

Computer Repair Franklin, NC or Computer Service Franklin, NC

 

[Porthos]

Personally I am/have Computer Repair San Antonio and Iam in the top of the Little Google map that comes up in searches.
Disclaimer, I am NOT a SEO expert.

 

[Giles]

What @DataMedics said and I will add that keywords do minimal to absolutely nothing now-a-days. All data is pulled from the content now (and has been for quite a while). Headers is where its at. For example, I searched one of your headers partially:

"Computer service in Franklin, NC"

There if you click on the first result under More Places, you do show up in the list. All this is pulled from the index page first then so on and so forth. It also helps to have a correct .htaccess file as well to direct the search engine crawlers. Have the file deny everything but relevant pages: index, page 1, page 2, etc. and deny image folders, css folders, etc. In SEO, less is more. The less time a crawler spends"crawling" your site the better the search results will be and the faster your site will climb the ladder, so-to-speak.

You need to redo your headers. And also note, that during a search for "computer repair, etc.", it will list company's in your location to those searching "in" your location in a radius of X miles.

Edit: No Google Analytics either. You need that as its a major help and advantage to you.

Are my headers too wordy or what?

Also I do have Google analytics setup.

 

[Porthos]

Start asking for reviews and only ask those you feel will give you 5 stars. Some times you get those clients that you hope don't do reviews.

 

[Giles]

Start asking for reviews and only ask those you feel will give you 5 stars. Some times you get those clients that you hope don't do reviews.

You're exactly right. I've been getting a few of them lately!

 

[Your PCMD]

Also I do have Google analytics setup.

This is your script.

    <script type="text/javascript" data-cfasync="false">

        var mi_version = '7.7.1';
        var mi_track_user = true;
        var mi_no_track_reason = '';

        var disableStr = 'ga-disable-UA-142325093-1';

        /* Function to detect opted out users */
        function __gaTrackerIsOptedOut() {
            return document.cookie.indexOf(disableStr + '=true') > -1;
        }

        /* Disable tracking if the opt-out cookie exists. */
        if (__gaTrackerIsOptedOut()) {
            window[disableStr] = true;
        }

        /* Opt-out function */
        function __gaTrackerOptout() {
            document.cookie = disableStr + '=true; expires=Thu, 31 Dec 2099 23:59:59 UTC; path=/';
            window[disableStr] = true;
        }

        if (mi_track_user) {
            (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {
                i['GoogleAnalyticsObject'] = r;
                i[r] = i[r] || function() {
                    (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)
                }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();
                a = s.createElement(o),
                    m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];
                a.async = 1;
                a.src = g;
                m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)
            })(window, document, 'script', '//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js', '__gaTracker');

            __gaTracker('create', 'UA-142325093-1', 'auto');
            __gaTracker('set', 'forceSSL', true);
            __gaTracker('require', 'displayfeatures');
            __gaTracker('send', 'pageview');
        } else {
            console.log("");
            (function() {
                /* https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/ */
                var noopfn = function() {
                    return null;
                };
                var noopnullfn = function() {
                    return null;
                };
                var Tracker = function() {
                    return null;
                };
                var p = Tracker.prototype;
                p.get = noopfn;
                p.set = noopfn;
                p.send = noopfn;
                var __gaTracker = function() {
                    var len = arguments.length;
                    if (len === 0) {
                        return;
                    }
                    var f = arguments[len - 1];
                    if (typeof f !== 'object' || f === null || typeof f.hitCallback !== 'function') {
                        console.log('Not running function __gaTracker(' + arguments[0] + " ....) because you are not being tracked. " + mi_no_track_reason);
                        return;
                    }
                    try {
                        f.hitCallback();
                    } catch (ex) {

                    }
                };
                __gaTracker.create = function() {
                    return new Tracker();
                };
                __gaTracker.getByName = noopnullfn;
                __gaTracker.getAll = function() {
                    return [];
                };
                __gaTracker.remove = noopfn;
                window['__gaTracker'] = __gaTracker;
            })();
        }
    </script>

When all you need is:

<script>
  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
  })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

  ga('create', 'UA-142325093-1', 'auto');
  ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>

95% of your code is useless or not needed. Yoast puts an obnoxious amount of useless information in the header. Follow the KISS method. Where I am, my site shows up on the first page at the top on near every search criteria - for my location and I have minimal SEO that just works.

Also, do you have the google tracker html file on your site? Did you set up your Google My Business?

 

[Giles]

This is your script.

    <script type="text/javascript" data-cfasync="false">

        var mi_version = '7.7.1';
        var mi_track_user = true;
        var mi_no_track_reason = '';

        var disableStr = 'ga-disable-UA-142325093-1';

        /* Function to detect opted out users */
        function __gaTrackerIsOptedOut() {
            return document.cookie.indexOf(disableStr + '=true') > -1;
        }

        /* Disable tracking if the opt-out cookie exists. */
        if (__gaTrackerIsOptedOut()) {
            window[disableStr] = true;
        }

        /* Opt-out function */
        function __gaTrackerOptout() {
            document.cookie = disableStr + '=true; expires=Thu, 31 Dec 2099 23:59:59 UTC; path=/';
            window[disableStr] = true;
        }

        if (mi_track_user) {
            (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {
                i['GoogleAnalyticsObject'] = r;
                i[r] = i[r] || function() {
                    (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)
                }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();
                a = s.createElement(o),
                    m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];
                a.async = 1;
                a.src = g;
                m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)
            })(window, document, 'script', '//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js', '__gaTracker');

            __gaTracker('create', 'UA-142325093-1', 'auto');
            __gaTracker('set', 'forceSSL', true);
            __gaTracker('require', 'displayfeatures');
            __gaTracker('send', 'pageview');
        } else {
            console.log("");
            (function() {
                /* https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/ */
                var noopfn = function() {
                    return null;
                };
                var noopnullfn = function() {
                    return null;
                };
                var Tracker = function() {
                    return null;
                };
                var p = Tracker.prototype;
                p.get = noopfn;
                p.set = noopfn;
                p.send = noopfn;
                var __gaTracker = function() {
                    var len = arguments.length;
                    if (len === 0) {
                        return;
                    }
                    var f = arguments[len - 1];
                    if (typeof f !== 'object' || f === null || typeof f.hitCallback !== 'function') {
                        console.log('Not running function __gaTracker(' + arguments[0] + " ....) because you are not being tracked. " + mi_no_track_reason);
                        return;
                    }
                    try {
                        f.hitCallback();
                    } catch (ex) {

                    }
                };
                __gaTracker.create = function() {
                    return new Tracker();
                };
                __gaTracker.getByName = noopnullfn;
                __gaTracker.getAll = function() {
                    return [];
                };
                __gaTracker.remove = noopfn;
                window['__gaTracker'] = __gaTracker;
            })();
        }
    </script>

When all you need is:

<script>
  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
  })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

  ga('create', 'UA-142325093-1', 'auto');
  ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>

95% of your code is useless or not needed. Yoast puts an obnoxious amount of useless information in the header. Follow the KISS method. Where I am, my site shows up on the first page at the top on near every search criteria - for my location and I have minimal SEO that just works.

Also, do you have the google tracker html file on your site? Did you set up your Google My Business?

I'm not aware of the google tracker html file. I did, however, setup the Google My Business Account.

 

[Your PCMD]

I'm not aware of the google tracker html file. I did, however, setup the Google My Business Account.

For Google Analytics to work properly, you need the tracker file in your public_html folder. This is unique to your site when you setup Google Analytics.

 

[Giles]

For Google Analytics to work properly, you need the tracker file in your public_html folder. This is unique to your site when you setup Google Analytics.

That’s what I get for letting a Wordpress plug-in do the work