Website Not Appearing in SERPs

[amitsinghal22]

Hi,

I am doing SEO for a UK based Law site. When I search for it's some keywords, website is not even coming on 300 results. While pages are indexed in Google and showing while using site: command. Website is based on wordpress. Please help me to find out the reason.

[lucy24]

website is not even coming on 300 results. While pages are indexed

It’s hard to say this without sounding snarky, but ... the first explanation that comes to mind is that those 300 sites are more attractive than the one you’re working for. If there were some kind of manual penalty, you’d have been told about it.

[RedBar]

When I search for it's some keywords, website is not even coming on 300 results.

You do mean a unique phrase/sentence exclusive to the site and not a generic piece of law site text?

How long are we talking about, days/weeks/months

[amitsinghal22]

Hi lucy24,

the first explanation that comes to mind is that those 300 sites are more attractive than the one you’re working for.

I am agree with you, but the question is my website should be appear anywhere in the SERPs. Google index showing maximum 300 results. My search terms are generic : "Settlement agreement, unfair dismissal". When I am searching it on Google UK, I will be happy if it rank at least on 300th position , but it should appear on the SERPs.

There is no any "Manual Penalty" notification in Google Webmasters. However I lose 30% organic traffic after Google broad core update.

Note that, before core update also, website was not appearing in SERPs for targeted keywords.

[Wilburforce]

When I am searching it on Google UK

1. What is the site's TLD?
2. Where (which country) is the site's host and IP address?
3. Have you tried searching on google.com?
4. Have you tried searching through a VPN or proxy with an IP address located
a. in the UK?
b. elsewhere (e.g. USA)?
5. Have you tried location-specific searches (e.g. widgest-service manchester)?
6. Have you tried - from any location - searching for specific unique strings (with quotes) from any of the missing pages?

I ask because there was a Google geolocation glitch some years ago during which for a couple of months my .com site (which at the time was high in first page results for a very wide range of queries in my sector and #1 for my own widget-service keyphrase worldwide) did not appear in Google UK results at all. It was - at the time - #1 in USA results, but effectively de-indexed in the UK. This affected only a very small number of sites, primarily (but even then relatively few) sites with non .co.uk TLDs.

I'm not saying this is what is happening to your site now, but it would be worth ruling out possible geolocation issues before worrying about penalties or other possible explanations.

[RedBar]

My search terms are generic : "Settlement agreement, unfair dismissal". When I am searching it on Google UK <snip> but it should appear on the SERPs.

Not if it's a relatively new site, which you did not answer.

It can take months these days for a generic site to appear in Google and even then it may not, the site needs to be unique, it needs to be focused, it needs to be useful and it also needs a dollop of Google love and luck.

Mediocrity will get no one anywhere these days.

What is its USP? Uinque Selling Point?

Financial, family, divorce, litigation, conveyancing, location ... etc etc

[Wilburforce]

It can take months these days for a generic site to appear in Google

I agree. However, as I understand it the pages are indexed, which should mean a search for a unique page string (e.g. "you can find every variety of red widget on superwidgets.co.uk" with inverted commas) will appear in results, even if, for generic terms, they are not in the top 300.

Can we establish whether the pages are not showing in any kind of search (geolocation or other indexing-related or datacentre-related issue), or whether they are just not in the top 300 for generic searches (ranking issue)?

If the latter, it requires a lot of work and patience. If the former,

1. It may right itself or
2. Some specific action - changing TLD or target country in GSC or moving server location - might fix it.