Why your content doesn’t rank: 14 issues (and the exact fixes)

If you’re publishing consistently but your pages still don’t show up (or sit buried on page 3), it’s rarely because you “need more blogs”. At Totally Digital, we usually find the same pattern: the content looks fine on the surface, but it’s missing the ranking signals Google actually rewards, or it’s being held back by technical, structural, or intent mismatches.

Below are 14 common reasons content doesn’t rank, plus the exact fixes you can action today.

1) The search intent doesn’t match (you wrote the wrong type of page)

What it looks like

• You are focusing on one keyword, but instead of articles, Google ranks other product pages, category pages, or tools.
• You receive tons of impressions, but don’t get clicks and have poor dwell time.

Exact fix

• Look up the target keyword and analyze the top results to see if they are guides, lists, comparisons, categories, products, local, or video.
• Rebuild your page to align with the prevailing format and angle.
• Include a “quick answer” section within the first 100 to 150 words that directly answers the question.
• You target a keyword that is too broad (and you can’t win it yet)

2) You’re targeting a keyword that’s too broad (and you can’t win it yet)

What it looks like

• Keywords like, “SEO”, “credit control”, “debt collection”, “accounting”, etc.
• You are up against competitors with enormous brands, Wikipedia-style pages, and authoritative sites.
  
  

Exact fix

• Go long tail and include some qualifiers like UK, 2026, cost, checklist, for SMEs, for landlords, for solicitors, template, examples.
• Build a cluster: one pillar page plus 6 to 12 supporting pages to create topical depth.
  
  

3) Your page has no clear primary keyword focus

What it looks like

• The page trying to rank for 6 topics at one time.
• Headings are too vague, and the page does not have a clear “aboutness”
  
  

Exact fix

• Pick one primary query and define 3 to 6 secondary queries.Suggest a title that incorporates the main query organically
• Align the H1 with the title’s objective
• Use H2s to address the other secondary queries (not miscellaneous subtopics)

4) The title tag isn’t competitive (CTR is killing you)

What it looks like

• Average position is okay, but clicks are low.
  
  
• The title is generic (“Complete Guide”, “Everything You Need to Know”) with no differentiator.
  
  

Exact fix

• Add a specific hook: number, timeframe, UK angle, outcome, or comparison.
  
  
• Use this structure:
  Primary keyword + outcome + qualifier
  Example: “Content audit checklist (UK): 17 checks to recover rankings in 30 days”
  
  

5) The first screen doesn’t answer the query fast enough

What it looks like

• Long intros, waffle, lots of “what we’ll cover”.
• Users bounce quickly.

Exact fix

• Put the answer first:
• 1 to 2 sentence definition
• Bullet summary of what to do
• Then the deeper explanation
• Add a mini contents list (especially for long articles).
  
  

6) Your content is thin compared to what already ranks

What it looks like

• Competitors cover subtopics you missed.
• Your page lacks examples, steps, templates, or specifics.
  
  

Exact fix

• Take the top 5 ranking pages and build a “missing coverage” list:
• Questions they answer that you don’t
• Steps they include that you don’t
• Proof they show (screenshots, data, case studies)
• Add the missing sections, then update your publish date only if changes are substantial.

7) You’re cannibalising yourself (multiple pages compete for the same keyword)

What it looks like

• Rankings bounce between 2 to 3 URLs.
• Google picks the wrong page to rank.
• Internal links are inconsistent.
  
  

Exact fix

• Choose a “main” page for the query.
• Then, either:
• Combine overlapping pages into one and 301 the others, or
• Rearrange each page to serve a different, distinct purpose
• Revise internal links so they consistently point to the chosen main page with appropriate anchor text.
  
  

8) Internal linking is weak (Google can’t see the page as important)

What it looks like

• The page is linked only from the blog feed.
• It’s more than 3 clicks from the homepage.
• It’s lacking relevant internal links.
  
  

Exact fix

• Add 5 to 10 internal links to the page from:
• Your pillar pages (home, services, top posts)
• Related cluster pages
• Add contextual anchors (not “click here”) that reflect the query.
  
  

9) External authority signals are missing (your site lacks topical trust)

What it looks like

• What it looks like
• Good content is being hidden behind higher authority domains.
• Your topical area has few quality referring domains.

Exact fix

• Construct links that are specific to each topic:
• Digital PR angles (data led posts)
• Links to partners (suppliers, associations, clients, as applicable)
• Guest posts on pertinent publications in the UK
• Links to your pillar pages take priority
  
  

10) Your page is indexed, but not ranking (quality or usefulness signals are weak)

What it looks like

• There are impressions in Search Console, but the positions are low.
• Google may crawl it but may not show it in search results.
  
  

Exact fix

Improve \”helpfulness\” quickly:

• Include more of an expert angle (first hand experience, detailed processes, templates, etc.)
• Include “how to” steps and accompanying decision frameworks.
• Add short summaries and actionable checklists.
• Remove fluff and repeated content.

11) You’ve got technical blockers (noindex, canonicals, robots, JS rendering)

What it looks like

• Crawled currently not indexed”
• Canonical points elsewhere.
• Page is blocked by robots or requires heavy JS to render content.
  
  

Exact fix

Run URL Inspection in Search Console.

Confirm “Indexing allowed”

Confirm the canonical is self referential (unless there’s a valid reason)

View source.

Ensure main content is present in HTML (not only injected late by JS)

Fix issues at the template level first, then request reindexing.

12) Your structured data is missing or incorrect

What it looks like

• Competitors win rich results (FAQs, HowTo, reviews) and push you down.
• Your snippet looks bland.

Exact fix

Only add structured data that is valid for the page type.

Article, FAQ (only if FAQs are present), Breadcrumb, Organisation

Validate in the Rich Results Test and fix warnings that affect eligibility.

13) Page experience is hurting you (speed, mobile UX, intrusive elements)

What it looks like

• Page loads slowly, shifts in layout, popups obstructing, pages jumping around.
• Mobile’s interaction is far worse than that of the desktop.
  
  

Exact fix

• Intrusive popups (especially at the entry) should be removed or delayed.
• Images should be compressed and resized.
• Third party scripts on templates should be reduced.
• Enhance navigation with a sticky table of contents.
  
  

14) You don’t have enough topical coverage (Google doesn’t see you as “the answer”)

What it looks like

• There is one lonely article on a subject.
• Competitors have a whole ecosystem with in depth guides, comparison tables, tools, and FAQs.
  
  

Exact fix

• Create a topic map:
• 1 pillar page
• 6 to 12 supporting pages (FAQs, comparison tables, templates, case studies)
• 1 to 2 linkable assets (original data, a calculator, stats summaries)
• Make sure to interlink everything tightly.
  
  

The most useful table: diagnose fast and pick the right fix

Issue	Quick test	Exact fix
Intent mismatch	What page types rank in top 10?	Rebuild to match dominant format and angle
Keyword too broad	Are top results mega brands?	Target long tail modifiers plus build a cluster
No clear focus	Does the page answer 1 main query?	Choose 1 primary query plus align title, H1, H2s
Low CTR	Position stable but clicks low	Rewrite title and meta for specificity and differentiation
Weak intro	High bounce, low engagement	Put the answer in first 100 to 150 words
Thin content	Competitors cover more	Add missing sections, steps, examples, templates
Cannibalisation	2 to 3 URLs swap rankings	Merge or reposition plus fix internal linking
Weak internal links	Few contextual links in	Add 5 to 10 relevant internal links from strong pages
Low authority	You lose to stronger domains	Build links to pillar pages in the topic
Indexed but invisible	Impressions with poor positions	Add usefulness: frameworks, steps, expert angle
Technical blockers	GSC shows exclusions	Fix noindex, canonicals, robots, JS rendering
Missing schema	Competitors show rich results	Add valid schema and validate
Poor UX or speed	Mobile underperforms	Remove intrusive elements plus reduce weight and scripts
No topical depth	Only 1 post on topic	Create hub plus interlink cluster

What to do today (a practical 90 minute fix sprint)

1. There are a lot of steps that need to happen to optimize a page so that it may start to rank, so let’s break down the steps to optimize the page.
2. Optimizing a page so that it may rank begins with the Search Console, picking the page with the most business value, inspecting the URL to see if it is indexable, checking that the canonical is correct, and checking page intent in the SERP.
3. After performing these steps, you can begin to analyze the top 10 results to see if there are common formats, screen angles, and how they respond to top screen content.
4. Then you can break down the first screen that you are rewriting and screen content adding a direct answer and steps to a list for the process. If there are additional sections that are missing, they need to be added.
5. continued competitor coverage gaps allow you to add internal pages and missing sections to a better content page.
6. A title tag can be updated in the search console explaining the process of deleting content and moving it.
7. 
   
   

The bottom line

In the post steps, update it so that there are less than 100 added pages, and you will see the content optimize and start to rank so that Google can see that it is a top answer to the page.

The ending point would be to continuously build content and optimize it so that it can answer the post question.

The main point is that it takes a lot of action and steps to build rank content.