Why Your Website Isn’t Getting Found (And How Simple SEO Fixes Change Everything)

Unlock the potential of your website by understanding SEO as a fundamental business tool that drives traffic and builds credibility.

A little about a lot: A brief introduction to SEO

A little about a lot: A brief introduction to SEO

Why This Matters

For most business owners, “SEO” sits on a to-do list somewhere between “replace the light bulbs” and “actually read the manual.” Yet it’s quietly shaping who finds your business and who wanders off to your competitors. If you’ve ever wondered why your meticulously crafted website attracts tumbleweeds instead of eager buyers, it’s probably not because your products are second-rate; more often, your website is hiding in plain sight. Search engines like Google and Bing decide what gets shown first. If your website isn’t prepared for their scrutiny, it ends up buried. This costs traffic, turns away real money, chips away at your credibility, and lets rivals scoop up customers who, two clicks earlier, had never heard of them either.

There’s also the ongoing drain of sunk time and energy. You update your site, rewrite your product pages, publish blog posts, and nothing changes. No spikes in enquiries, no new orders, only the quiet whirr of the fridge in your office. Good SEO fixes that, ensuring your hard work actually gets a return. It changes your website from a digital flyer languishing at the bottom of a drawer to the engine room of your marketing.

Common Pitfalls

There’s plenty of SEO misinformation floating around, much of it recycled from 2007 forum posts and snake oil salesmen. Here are the biggest sandtraps people still tumble into:

  • Keyword stuffing: Someone says “use keywords,” so people gleefully wedge the phrase “best vegan leather dog collar London” into every other sentence. The result? Google sees through it, your reader gives up halfway, and both leave unimpressed.
  • Buying backlinks: Dodgy emails promising “1000 high quality links for only £50” seem tempting. The reality: search engines view these tricks with all the affection of a parking warden at 4:55pm.
  • Chasing traffic over relevance: There’s a myth that more website visitors always equals more business. If your site ranks for “free recipes” when you actually sell kitchen appliances, you’ll get plenty of browsers and zero buyers.
  • Ignoring user experience: Loading times that would make a dial-up modem blush, navigation that leaves visitors stranded, endless pop-ups. None of this impresses Google, and customers defect in droves.
  • Neglecting content: Some hope they can skip useful articles and blog posts entirely, relying on a product page and a prayer. Without fresh, helpful content, you’re giving search engines nothing to work with.

If you recognise yourself in that list, don’t panic. SEO can be fixed, and quite often, simple, logical steps make all the difference instead of magic trinkets or dubious techniques.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Understand Why You Want to Rank

Start by clarifying what you need from SEO. Are you looking for more sales leads, increased bookings, more people through the door, or just a busier blog? Vague ambitions (“I want to be first on Google”) won’t help you set priorities.

Write down the real outcome you want. “I want more local customers booking appointments,” for instance, gives you focus. This shapes what sort of content you’ll produce, what keywords to target, and which visitors you want to attract.

Pixelhaze Tip: Be brutally honest. There’s no benefit in ranking first for “Victorian lamp post restoration” if that’s not your business. Write your purpose on a sticky note and keep it next to your workstation. If a keyword or blog idea doesn’t support your goal, scrap it.
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2. Choose the Right Keywords (And Use Them Wisely)

Keywords are the search terms people actually type into Google when looking for what you offer. But not all keywords are created equal; “shoes” is broad, “women’s red vegan ballet flats Bath” is specific (and more likely to bring customers looking to buy).

Use free tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, or even the auto-suggest in a search box, to see what people are searching for. Make a list of phrases that match your business and the questions your ideal customers ask.

Use these keywords sparingly:

  • Include the main term in your page title, introduction, and maybe one subheading.
  • Sprinkle related terms naturally in the text. If it feels like you’re forcing it, you probably are.

Pixelhaze Tip: If you read a blog post aloud and the keyword makes you cringe every time it pops up, strip it back. Content should sound like a conversation, not a broken record.
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3. Focus on Useful, Easy-to-Read Content

Search engines focus on providing the most relevant, helpful answers to a user’s query. That means your content, including blog posts, FAQs, and product descriptions, should answer real questions, offer clear information, and avoid jargon for the sake of it.

Step away from the urge to write for robots. If you’re a garden designer in Norwich, an article on “How to choose the right plants for small spaces” will help both Google and people looking to spruce up their balconies.

Break up text with headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points. Help readers scan quickly, answer their question, and find the next step.

Pixelhaze Tip: If you’re struggling for topics, start with your customer emails. Identify what people ask you repeatedly. Every genuine question is a potential article.
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Backlinks are links from other reputable websites back to yours. Think of them as word-of-mouth endorsements. High-quality links show search engines that others trust your site.

You can earn backlinks by:

  • Writing guest articles for related blogs (excluding dodgy “article farms”; use only genuine, relevant sites)
  • Partnering with local organisations or charities (such as event sponsorships or collaborations)
  • Creating genuinely useful resources that others want to reference (how-to guides, industry statistics, templates)

Never buy backlinks. Google’s algorithms are sophisticated and will detect anything suspicious.

Pixelhaze Tip: If you create something genuinely useful, email industry contacts or local business groups. Many have newsletters or resource pages that highlight good content.
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5. Improve Your User Experience

A slow, awkward website can quietly harm your business. Search engines track everything from load speed to mobile readability. Make your site easy to navigate, remove unnecessary popups, and check that your contact details are always within reach.

Testing tools like Google PageSpeed Insights will diagnose the worst offenders. On Squarespace, avoid sprawling image galleries on a single page and compress images before uploading.

Pixelhaze Tip: Ask a relative (ideally one who still types with one finger) to find a product or article on your site. If they get lost or give up, make navigation clearer.
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6. Monitor, Adjust, Repeat

SEO is an ongoing process. Search algorithms change, competitors improve, user interests shift. Every few months, review your analytics. Which pages are bringing traffic? Are you showing up for your preferred keywords? Did that blog post about signage regulations bring in more interest from local shops?

Pay attention to what works, and retire pages or strategies that didn’t get results.

Pixelhaze Tip: Don’t obsess over daily changes. Trends over weeks and months matter most. If a page is quietly climbing, give it a nudge. Add new content, improve readability, or answer more questions.
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What Most People Miss

SEO, at its core, is about making your website genuinely useful, fast, and easy to navigate rather than tricking Google. Search engines remain committed to relevance. When someone lands on your page for answers and leaves satisfied, that is success.

Many obsess over their place in the rankings and fiddle endlessly with titles and micro-changes. The most important part is building trust over time. Search engines want to recommend the sites that solve people’s problems. Your job is to be the best answer. The loudest or most technical site does not always win.

Many people also overlook the value of local SEO. For many businesses, especially on Squarespace, focusing on being the top resource in your region is more effective than chasing global rankings.

The Bigger Picture

SEO is a foundational investment for any business website and remains one of the most effective ways to prepare your site for the future. The benefits go further than an obvious bump in visitors. You will build credibility and customer trust as search engines recognize you. Your website will be easier to navigate, leading to increased enquiries and a reduction in support tickets.

You save time by attracting the right visitors from the start and preventing errors that could have been avoided. If you decide to expand, either by opening new locations or adding products, your site will already have the trust and structure to support growth.

The most important benefit is building a sustainable approach to marketing. Paid adverts can disappear overnight the second your budget dries up. Once SEO is established, it will continue working quietly and consistently in the background.

Wrap-Up

SEO doesn’t need to be a battle with buzzwords and black magic. It’s a toolkit that, used sensibly, lets genuine businesses reach people who are actively looking for their services. Prioritise clarity, create content that answers the questions your customers really have, and don’t be tempted by shortcuts promising quick wins.

If you’re after more practical, step-by-step guides and want to avoid the tumbleweed effect of an unseen website, join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

Jargon Buster

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): The art of tweaking your website so search engines show it higher in their results.
  • Keywords: The actual search terms people use when looking for information or services.
  • Backlinks: Other websites linking to yours. These act as a vote of credibility.
  • Keyword stuffing: Overloading a page with repeated keywords in a misguided attempt to improve rankings.
  • Black hat SEO: Tactics that try to cheat the search system; best avoided if you value your reputation and sleep.
  • Core Web Vitals: Google’s favourite set of website speed and usability scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I update my website’s content for SEO?
Fresh content is helpful, but quality matters more than frequency. Aim to update your blog or resources section at least every couple of months, addressing real questions or changes in your industry.

Can I use the same keywords on every page?
No. Each page should target its own unique keyword, relevant to its actual topic. Otherwise, pages end up competing against each other, which is not recommended.

Is it worth focusing on local SEO if my business can serve clients nationwide?
Almost always. Local traffic often converts better, and you face less competition. Once you dominate your area, you can branch out.

What’s the fastest way to get good backlinks?
There’s no shortcut. Focus on producing genuinely useful resources, collaborating with peers, and appearing on well-regarded industry websites. Avoid any paid link schemes.

Do I need to be technical to manage my website’s SEO?
You do not need an advanced technical background. Some tweaks are as simple as updating text and checking your site on a mobile device. There are guides, and professionals are available for more complicated tasks.

About the author:

William Hammond | Technical Director

Will keeps a close eye on the quality of Pixelhaze’s Squarespace templates and plugins. Since joining Pixelhaze, he’s mixed a love of coding with an eagerness to share what works, as well as what doesn’t, when it comes to getting found online.

Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

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