SEO NO! Mistakes Newbies Make trying to get their website to rank on Google

Why This Matters

Let’s get this out in the open: the world’s greatest website means nothing if nobody can find it. I’ve lost count of the number of business owners who’ve poured their souls (and savings) into shiny new sites, only to watch them wallow on page seven of Google, gathering digital dust. First-page rankings aren’t about luck, dark arts, or picking the “right” builder. They’re about understanding what really works, and what absolutely doesn’t.

The real cost goes beyond invisible web pages. It’s wasted hours chasing the wrong fixes, pouring money into “SEO boosters” that do nothing but pad a guru’s wallet, or getting stuck in a redesign loop that never actually leads to more business. If I had a pound for every horror story I’ve heard, I’d probably still spend it optimising my own Squarespace demo site.

So, if you’re sick of shouting into the void and want your website to finally start earning its keep, let’s talk about the mistakes newbies (and more than a few veterans) keep making when it comes to getting found on Google. Learning from other people’s errors is cheaper, and far less painful, than making them all yourself.

Common Pitfalls

I’ve been helping clients with their online presence for longer than most social platforms have existed. Patterns emerge. Most “SEO disasters” I see come down to four classic blunders:

1. Blaming the Website Platform:
Everyone wants a scapegoat. If only you’d chosen WordPress instead of Wix, or custom code instead of Squarespace, you’d be basking in search traffic glory, right? Wrong.

2. The Shortcut Syndrome:
It’s tempting to buy links, copy-paste “guaranteed ranking” hacks, or fall for those promising overnight results. Spoiler: these nearly always backfire.

3. Ignoring the Flywheel:
SEO isn’t about heroic, one-off efforts, but steady, repeatable actions that build momentum. Newbies regularly underestimate just how much patience is required.

4. Chasing Trends, Not Building Assets:
Obsessing over this week’s viral keyword or TikTok tip might feel productive. In reality, it’s a treadmill. Long-term wins come from focus and consistency.

If any of these sound uncomfortably familiar, don’t panic. You’re not alone, and you can absolutely fix it. Here’s how.

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Stop Blaming Your Website Platform

“Is Squarespace killing my Google rankings?” I’ve fielded this exact question dozens of times, and each time the answer is the same: unless you’ve done something truly eccentric, your platform isn’t your enemy.

What’s more likely is that your competitor with the ugly Wix site is beating you because they’ve consistently invested in the right fundamentals. Google doesn’t care how your site was built so long as it meets their criteria: crawlable, loadable, and genuinely useful to the end user.

Practical Example:
A while back, I worked with a yoga studio owner tearing her hair out. She’d moved from Wix to WordPress based on a friend’s advice, thinking it’d fix her search woes. Three months (and a sleepy developer’s invoice) later, she’d lost her booking widget and was still invisible on Google. Turns out, neither platform was properly set up for her service area, nor did they answer the words her real customers were searching.

Step 2: Ditch the Dream of SEO Shortcuts

Every month, I see new clients waving receipts for “premium backlinks,” or proudly showing me their AI-written blog that churns out keyword-stuffed posts faster than you can say “penalty from Google.” Here’s the quiet truth: snake oil is alive and well.

You simply won’t outsmart the world’s largest search engine with a £50 gig on Fiverr, or by bolting 200 nonsense links to your shoe repair page. It might work for a week, but over time these tactics can get you dropped from the search results entirely.

Practical Example:
I once audited a local builder’s website whose nephew had “done the SEO” by buying hundreds of links from dubious overseas directories. Traffic spiked for a fortnight, then flatlined as Google flipped the switch and marked the site as spam. It took six months and a complete clean-up to recover.

Step 3: Understand and Commit to Your SEO Flywheel

Imagine trying to cycle up a steep hill while pausing every dozen pedals to switch bikes. Not the smartest way to travel. SEO works similarly. Momentum beats frantic stops and starts every time.

Think of it as a flywheel. Small, cumulative actions gather speed as you repeat them. The first turns are heavy, barely moving the needle, but eventually the whole engine hums with progress. Jim Collins made the concept famous in business strategy. It works for digital marketing, too.

How to Build Your SEO Flywheel:

• Audience First:
  Who are you trying to reach? Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s “People Also Ask” to discover what they’re genuinely searching for.
• Message Second:
  Can you solve their problem better than most? Your content should prove it.
• Consistent Publishing:
  Set a realistic schedule you can actually stick to. Weekly is great, fortnightly might be more sustainable, but “whenever inspiration strikes” is a non-starter.
• Feedback Loop:
  Review what worked (and what didn’t) using Google Search Console. Revise, improve, and double down on the pages that pull their weight.

Practical Example:
A tradesperson’s website I managed went from zero to steady local leads by following a regular cycle: answer the most common customer FAQs, improve a service page each month, and keep reviews and case studies ticking over.

Step 4: Ignore Trends. Build for Endurance.

From time to time, someone bursts in clutching a trend. This week it’s “voice search,” next week it’s “video snippets,” the week after, something about AI-generated everything. There’s always a trendy “SEO hack” in the wild.

Here’s the rub: trends come and go, but a website that reliably helps people will outlast them all. Chasing the new and shiny is exhausting and dilutes your results.

Practical Example:
I watched a consultancy rebuild their site three times in as many years, trying to keep up with the flavour of the moment. Their latest attempt, built around a “breakout” YouTube series, lost steam after two videos. They’d have been far better off focusing on their core services and building a strong local resource library.

Step 5: Harness Google Local Listings (and Actually Manage Them)

If your business sells to a local audience, your Google local listing is as important as your homepage. It’s that little box with a map and business info that pops up when someone searches for services near them.

Ignoring, half-filling, or letting your listing rot kills local SEO dead in the water.

How to Get This Right:

1. Open a free Google account (if you don’t already have one).
2. Visit Google Business Profile and fill out your details with absolute accuracy: name, address, phone, hours, website link.
3. Upload decent photos of your premises, your team, and your work. Dodgy stock images won’t build trust.
4. Encourage happy customers to leave honest reviews. Reply to every review, good or bad, to show that you care.
5. Update your info whenever things change. Nothing turns a customer off faster than showing up to a business that’s marked “open” online, only to find the shutters down.

Practical Example:
A family-run café in rural Wales got more bookings from their Google listing than their actual website because they kept it stocked with updated menus, cheerful photos, and prompt, friendly replies to reviews. They showed up reliably in “cafés near me” searches even when their main site was, frankly, a mess.

What Most People Miss

This is something people rarely say out loud: SEO doesn’t reward the cleverest trick or the person who spends the most money. It rewards consistency. The businesses outranking you on Google probably aren’t perfect; they’re just relentless. They stick with the basics. They answer more useful questions, review their stats more often, and never stop tweaking and improving.

No need to invent the next SEO flavour of the month. Just be a little bit better, more methodical, and a lot more patient than your rivals.

Mindset Shift:
Stop treating SEO as a project that you “finish.” It’s a business habit, like sweeping a shop floor. Show up, do the work, and watch the results compound.

The Bigger Picture

Here’s the honest truth: mastering basic SEO isn’t a one-time fix. It’s one of the best ways to future-proof your business.

When you finally escape the “platform blame” game and ignore the siren call of shortcuts, a few good things happen:

• You’re no longer stuck with software FOMO or constantly debating “should I switch platforms again?”
• Your site traffic reliably reflects your actual efforts, not the miracle hack you tried last month.
• New competitors can’t knock you out overnight since you’ve built real, lasting trust with both Google and your audience.
• You save a fortune, not just on dodgy SEO packages, but in wasted time you could be spending serving clients or having a life outside your inbox.

Imagine the headspace you reclaim when your website brings in business without you tweaking and panicking every week. That’s the long-term dividend of getting SEO right, even if you’re not a tech expert.

Wrap-Up

There’s no silver bullet to SEO, but there are plenty of common bullets-to-the-foot. If you remember one thing from today, let it be this: stop blaming your tools, ignore the so-called hacks, and focus on steady, relentless improvement. Your future self (and your future clients) will thank you.

To keep it simple:

• Pick a platform and learn to use its basic SEO tools.
• Say no to shortcuts and never, ever buy sketchy backlinks.
• Build your SEO flywheel with consistent, useful content.
• Ignore the trends that sap your time and energy. Stick to creating value.
• Manage your Google local listing like it matters, because it does.

Sweat these basics and you’ll outlast flashier competitors. No trickery required.

If you want more practical advice, not theory, come join us at Pixelhaze Academy. Membership is free, and the only thing we automate is bad SEO advice: https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

Bonus FAQ: Newbie SEO Edition

Q: Is my ranking ruined if I picked the “wrong” website platform?
A: Highly unlikely. Unless you’re blocking Googlebot or using Flash from 2004, you’re fine. Use your platform’s SEO controls and focus on content.

Q: Is there a safe shortcut that actually works?
A: Here’s the truth: real SEO shortcuts usually just mean answering questions better and more often than your competitors. That’s it.

Q: Can I do all this myself?
A: Absolutely. Start by publishing one new piece of genuinely helpful content per week, and you’re already ahead of 90% of businesses.

Q: What about Google’s algorithm changes?
A: They keep SEOs up at night but rarely affect well-maintained, user-friendly sites. If you’re not doing anything dodgy, you’ll be fine.

Pixelhaze Jargon Buster

• SEO: The ongoing process of making your website easier to find and more attractive to search engines.
• SERP: The souvenirs shelf of the internet; only the best-tended shops get a prime spot.
• Backlinks: Votes of confidence from other websites.
• Google Business Profile: Your business’s “Hello, we exist!” flag on Google Maps and search.
• Flywheel: A business habit that gets easier and more effective with every spin.

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