# Website not ranking on Google? Here's why, and what we do about it Source: https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/not-ranking-on-google/ \+ Website problems When customers search for what you do, they should find you. We work out what is holding your site back, whether that is technical, content or authority, and fix it in order of impact. [Get your free audit](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/not-ranking-on-google/#booking) [See the work](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/case-studies/) ## How to tell you have this problem A quick way to check is to search for your main service and your town in a private browser window. - You don't appear on the first page for your main service in your area. - Competitors with a thinner offering show up above you. - Google Search Console shows few impressions, or pages marked as not indexed. - Nearly all your enquiries come from paid ads or referrals, and they stop when the ads do. - Organic traffic in your analytics is flat or falling year on year. ## What causes it No keyword focus. Pages written about the business rather than the words customers type into Google, so there is nothing clear for Google to match. Technical barriers. Pages blocked from indexing, broken redirects, duplicate pages, or a slow mobile site that is harder to crawl and rank. Thin content. One page trying to cover every service, or short pages that say little a customer couldn't find anywhere else. Little authority. Few reputable sites link to or mention yours, so Google has less reason to trust it over an established competitor. A neglected Google Business Profile. For local searches, an incomplete profile with few reviews keeps you out of the map results. ## What it costs you When you don't rank, every enquiry has to be paid for. Ads work, but the moment you stop paying, the leads stop too, and in competitive categories each click can be expensive. Organic search works differently. A page that ranks keeps bringing in people who are actively looking for what you sell, month after month, with no cost per click. And the longer a competitor holds those positions, the more reviews, links and history they build, and the more work it takes to pass them. ## How we fix it 1. Step 1 ### Audit what Google sees We crawl the site, check indexing in Search Console, and compare your pages with the ones that outrank you. This is where [technical SEO](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/services/search-engine-optimisation/technical-seo/) problems show up. 2. Step 2 ### Match each page to real searches We research the terms your customers actually use, give each page one clear topic, and rewrite titles, headings and content through [on-page SEO](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/services/search-engine-optimisation/on-page-seo/). 3. Step 3 ### Build local and off-site authority We tidy your Google Business Profile and directory listings with [local SEO](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/services/search-engine-optimisation/local-seo/), and earn links from relevant NZ sites through [link building](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/services/search-engine-optimisation/link-building/). 4. Step 4 ### Report on what moved Monthly reporting shows rankings, organic traffic and the enquiries that came from search, so you can see what our [SEO](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/services/search-engine-optimisation/) work is doing for the business. ## What you can check yourself 1. 1. Set up Google Search Console (it's free) and check the Pages report for anything marked as not indexed. 2. 2. Give every page a unique title tag that says what the page offers and where, such as "Roof repairs in Hamilton". 3. 3. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile: categories, service areas, hours and photos. 4. 4. Ask your most recent happy customers for a Google review. 5. 5. Fix broken links and pages that return a 404 error. \+ Case studies ## Real results Projects where we took on the same kind of problem. Each one links to the full case study. Real Estate · New Zealand ### [A T Realty Ray White: 155% more organic clicks](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/case-studies/at-realty-ray-white/) Sellers can now find the right local office in one click +155% Organic Clicks Read case study → Property Management · New Zealand ### [360 Property Management: an SEO-optimised rebuild replacing an outdated template](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/case-studies/360-property-management/) Built to climb out of page two and start winning landlord enquiries #1 Google rank Read case study → Manufacturing · Australia ### [Associated Plastics: 48 top-10 Google rankings](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/case-studies/associated-plastics/) Found for the fabrication services and plastic products Australian buyers search for +30% More organic search visits Read case study → Transport · New Zealand ### [Discount Taxis: top three on airport taxi searches](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/case-studies/discount-taxis-seo/) Fixed-fare airport runs now win the searches that book #1–3 Auckland Airport Taxi Searches Read case study → [See all case studies](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/case-studies/) ## What our clients say Real reviews from the businesses we have built, ranked and run campaigns for. 5.0 from 70+ reviews > “Our CPA dropped by 66% and lead quality increased 200-300%. Not only almost immediately, but consistent for the last few months.” Paul Zellman BDM, Austar Property Services Jaide Wooler Executive Assistant, Tom Rawson > We’ve been working with Jason from Lucid Media and couldn’t recommend him more. He’s been a fast communicator, proactive, and always willing to help. Jason goes above and beyond with providing recommendations and support. > > The websites he’s built and implemented for us have been excellent. He has captured our business perfectly and ensured that it is user friendly on both desktop/mobile. Fantastic service! Google review Terry Bradley Director, Precision Building Inspectors > Jason and his team have been fantastic to work with from the initial website design and with the ongoing maintenance. They built us a really professional and well-designed site that represents our business well and it has been great having their continued support. > > It is nice to know someone reliable can manage our website and make sure it stays ranking on Google. They are always responsive when we need updates or changes made, and their technical expertise gives us peace of mind. Google review > “I’ve had around 10 websites developed over the years, and Jason is by far the best web developer I’ve ever worked with.” Andrew Baker Owner, Electrical Plus Mitch Taylor Director, Horton Taylor > I have been working with Jason for a year now and he is absolutely brilliant, honest and reliable. His client first approach has meant his work is always on time and to a high standard. > > Most of all he actually gets the results he says he will. Google review Grace Zhang Sunshine Mortgages > Communication with him is always smooth and effortless. The website he created for me exceeded my expectations in every way. I’m genuinely impressed with both the design and the overall structure. > > I’m looking forward to seeing what else the website can bring to me. If you’re thinking about building a website, Jason is definitely the person to go to. Google review > “Absolutely great in delivering our e-commerce website. A great experience from start to finish, and even beyond.” Harry & Maria Owner, Pots of Joy Samir Khanna Director, Professional Financial > Working with Jason @ Lucid Media on our website was a great experience from start to finish. Jason brought our vision to life with creativity and professionalism; he understood what we were after, and this could be seen in the result. > > The design is clean and modern, and the functionality is exactly what we needed. Communication was smooth throughout the entire process, and deadlines were always met. Highly recommend to anyone looking for top-tier web design and development. Google review Alex Mayo Owner, Playceholdr > I had Lucid Media do some SEO work for us and I'm super impressed with the results. Jason also took the time to educate me deeply on the topic so I didn't feel like everything was smoke and mirrors like I have had with previous agencies. Google review Britta Friedrich Manager, MagicGerman > Working with Lucid Media was an excellent experience from start to finish. They took the time to thoroughly analyse our previous website, understand our product, and align with our company goals before creating a new, professional layout and copy. > > They truly went above and beyond, exceeding expectations at every step. I genuinely enjoyed the collaboration and look forward to working with them again in the future. Google review Melitta Adam Founder, Melitta Skin > I had a call with Jason and was so impressed by how in-depth it was. He really listened, understood where I’m at, and gave me a clear action plan that I can actually use. > > It was practical, straightforward, and made me feel confident moving forward with my ads. I couldn’t recommend working with him enough. Google review > “We wanted to bring our idea for an app to life. He turned our ideas into reality.” Alana Saunders Business Manager, A T Realty Andrew Harvey Director, AES Comp > Lucid Media provides great service, quickly establishing and refining our website. They are always available to us when we need changes made. > > Expert in SEO which is critical, our company now ranks at the top of Google searches, alongside our international suppliers but ahead of other agents around the world. We totally recommend Lucid as a highly competent and committed website developer and manager. Google review Ratu Tau Trekway Shuttle > We had previously used another digital company for our website and digital marketing… things went downhill quickly, and our business suffered badly. > > Within 30 minutes, we were on a Teams meeting discussing the problems we were facing. By 2am, Jason had sent us a detailed report… By 4pm, our Google Ads were back up and running. > > Everything was turned around in less than 24 hours… seeing results that quickly was honestly incredible. > > Jason and the team at Lucid Media have helped get our business back on solid ground… Young, full of energy, passionate, and genuinely driven to help businesses succeed. Google review Alex Fladgate Owner, JunkBoss > Jason created our JunkBoss company website from start to finish. He always responded immediately, shared great ideas, and the final site looks spectacular!! > > Highly recommend to anyone looking to get their website done. Google review > “They took the time to understand our vision and business needs, translating them into a stunning, user-friendly website.” Dev Dhingra CEO, Fundmaster Isaac Smith Managing Director, PSI > Communication was insanely good, the work Jason provided me with was on a new level and blew me away. If you’re looking for someone who will go above and beyond for you then he is your man. Google review Tyler Newman Tillen Finance > From the start, Jason has taken the time to understand my business properly rather than just pushing a generic marketing setup. We’ve built out a new website, landing pages, CRM integration, Google Ads and Meta campaigns, and the attention to detail across everything has been excellent. > > What stands out most is his responsiveness and willingness to adapt quickly. Any time we’ve needed changes or seen something in the data, he’s on it straight away and is always looking for ways to improve performance rather than just letting campaigns run. > > The key difference is that he genuinely feels invested in the success of the business, not just running ads in the background. Google review > “He was really acting in our best interests and went beyond what we were expecting him to achieve.” Brianna Hoy Managing Director, PplPeople Fiona Ashford Manager, Fee Funders > When the finance company I manage, Fee Funders, changed ownership, Lucid Media took over all aspects of our IT and technology, and the impact has been outstanding. Jason quickly learned our legacy systems, implemented critical changes during the transition, and then led the development of our new software platform and reporting systems. > > Jason is exceptional across all areas of technology, both front-end and back-end. He’s practical, solutions-focused, and genuinely understands business needs as well as the technical side. Google review Lynnae Sands Manager, Windsor Industries > Jason has been awesome to work with over the last few months. Whenever we've had any sort of issue with our website, he is extremely prompt in resolving it. Very professional and helpful, I highly recommend. Google review > “Jason is exceptional, excellent communications, a highly motivated individual. Such rare traits - very happy with his development work for us!” Eddie Director, PlastiCard Joel D'leema Director, TSB Living > Jason has been awesome in the work he has done for us. He is fast, very responsive and professional. Would highly recommend. Google review J-Tip It Google review > The team at Lucid Media have provided excellent service while recently coming in to help position J-Tip It to where they need to be! > > We are absolutely blown away with their quick responses, smooth customer service and their initiative to stay 10-steps ahead at all times. Results are immediate and the cost is undeniably justified. > > If you want to be in safe hands, choose Lucid! Google review > “The site looks clean, professional, and easy to use. He made the whole process super simple and stress-free.” Aidan Fraei Agent, Ray White ## Frequently asked questions Straight answers to what people ask us about this. If yours isn't here, ask it below. [Get your free audit](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/not-ranking-on-google/#booking) **How long does it take to rank on Google?** It depends on how competitive your search terms are and where your site starts from. Local terms with few strong competitors can move within a few months of focused work, while competitive national terms take longer. After the audit we give you a realistic view for your market rather than a promise. **Why isn't my website showing up on Google?** There are a few common reasons. Your site may not be indexed, which means Google doesn't know it exists. There may be technical issues blocking Google's crawler, thin content Google sees as low value, or you may be targeting terms that are too competitive for your site right now. An SEO audit finds which of these applies. **Do I need to pay for Google Ads to rank?** No. Paid ads and organic rankings are separate, and paying for ads doesn't improve your organic position. Many businesses run ads while their SEO builds, then rely on them less as organic traffic grows. **How much does SEO cost in New Zealand?** It depends on how competitive your market is, how much work the site needs and how quickly you want to grow. We don't sell fixed packages. We quote after a free audit, once we know what your site needs to compete. **Can I do SEO myself?** You can do the basics well: write useful pages, set clear title tags, keep your Google Business Profile complete and ask for reviews. Technical fixes, keyword strategy and link building take specialist tools and time, and that is usually where owners bring in help. **What is local SEO and do I need it?** Local SEO is about ranking for searches in your area, like "plumber Auckland" or "cafe Wellington". If you serve customers in a particular part of New Zealand, you need it. It is how you appear in the Google Maps results and local listings, which is where many local customers start their search. \+ Related ## Problems that often come with this one - [Losing to competitors online](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/losing-to-competitors/) Competitors show up first, look more credible, and win work that should be yours. - [No leads from your website](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/no-leads-from-website/) The site gets visitors, but the phone doesn't ring and the forms stay empty. - [Slow website](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/slow-website/) Pages take too long to load, and visitors leave before they see what you offer. [All website problems we fix](https://www.lucidmedia.co.nz/solutions/) ## Find out what's keeping you off the first page. Tell us about your site. We'll look at what is causing the problem and come back with a plain-English plan for fixing it. No obligation. Free consultation & quote Response within 24 hours No obligation to proceed [info@lucidmedia.co.nz](mailto:info@lucidmedia.co.nz) [+64 27 582 4369](tel:+64275824369)