Recently, I shared an article encouraging you to make sure you weren’t missing out. I suggested you have your website set up so that Google can recommend it more frequently in search results, helping you generate more sales and inquiries. In response to this article, a reader from Noosa asked how he could know if he was missing out or not. That’s a great question. I thought you might be wondering the same, and there are a few ways you can easily check, so let’s get into it.
How to know if you’re missing out
There are a few tests you can run to check if Google knows about, understands, and actively recommends your website instead of your competitors:
1. Google your website address
Open Google, enter your website address (including the http) and hit Enter. For Phancybox, I would search for https://phancybox.com.au/. What do you see? If you’re not appearing first in the list of pages, and dominating both the left and right-hand side of the page, then yes, you’re missing out. 
(Note that some browsers will send you to your website, instead of searching for results. If this happens, go back to Google, search for something random, and then use the top left search box to try again).
2. Google your business name
Open Google, enter your business name and hit Enter. Leave out any keywords or locations. While our company is legally registered as Phancybox Limited, I would just search for Phancybox. Now what do you see? If you’re not seeing the same – or slightly better – results as your initial search, then again, you’re missing out. 
3. Have you ever paid for SEO?
SEO can naturally improve organically over time, but have you ever paid for SEO-specific services? SEO doesn’t come by default with new websites either… So if you haven’t invested in SEO, there’s a high chance that yes, you’re missing out.
4. Have you paid for SEO in the past 12 months?
SEO is not a once-off task. Much like advertising, it only works for as long as you’re doing it. And like other forms of advertising, the goalpost is constantly shifting.
- Google’s rules change.
- Your competitors change.
- Your market changes.
- Your business changes.
Unless you’ve had your SEO updated recently to reflect these changes, then yes, you’re missing out.
4. Request a keyword check
Drop me a quick email, with the 10 keywords you think your website should be associated with in Google, and I’ll run them through our licensed software. I’ll send you a screengrab of the results (example below) so you can see exactly where you stand. Results on page one of Google will display a figure of 10 or less, with 1 being the first result, on the first page. If you’re coming in on page three or four, or nowhere at all, you’re missing out. 
What if you are missing out on Google referrals?
The bottom line is that if you’re not where you want to be, if you’re not receiving the calls, emails or sales, then yes, you probably are missing out. But the good news is that this represents plenty of opportunities for you to improve your website and business. Maybe it’s time to review your website, to have a fresh pair of expert SEO eyes give it a once over. You’ll be surprised how often it only takes a few hours of work to reach page one of Google. And it’s easy enough to find out – get in touch with Judy directly for a no-obligation clarity call.