Why Your Blog Posts Aren't Ranking (And How to Fix It)

You've been publishing blog posts for months. Maybe years. But when you check Google Search Console, it's depressing - a trickle of impressions, barely any clicks, posts stuck on page five.

If your blog posts aren't ranking, it's almost always one of a few fixable problems. It's not because Google hates you. Here's what's actually going wrong - and how to fix each one.

Why blog posts aren't ranking: the most common cause

The most common reason is targeting keywords nobody searches for. You write about topics that seem interesting, but nobody is typing those words into Google.

Before writing anything, verify search demand. Use a keyword tool like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Ubersuggest. Check Google autocomplete - if Google suggests it, people search for it. Look for "People also ask" boxes in search results.

"My thoughts on content marketing" might be fun to write, but nobody searches for that. "How to create a content marketing strategy" gets thousands of monthly searches. Same topic, completely different potential.

Long-tail keywords are your friend

Don't chase only high-volume keywords. Long-tail keywords with 100-500 monthly searches are often perfect - less competition, clearer search intent, and easier to rank for. A post ranking #1 for a 200-search keyword brings more traffic than a post ranking nowhere for a 10,000-search keyword.

Your content doesn't match search intent

Someone searching "best project management tools" wants recommendations. Someone searching "what is project management" wants an explanation. Different intents need different formats.

Before writing, Google your target keyword and study the top results. Are they lists, guides, or product pages? How long are they? What topics do they cover? If everyone ranking for "best email tools" wrote listicles with 10+ options, your personal essay won't compete. Match the format Google has learned searchers want.

Common intent mismatches include writing an opinion piece when searchers want a how-to guide, writing a brief overview when competitors have comprehensive guides, or writing a single product review when searchers want comparisons. This isn't about copying - it's about understanding what searchers expect.

You're not placing keywords where they matter

Keywords aren't magic, but placement matters. Google needs signals to understand what your page is about. At minimum, your primary keyword needs to appear in these locations:

• The page title (H1)
• The first 100 words
• At least one H2 subheading
• The meta title and meta description
• The URL slug

You don't need the keyword in every paragraph. Once or twice per key location is enough. If it sounds awkward, rewrite it. Google understands variations - "writing blog posts" counts as well as "write blog posts."

Your content is too thin or lacks backlinks

Google wants to rank content that fully answers the searcher's question. If competitors wrote 2,000-word guides and you wrote 400 words, you're at a disadvantage. What counts as "thin" depends on the topic - simple questions might need 500 words, comprehensive how-tos need 1,500-2,500 words. Signs your content is too thin: a reader would need another site to fully understand the topic, or you've only covered the basics without the nuances. When you're writing blog posts that people actually read, depth comes from specifics.

Backlinks - links from other websites to your content - remain one of the strongest ranking factors. Without them, you're fighting uphill. There's no quick fix for earning backlinks, but some approaches work: create linkable content like original research, write timely takes on industry news, and build relationships with other bloggers. For newer sites, start with low-competition keywords where you can rank without many links, then target harder keywords as you build authority.

Technical problems and timing

Sometimes the problem isn't your content - it's your website. Check Google Search Console for slow page speed (5+ seconds hurts rankings), mobile-unfriendliness (most searches happen on phones), no HTTPS, indexing issues (pages blocked by robots.txt), and broken internal links. Fix red flags before worrying about content improvements.

Also consider timing. SEO isn't fast. A well-optimized post can take 3-6 months to reach its ranking potential. If you published something last month and it's not ranking, that might be fine. While waiting, add internal links from existing content to the new post, update it if you find improvements, and promote it to get initial traffic. Don't assume a post failed after a few weeks.

If you need help structuring content that ranks, see our guide on writing strong introductions.

How to diagnose your specific problem

Not sure what's wrong? Start with Google Search Console:

| Symptom | Likely Problem | |---------|----------------| | No impressions at all | Indexing issue or no search volume | | Impressions but no clicks | Meta title / description need work | | Clicks but high bounce | Content doesn't match intent | | Stuck on page 2-3 | Need more depth or backlinks |

Pick the most likely problem and fix that first. Don't try to overhaul everything at once. Small improvements compound - a post that moves from position 30 to position 15 is now in striking distance of page one. Keep iterating.