You've published great content but it's stuck on page 5. Sound familiar? Here are the 7 most common reasons content doesn't rank - and exactly how to fix each one.

1. No Topical Authority

The Problem:

You have one article about a topic while competitors have 50+ pages covering every angle. Google sees them as the authority, not you.

The Fix: Build comprehensive topical coverage. Don't write one article - write 10-20 articles covering all aspects of the topic.

How to do it: Generate a topical map to see all the subtopics you're missing. Then systematically fill the gaps.

2. Targeting Impossible Keywords

The Problem:

You're targeting keywords where the top 10 results are all DR 70+ sites with thousands of backlinks. A new or small site can't compete.

The Fix: Start with lower-competition keywords. Build authority with wins on easier keywords before going after competitive terms.

How to identify: Look for keywords where at least some page 1 results are from smaller sites (DR under 40). These are winnable.

3. Shallow Content

The Problem:

Your article is 800 words covering the basics while competitors have 3,000-word comprehensive guides. Google prefers depth.

The Fix: Make your content more comprehensive. Cover more angles, answer more questions, provide more examples.

How to improve: Use content briefs from your topical map to identify subtopics to add. Include FAQs, examples, case studies.

4. Poor Internal Linking

The Problem:

Your articles are orphans - they don't link to or from other relevant content on your site. Google can't understand your topic relationships.

The Fix: Build a cluster structure with intentional internal links between related content.

Internal linking rules:

- Every article links to at least 3-5 other relevant pages
- Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
- Cluster articles all link to their pillar page
- New content links to existing high-performing pages

5. Wrong Search Intent

The Problem:

You wrote an informational guide but the keyword has commercial intent. Or vice versa. Google shows content that matches what users want.

The Fix: Analyze the top 10 results for your keyword. What type of content is ranking? Match that format.

Intent types:

- Informational: "how to", "what is", "guide" → Educational content
- Commercial: "best", "review", "vs" → Comparison/list content
- Transactional: "buy", "pricing", "discount" → Product pages
- Navigational: Brand names → Brand pages

6. Technical Issues

The Problem:

Your content is great but technical issues prevent Google from crawling or indexing it properly.

Check these issues:

Indexing: Is the page in Google's index? Check with "site:yoururl.com/page"
Robots.txt: Are you accidentally blocking the page?
Page speed: Slow pages (3+ seconds) hurt rankings
Mobile: Is the page mobile-friendly?
Canonical: Is there a wrong canonical tag pointing elsewhere?

7. Not Enough Time

The Problem:

You published last week and wonder why you're not ranking. SEO takes time - typically 3-6 months minimum.

The Fix: Be patient. But also keep publishing. More content = more chances to rank = faster authority building.

Timeline expectations:

- Week 1-4: Google discovers and indexes content
- Month 1-3: Content may appear on page 3-10
- Month 3-6: Rankings improve as Google evaluates engagement
- Month 6+: Stable rankings if content performs well

The Fastest Fix: Build Topical Authority

The #1 reason content doesn't rank is lack of topical authority. Here's how to fix it:

Action Plan:

1. Generate a topical map for your main topic
2. Identify all the subtopics you haven't covered
3. Create a publishing plan to fill the gaps
4. Publish 2-4 new articles per week
5. Build internal links between related content
6. Update and improve existing content

Within 3-6 months of consistent publishing with a topical strategy, you'll see significant ranking improvements.

Find Your Content Gaps

Generate a topical map and see what you're missing