SEO Consulting & Monthly Services

2025 Google Search: SEO Goodness – How Accordions Can Help You Rank Your Page (see below)

You know that feeling – you Google “best [your service] in Sheffield”, expecting to see it front and center, but instead, you’re buried under competitors you know aren’t half as good as you.

You tweak a few things, maybe throw in some keywords, but nothing changes.

Meanwhile, some other lot with a dodgy website that looks like it was made on Windows 98 is sitting pretty in first place, raking in the clicks, the calls, and the customers.

Proper frustrating, isn’t it? Like getting stuck behind a tractor on the Snake Pass when you’re already late. But here’s the thing – Google doesn’t care who’s the best. It cares who’s ticking the right SEO boxes.

Imagine instead: You search for your service, and bam – there you are, right at the top.

More traffic, more leads, and no more wondering why Steve down the road (who can’t even answer his phone half the time) is getting all the business.

Sound better? Then let’s talk about how to actually make it happen.

Why Your Website Isn’t Bringing in Customers (Even Though It Should Be)

Let me guess – you’ve got a great business, a solid website, maybe even some social media presence. But when you search for your own services on Google, it’s like playing a game of hide and seek (and you’re losing). Sound about right?

Here’s the thing – Google doesn’t care how hard you’ve worked on your website. It cares about relevance, trust, and authority. If your site isn’t flashing the right signals, it’s basically invisible.

But My Website Exists… Isn’t That Enough?

Short answer? Nope. Long answer? Google isn’t ranking sites based on effort. It ranks them based on whether they check the right boxes:

• Is your content actually useful? (Pages in the top 3 have 1,447 words on average – so if yours is just a couple of paragraphs, you’re not in the game.)
• Are you using the right keywords? (High-ranking pages hit a 1-2% keyword density – naturally, not by stuffing in awkward phrases like “best café Sheffield coffee good place best café.”)
• Is your site fast? (If it takes over 2.5 seconds to load, half your visitors bounce before even seeing it. You might as well put up a ‘Closed’ sign.)

Real Talk: You Might Be the Best… But No One Knows It

Take a Sheffield-based furniture maker. Gorgeous, handcrafted pieces. Zero website traffic. Why? They aren’t targeting buyer-specific searches like “bespoke oak tables Sheffield”. After tweaking their content strategy, organic sales could triple in six months.

Bottom line? SEO isn’t about hoping Google magically finds you – it’s about making it impossible for them to ignore you.

Next up: How much business are you actually losing to competitors? (Brace yourself.)

How Much Money Are You Handing to Competitors Without Realizing?

Ever watched someone else take credit for your work? That’s what happens when your less qualified competitors outrank you. People searching online aren’t just killing time – they’re ready to buy, book, or call.

• 75% of users never scroll past page one. (Be honest, when was the last time you clicked “Next Page” on Google?)
• Ranking second instead of first can halve your traffic. (Being almost first is like being almost famous. No one cares.)

Let’s Put Some Real Numbers on This

Say you’re a Sheffield plumber. You charge £150 per job. Your top competitor ranks above you and gets 20 more calls a month. That’s:

• 20 lost leads x £150 per job = £3,000 gone every month
• £36,000 lost per year – straight into your competitor’s pocket.

Now imagine a higher-ticket service. A Sheffield solicitor charging £1,200 per client saw case inquiries jump 36% after moving to the top three positions. That’s £51,840 in extra revenue – just from fixing their rankings.

Lesson? If you’re not ranking, you’re donating money to your competitors.

Next: What actually determines whether Google puts you on top?

Why Some Websites Rank While Others Stay Stuck on Page Two

Google doesn’t just roll dice to pick who ranks first. (Though, admit it, sometimes it feels that way.) It uses over 200 factors, but only a few truly move the needle.

1. Relevance: Are You Answering What People Are Actually Asking?

SEO isn’t about forcing in keywords – it’s about matching search intent. Think of it like this:

• Someone searching “emergency plumber Sheffield” doesn’t want a history of plumbing blog post. They want a big “CALL NOW” button and proof you’ll show up fast.
• Someone searching “best brunch in Sheffield” isn’t looking for your café’s mission statement. They want menus, reviews, and mouth-watering pictures.

Top-ranking pages typically answer at least 10 related user questions. If you’re not addressing them, someone else will.

2. Authority: Does Google Trust Your Site?

You know how celebrities get invited to exclusive events? Websites with high-quality backlinks get invited to Google’s top rankings.

• A mention from Sheffield City Council’s business directory? Gold.
• 100 links from “BestDiscountSEOTricks.biz”? Google sees it. Google judges you. Google penalizes you.

A local event venue hired an agency promising “10,000 backlinks in a month.” Their rankings skyrocketed – then plummeted overnight when Google caught on. Took them a year to recover. (Ouch.)

3. User Experience & Technical SEO: Can People Use Your Site Without Swearing?

Google loves sites that are fast, smooth, and secure. If your site is slow, clunky, or looks like it was built in 2005, say goodbye to rankings.

• Page speed: If your site loads in over 3 seconds, bounce rates jump 32%.
• Mobile optimization: Over 63% of searches happen on mobile. If your site doesn’t adapt, Google pushes you down.
• Security: If your site isn’t HTTPS-secured, some browsers literally warn users not to enter. That’s a one-way ticket to losing customers.

Next: Why do some SEO strategies actually work while others are just a waste of money?

What Separates Smart SEO from Wasting Money on False Promises?

SEO isn’t about doing everything – it’s about doing the right things consistently. There’s a massive difference between:

• Long-term growth – Building content, optimizing structure, earning authority
• Shortcuts that backfire – Buying fake links, keyword stuffing, hiring “SEO gurus” who promise page-one rankings in two weeks (biggest red flag ever).

Real-World Example: Smart SEO Pays Off

A Sheffield estate agency was burning £3,000/month on ads, hoping for leads. Then they switched gears:

• Published local-focused content (like “Sheffield house prices 2024” – which could get 10x more traffic than their home page)
• Improved site speed (cut load time from 4.2s to 1.3s – which boosted rankings within weeks)
• Earned high-quality backlinks (guest posts on local property blogs built credibility)

Result? Within 12 months, organic leads overtook paid ad conversions. And they saved £3,000 a month.

Right, let’s be honest – SEO might not be as exciting as a night out on West Street or as satisfying as a fresh pork sandwich from Beres, but when it’s done right, it works. We’ve covered why your website’s stuck in the Google equivalent of the Moor Market basement, why your competitors (even the ones who can’t run a till properly) keep landing the top spots, and most importantly, what to do about it.

Now, you’ve got two choices: Keep doing what you’ve been doing – hoping Google suddenly sees sense – or start playing the game properly. Because the businesses winning online aren’t just “lucky.” They’ve put the right pieces in place, and now they’re reaping the rewards – like getting to the front of the queue at Meadowhall on Black Friday without throwing elbows.

So, what’s it going to be? You, at the top of the search results, bringing in leads like a Tramlines headliner pulls a crowd? Or stuck watching your competitors mop up all the business, like Wednesday fans watching United nick another derby win? Your call.