Why is my website not showing up on Google? 5 signs your website looks and feels broken.

I’m not just going to sit here and tell you to invest 8 weeks in learning and revamping your SEO, because that likely isn’t the only reason that your website isn’t showing up on Google. Nor is hiring an expensive SEO specialist who cannot guarantee your desired results anyway. 

Let’s be honest for a moment. You invested time, energy, and good money into your website. You launched it, shared the link, and then… nothing. It just sits there. It might look perfectly fine, but it doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t bring in clients, it doesn’t keep people for long, and it certainly doesn’t bring in many sales.  

If this sounds familiar, your website might just be an expensive online brochure.

Many passionate business owners have one. It’s a website that exists purely as a digital business card, a static placeholder that doesn’t really capture the authenticity of your unique brand. But your business deserves more. Your website should be your hardest-working team member, not a lazy liability, costing tons of money and time. So, how can you tell if your site is pulling its weight? Here are five signs that your web design is letting you down and it’s time for a change.

Sign 1: Your Contact Us Form is Gathering Dust

This is the most obvious sign of all. The entire purpose of your website, beyond looking good, is to generate business. If weeks go by without a single genuine enquiry, lead, or sale coming through, your site is not working. A great website doesn't just present information; it persuades and guides. Hence the importance of simple yet intuitive UX. It uses thoughtful web development to create a clear path for a visitor, leading them from “let’s take a look” to "I need to work with this person". If that path is broken or non-existent, your potential clients are simply wandering off.

Sign 2: Your Bounce Rate is Extremely High

"Bounce rate" is just a fancy word for people who visit one page of your site and leave immediately. Think about it: a potential client, your ideal customer, lands on your homepage… and their immediate reaction is to hit the "back" button. Ouch! 

A high bounce rate is a clear signal that your website fails to make a strong first impression. It might be visually unappealing, confusing to navigate, or it simply doesn't communicate what makes you special within those first crucial seconds. However the winner is something even more inconspicuous. The number one thing I see all the time which leads to extraordinary bounce rates: a website which doesn’t explicitly say what the business does within 3 seconds. The next time you find yourself on a website and you catch yourself thinking “What the hell does this company do?”, just know that their bounce rate must be sky high. 

An engaging, immersive website design, on the other hand, grabs attention instantly. It uses motion and interactivity to create intrigue, making visitors feel they’ve discovered something special and encouraging them to stay and explore.

Sign 3: You Constantly Say, "It Looks Better on a Computer"

In today's mobile society, this phrase is a death sentence for a business website. Over 60% of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Let that sink in, 60%... If your site is clunky, slow, or difficult to navigate on a phone, you are actively turning away the majority of your potential customers. A modern, professional website must provide a seamless experience on every device. A truly forward-thinking immersive website doesn't just shrink to fit a small screen; its design adapts to deliver an equally powerful and engaging experience, no matter the device.

Sign 4: Your Site Looks Like Others Your Competition

Take a moment and look at the websites of your five closest competitors. If you squint, could your website be mistaken for any of theirs? Worse yet, could you swap the logo out from their website with yours, and it looks the same? If the answer is yes (to either), you have fallen into the “Generic Trap". Your brand is unique, creative, and bold—so why does your website look like it came from a box? Using a basic template provided by Elementor, Squarespace, Webflow or Wix means you are blending in when you were born to stand out. An effective web design should be a creation, a one-of-a-kind digital masterpiece that perfectly reflects your brand's unique soul and personality. It should allow prospects to experience your product or service and speak to them in results (ultimately converting more, increasing sales). 

Sign 5: You Don’t Know if it’s Working

If I asked you, "What is the return on investment of your website?", would you have an answer? If you can’t confidently say that your website brings in 'X' amount of qualified leads or contributes to 'Y' amount in sales each month, then it isn't an asset; it's just an expense. A strategically designed website is a measurable tool. Its success can and should be tracked through analytics (whether that be the built in analytics from Wix, Squarespace or Google). It’s time to stop thinking of your website as a cost and start unlocking its full power to drive clicks, and conversions.

If any of these signs sound like your website, it’s not your fault. Designing and developing a website takes time, and skill, but frankly you should be focusing on growing your business, not making small tweaks to your websites’ design in the hopes that it magically brings in 20 new customers overnight. The good news is that it’s fixable.

If you’re ready to see how your website can transform from a static brochure into an absolute lead magnet, a great first step is understanding where exactly the problems lie. Go to our website and fill in our 2-minute form to book your FREE website audit. We’ll give you a clear, honest analysis of what’s working, what isn’t, and the opportunities you’re missing out on. Visit https://lychee-studios.com if you’re actually serious about growing your creative business.