[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Sometimes clients come to me with a very simple yet extremely important question: \u201cWhy isn\u2019t my website showing up in Google?\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n Recently, a client approached me starting exactly with this question. He was clearly disappointed and frustrated \u2013 his newly built website<\/strong>, created by another developer, was not appearing in search results. He immediately directed his accusations towards the person who built it.<\/p>\n Before drawing any conclusions, I asked him a few basic questions:<\/p>\n The answers were evasive.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when I started to explain: building a website, even a very aesthetic one, is only the beginning. Behind every site operates a complex mechanism, invisible at first glance \u2013 but one that determines whether the site ranks high in Google or gets lost among the crowd<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In this article, I will talk about what clients usually don\u2019t see during the site-building phase but which is crucial for its visibility. I will also explain why responsibility for these actions does not always rest with the designer \u2014 and why it is worth clearly defining expectations at the very start of the project.<\/p>\n In my conversation with the client, I started with the most important point: explaining the difference between building a website and ensuring its visibility online.<\/p>\n A website<\/strong> \u2013 just like a building \u2013 can be beautifully designed and solidly constructed. It can have all the necessary visible elements: logo, colours, images, texts. In practice, this means that merely having a website does not automatically guarantee its visibility on Google<\/strong>. Additional actions are required, which are often not discussed or, if mentioned, are not fully understood.<\/p>\n And this is where the most common misunderstandings begin.<\/p>\n Sometimes topics like SEO, meta tags, speed optimisation, or site indexing were indeed mentioned \u2014 but the client, unaware of the significance of these terms, failed to grasp their importance. It is also important to remember that the budget plays a huge role here. Yet we, as designers, are responsible for delivering the website itself \u2014 not for handling comprehensive marketing or SEO, unless explicitly agreed. Building a website and promoting it are two different worlds<\/strong>. They can be tackled together, but they can also be separated and assigned to different people or teams \u2014 depending on needs, budget, and priorities.<\/p>\n In the case of my client, neither side likely had bad intentions. When a website goes online, its mere presence does not guarantee good visibility. The essential elements influencing a site’s evaluation by search engines include:<\/p>\n Meta description is not a direct ranking factor but has significant indirect importance. And these are only the basic things that can \u2014 and should \u2014 be configured during website development. If these elements are not consciously planned and implemented, even the best-designed website will remain a lonely island in the middle of the ocean: it exists, but no one knows about it.<\/p>\n After explaining these basic elements, I clarified another important point: So I asked directly: had there been any discussion about SEO during the project briefing? The answer was: \u201cNo, we didn\u2019t talk about it.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Only then did the client realise that the developer he had judged so harshly probably just fulfilled the order placed: building the site<\/strong>, not providing a full SEO service<\/strong>.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s a crucial point: Each unaddressed issue is like an unfinished piece of a puzzle.<\/p>\n During our conversation, I highlighted another key point: A web designer, developer, or UX\/UI specialist may build the site. These tasks can be combined into one comprehensive service. Most importantly \u2014 this must be discussed clearly<\/strong> at the project planning stage.<\/p>\n Otherwise, the new site will be attractive, functional, and technically sound \u2014 but remain an invisible island in the ocean of the internet.<\/p>\n Any website will eventually be indexed. But the effectiveness of indexing, attractiveness in search results, and chances of being clicked<\/strong> \u2014 that’s a completely different story.<\/p>\n This is the story of meta titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, heading structures, loading speed, sitemaps, and many other elements that are invisible at first glance \u2014 but crucial for the website\u2019s success.<\/p>\n Therefore, when building a website, remember that aesthetics and functionality are only the beginning. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Publishing a website is only the first step.\n
Where website building ends, and real online life begins<\/h2>\n
But if we do not take care of the signposts leading to it \u2014 appropriate descriptions, structure, meta information \u2014 nobody will find it, except those who are given the exact address.<\/p>\n
They assumed they were \u201cstandard<\/em>\u201d or expected them to be done automatically \u2014 without a separate discussion, extra fees, or additional work.<\/p>\n
Many clients consciously or subconsciously avoid asking questions, fearing that every answer might incur additional costs. Some don\u2019t want to appear ignorant; others simply hope that \\”it will somehow work out\\”<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Moreover, ensuring online visibility is often the task of entirely different specialists: SEO experts, content marketers, technical administrators.<\/p>\n
There was simply a lack of thorough discussion, clarification, and awareness of how extensive and complex building an online presence can be.<\/p>\nWhat happens behind the scenes? Essential elements invisible at first glance<\/h2>\n
In fact, any website can eventually get indexed \u2014 as long as its link appears somewhere publicly, even on social media or another website.
But how quickly<\/strong> and at what position<\/strong> it appears in search results depends on entirely different factors.<\/p>\n\n
If well written, it increases the likelihood of a link being clicked, improving the CTR (click-through rate), which influences how the page is assessed by algorithms.
If missing, the search engine will randomly select a fragment of text \u2014 often an illogical or unclear one.
As a result, the site may appear less attractive in search results and be harder to notice.<\/p>\n\n
Without them, a site technically exists and may be indexed<\/strong>, but in practice, it remains almost invisible to search engines.
It is like standing somewhere in a vast desert, without any signposts, maps, or guiding lights.<\/p>\nA conversation that opens eyes<\/h2>\n
a web designer is not always responsible for all SEO activities.
Building the website is one task.
Preparing SEO content, technical optimisation, promotion, analytics \u2014 these are separate, additional areas, often handled by different people or teams.<\/p>\n
Was there a plan for preparing meta titles, meta descriptions, image optimisation, sitemap creation, submitting the site to Google Search Console?<\/p>\n
the fact that these topics were not addressed is not solely the developer\u2019s fault<\/strong>.
Often, clients \u2014 for various reasons \u2014 do not ask for details:<\/p>\n\n
Building a website and achieving visibility \u2014 two different realities<\/h2>\n
building a website and ensuring its visibility in Google are two different tasks.<\/p>\n
SEO tasks, content optimisation, results analysis, and promotion may be handled by different experts: SEO specialists, copywriters, marketers.<\/p>\n
But they can also be split, outsourced separately, depending on the client\u2019s needs, budget, and priorities.<\/p>\nFinal thoughts<\/h2>\n
As long as someone publicly shares its link, a search engine will find it sooner or later.<\/p>\n
Effective online presence is the result of conscious, strategic action \u2014 at many levels, often involving various specialists.<\/p>\n
\nIts visibility in search engines depends on many hidden factors that often remain overlooked.
\nBased on a real conversation with a client, this article explains why proper planning is essential \u2014 and how much happens behind the scenes of an effective website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[82,81],"class_list":["post-1421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media-en","tag-seo-en","tag-website-visibility"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pawelopitek.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}