why your blog post is indexed but not ranking (even in the top 20)

Great question—and you're not alone. This issue is **very common**, especially for new or low-authority blogs. Here's a breakdown of **why your blog post is indexed but not ranking (even in the top 20)** and what you can do to fix it:

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## 🚩 What's Actually Happening?

If your blog post shows up in Google **only when searched in double quotes**, that means:

✅ **It’s indexed** (Google knows the page exists)

❌ **It’s not considered relevant enough** for the search term in general results

This is called **"poor ranking or suppressed indexing."** The page is in Google's index, but Google isn't confident enough to show it for normal searches without an exact match.

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## 🔍 Top Reasons You're Not Ranking Yet (Despite Indexing)

### 1. **Low Domain Authority / Site Trust**

* If your domain is new or has low authority, Google gives your content *less weight*.

* Solution: Build **internal links** from older posts. Try to get **one or two backlinks** from niche-relevant blogs.

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### 2. **Not Matching Search Intent Properly**

* Google rewards content that exactly answers what users are **actually searching for**.

* Solution: Recheck your **title, meta description, and intro**. Does your post instantly show *"This is exactly what you're looking for"*?

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### 3. **Mobile Speed Score (65) Is Slowing You Down**

* Speed is a **ranking factor**, especially on mobile.

* Solution: Use lighter themes, optimize images (<50 KB), remove heavy plugins, and install a caching plugin like **WP Rocket or FlyingPress**.

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### 4. **Weak On-Page SEO**

* Maybe your target keyword is missing in key places.

* Solution: Make sure the **keyword is in**:

  * URL

  * Title (H1)

  * First 100 words

  * At least 2–3 subheadings

  * Meta description

  * Image ALT tags

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### 5. **You're Targeting a Competitive Keyword**

* If you're targeting something like “earn money online” without authority, you’ll be buried.

* Solution: Use **long-tail keywords** like:

  * *“how to earn money by writing articles in India as a student”*

  * *“writing websites that pay beginners instantly”*

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### 6. **No Click-Through or Dwell Time Yet**

* Google tracks how users behave on your page.

* If no one is clicking, or they bounce too fast, Google demotes the post.

* Solution:

  * Improve your **title to be more click-worthy**

  * Make your intro more engaging

  * Add a **table of contents** for quick navigation

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### 7. **No Internal or External Signals Yet**

* If your blog is brand new or has no links pointing to it, Google assumes it's not trustworthy *yet*.

* Solution:

  * Link to this post from 2–3 of your **existing blog posts**

  * Share it on **Reddit, Quora, or niche forums**

  * Add 1–2 **outbound links** to trusted websites (Google likes this)

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## ✅ How to Track if You’re Improving

* Use **Google Search Console** to:

  * Track impressions and average position

  * See **which queries** are triggering your post

  * Request indexing after on-page updates

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## 🛠️ TL;DR Fix Checklist:

| Task                                       | Done? |

| ------------------------------------------ | ----- |

| Improve mobile page speed (target 85+)     | ☐     |

| Add target keyword in all key places       | ☐     |

| Match search intent in title and intro     | ☐     |

| Use 1–2 internal and external links        | ☐     |

| Target long-tail variations                | ☐     |

| Re-share to social and link from old posts | ☐     |

| Track in Search Console                    | ☐     |

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