Why Most Online Shops Fail to Show Up on Google
I’ve sat down with dozens of business owners from Chermside to Logan who have spent thousands building a beautiful online shop, only to find that nobody is visiting it. It’s like opening a high-end boutique in a back alley in Fortitude Valley and wondering why there’s no foot traffic.
Most people think that just by having a website, Google will automatically send customers your way. That’s rubbish. If you want to stop paying through the nose for Facebook or Google Ads, you need to make sure your shop is designed to be found.
This isn't about fancy tech tricks. It’s about being the most helpful, clear, and trustworthy option for a customer who is ready to buy. When you get this right, you get free traffic that actually converts into money in the bank.
The Real Cost of Being Invisible
If you aren't appearing when someone searches for what you sell, you are basically handing your customers over to your competitors. Every day you wait to fix your shop’s visibility is a day you’re losing money.
I’ve seen Brisbane businesses double their monthly revenue just by fixing three or four simple things on their product pages. This isn't a "maybe next year" project; it’s a "do it now so you can pay for that new ute" project.
Here is exactly how we approach making your shop more profitable by getting Google to like you.
1. Stop Using the Manufacturer’s Descriptions
This is the biggest mistake I see. If you sell a brand of work boots and you just copy and paste the description from the manufacturer's website, you are killing your chances of being found.
Google sees 500 other shops with that exact same text. Why would they show yours?
The Quick Win: Rewrite your top 10 best-selling products today. - Talk like a human. - Explain why this product is better than the cheap version at Bunnings. - Mention how it handles the Queensland heat or humidity. - Use the words your customers use when they call you on the phone.
When you get more sales by writing unique descriptions, you aren't just pleasing Google; you’re convincing the customer to trust you over the big retailers.
2. Your Product Names Are Too Vague
I recently looked at a local landscaping supply site. They had a product named "Product Code: 4022 - Mulch."
Nobody searches for "4022." They search for "Red Forest Mulch Brisbane Delivery" or "Termite Resistant Mulch for Garden Beds."
If your product names don't describe exactly what the item is and who it’s for, you’re invisible. Look at your sales data. What do people actually type into your search bar? Use those exact words in your product titles.
3. Speed is Money
If your website takes more than three seconds to load, people will leave. They don't care how good your products are; they have zero patience.
In our experience, a slow site is usually caused by massive photos that haven't been resized. You don't need a 5MB professional photo for a small thumbnail on a phone screen.
The Fix: Use a free tool to shrink your images before you upload them. If your site loads fast, Google rewards you, and more importantly, your customers don't get frustrated and click away. This is one of the fastest ways to stop wasting clicks and actually see a return on the effort you put into your website.
4. Make it Work on a Phone (Properly)
Most business owners check their website on a big office computer. Your customers are checking it on their phones while they’re waiting for a coffee or sitting on the train.
If the buttons are too small to click with a thumb, or if the text is so tiny they have to zoom in, they will leave. Google knows if your site is hard to use on a phone, and they will bury you in the search results for it.
Open your site on your phone right now. Try to buy something. If it takes more than 60 seconds or feels clunky, you’re losing money every single day.
5. Build Trust with Reviews
Google loves proof. If you have 50 people saying your service is great, Google is much more likely to show your shop to new people.
Don't just hide reviews on a separate page. Put them right under the "Add to Cart" button. Seeing that "Dave from Ipswich" bought this and loved it is often the final nudge a customer needs to pull out their credit card.
If you want to make your shop look trusted, you need to show that real people are buying from you. An empty-looking shop is a dead shop.
6. Categories are Your Secret Weapon
Instead of just having a big list of products, create category pages that answer questions.
For example, if you sell camping gear, don't just have a "Tents" category. Create a page for "Best Family Tents for QLD Beach Camping."
This allows you to show up for broader searches where people are still deciding what to buy. It positions you as the expert, not just a vending machine.
How Long Until You See Results?
I’ll be honest: this isn't an overnight fix. If someone tells you they can get you to #1 on Google in a week, they’re lying to you.
Usually, when we implement these changes for a Brisbane business, we start seeing the needle move in about 3 to 4 months. - Month 1: You fix the errors and rewrite your content. - Month 2: Google notices the changes and starts testing your site in different positions. - Month 3: You start seeing more "free" visitors in your dashboard. - Month 4+: Those visitors start turning into consistent sales.
It’s a long game, but unlike ads, once you stop paying, the traffic doesn't just disappear. It’s an asset you own.
What’s a Waste of Money?
- Fancy "SEO Packages" from overseas: They usually just spam your site with low-quality links that will eventually get you banned by Google. - Over-designing: Don't spend $10k on a custom-designed homepage if your product descriptions still suck. Focus on the words first. - Automated tools: There is no "magic button" plugin that handles this for you. It takes a bit of manual work to make your shop better than the competition.
Your Action Plan
If you want to grow your sales without increasing your ad spend, do these three things this week:
1. Identify your top 5 products: The ones that make you the most profit. 2. Rewrite their descriptions: Make them 300 words long, helpful, and unique. Remove the boring manufacturer specs and tell the customer why they need it. 3. Check your images: Ensure they aren't huge files slowing down your site.
Most business owners won't do this because it feels like "work." If you do it, you’ll already be ahead of 90% of your competitors in Queensland.
Running a shop is hard enough without fighting against Google. If you want a hand looking at your site to see why it isn't making the money it should, we can help. We don't do technical fluff; we focus on what actually brings in the cash.
Ready to get more customers from your online shop? Contact Local Marketing Group today.