Why every page in SEO is a battle

Hey all, long time no see — or should I say long time no post! Today, I want to dive into an important lesson I’ve learned (and am still learning) about SEO: every single page you create is a battle in rankings. No matter how well you’re ranking for similar terms, there’s never a guarantee you’ll secure a top spot in the SERPs.

Recently, I launched a few new pages on my Meent website, including “Fun Things to Do in Manchester” and “Date Ideas in Manchester.” If you’ve been following along (hopefully some of you have, but let’s be honest — probably not many, cue the tiny violin from SpongeBob), you’ll know that I also introduced a new design and layout across my site. Naturally, I was hopeful that these fresh pages would start ranking well pretty quickly, given my “Fun Things to Do in London” page already ranks in the top 5 for several competitive keywords.

The Harsh Reality of SEO: No Guarantees

Despite my optimism, reality hit hard — my Manchester pages didn’t rank well at all. In fact, they ranked so low that I could barely find them in the search index. And here’s the kicker: I even put in extra effort by building a few quality backlinks and regularly updating the content. You’d think that would do the trick, right? Well, not exactly.

The truth is, SEO is tough. Doing the bare minimum just won’t cut it. Even with my experience, I was genuinely surprised to see how poorly my new pages performed. This experience has been a humbling reminder that Google doesn’t just look at keyword similarities; authority, competition, and overall domain trustworthiness play a massive role. Clearly, I need to focus more on organic outreach and authority building.

Learning the Hard Lessons

SEO is a long game, and success requires patience, persistence, and strategy. Even when you think you’ve done everything right, search engines might not reward you immediately. And that’s okay. What matters is adapting and continuing to improve.

For me, the plan remains the same:

Keep building quality backlinks — The more, the better.

Regular content updates — Fresh content signals relevance.

Experiment with different content formats — Mixing things up can provide insights into what works best.

Internal linking — Strengthening site structure for better navigation and indexation.

SEO Tips for Beginners on a Budget

If you’re new to SEO and working with a limited budget, here are a few strategies that have worked for me and might work for you too:

Utilize Reddit and Online Communities

Engage in relevant subreddits by providing useful insights and subtly linking back to your content where appropriate. Just make sure it’s valuable and not spammy.

Create Share-Worthy Content

Focus on creating engaging, informative, and unique content that other websites might want to feature or link to.

Cold Outreach

Reach out to bloggers, influencers, and website owners in your niche. When pitching, don’t forget to ask for a backlink in exchange for valuable content or collaboration.

Frequent Updates

Regularly updating your content keeps it fresh and signals to Google that your page remains relevant and valuable.

Experiment with Content Formats

Try adding videos, infographics, and interactive elements to keep your audience engaged and improve on-page time.

Connect related pages on your website to help search engines understand the structure and importance of each page.

Final Thoughts

SEO is a never-ending process of learning, adapting, and improving. While my Manchester pages didn’t rank as I hoped, this experience has reinforced the importance of persistence. I’ll keep working on my strategy and updating you all along the way.

Remember, there are no shortcuts in SEO — only consistent effort and smart strategies will yield results over time. Stay patient, stay persistent, and keep pushing forward!

What are some SEO struggles you’ve faced? Let me know in the comments!