Google indexed my post but getting almost no traffic, what am I doing wrong?

Published a post about 6 weeks ago. Went to Google Search Console and it is indexed. But only getting 2 to 3 clicks a day which is basically nothing.

Before writing I did keyword research and the keyword seemed fine. Not too competitive, decent search volume. But the results are just not there.
I am thinking maybe my title is not good enough or maybe the keyword I picked has too many big sites ranking for it. Or maybe my content is just not good compared to what is already ranking.

Checked the top 10 results for my keyword and most of them are big authority sites. Should I even be targeting these keywords or just go for easier ones?
How do you guys decide if a keyword is actually winnable before putting in all that effort writing a full post?

WaffleDrifter said:

Published a post about 6 weeks ago. Went to Google Search Console and it is indexed. But only getting 2 to 3 clicks a day which is basically nothing.

Before writing I did keyword research and the keyword seemed fine. Not too competitive, decent search volume. But the results are just not there.
I am thinking maybe my title is not good enough or maybe the keyword I picked has too many big sites ranking for it. Or maybe my content is just not good compared to what is already ranking.

Checked the top 10 results for my keyword and most of them are big authority sites. Should I even be targeting these keywords or just go for easier ones?
How do you guys decide if a keyword is actually winnable before putting in all that effort writing a full post?

Click to expand...

I completely get the frustration—putting hours into a post only to see 2–3 clicks a day feels like a gut punch, especially when your tool said the keyword looked "fine."

Six weeks is still a bit early for a brand-new post to fully mature, but if the top 10 is packed with massive authority sites, that's your real roadblock. Keyword tools often lie about "low competition" because they calculate difficulty based on backlinks, not who is actually occupying the front page.

Here is a quick checklist of how to determine if a keyword is actually winnable before you write a single word:


Look for "Chinks in the Armor": Search the keyword yourself. Are there any forums (Reddit, Quora), low-authority blogs, or outdated sites in the top 10? If yes, it's winnable. If it's all HubSpot, Forbes, and NYT, walk away.
Analyze Search Intent Match: Does the top 10 actually answer the user's specific question, or are they ranking just because of their massive domain power? If their content is generic, you can win by being hyper-specific.
Target "Zero-Volume" Long-Tails: Don't trust volume tools blindly. Target highly specific 4–5 word phrases that tools say get "0 searches" but real people actually type. You will rank faster and lock in those clicks.

What to do with your current post: Don't delete it! Try tweaking the title tag to be more click-worthy (higher CTR can bump your rankings), add more unique data or a free template to beat the big guys on value, or find a more specific long-tail variation and pivot the angle of the post toward that instead.

WaffleDrifter said:

Published a post about 6 weeks ago. Went to Google Search Console and it is indexed. But only getting 2 to 3 clicks a day which is basically nothing.

Before writing I did keyword research and the keyword seemed fine. Not too competitive, decent search volume. But the results are just not there.
I am thinking maybe my title is not good enough or maybe the keyword I picked has too many big sites ranking for it. Or maybe my content is just not good compared to what is already ranking.

Checked the top 10 results for my keyword and most of them are big authority sites. Should I even be targeting these keywords or just go for easier ones?
How do you guys decide if a keyword is actually winnable before putting in all that effort writing a full post?

Click to expand...

Indexed doesn't automatically mean it will get traffic, If the top 10 is mostly big authority sites, the keyword may not be as “easy” as the tool showed.

I’d target lower-competition terms first and always check the actual SERP before writing.

If the top results are mostly authority sites, I’d probably treat that keyword as a long-term play and focus more on easier variations first. Sometimes the keyword looks low competition in tools, but the actual SERP tells a different story.

This is normal for newer sites, especially when big authority sites rank for the keyword. I usually check if smaller websites are already ranking on page one before targeting a keyword. Easier long-tail keywords often work better at the beginning.

Getting indexed is only the first step honestly. If keywords have low search volume or the post isn't ranking high enough, traffic stays very low even after indexing.

Check if the top results are old. Like 2025 old. You might sneak in with fresher content. But authority wins most of the time. Also if a site has a whole pillar on this topic, you're not outranking them with one post

Indexing just means Google can see your page, not that it will rank. If SERPs are full of authority sites, the keyword is likely too competitive. Try more specific long tail terms with clear intent

Before targeting a keyword, I always look at the top search results to understand the competition. If the first page is dominated by large authority websites with strong backlink profiles, ranking can be very difficult, especially for newer sites. In those situations, I prefer focusing on longer tail or less competitive keywords first. I also look for opportunities where weaker websites are already ranking or where the existing content is outdated or not very helpful, because those are usually easier keywords to compete for with better content.

WaffleDrifter said:

Published a post about 6 weeks ago. Went to Google Search Console and it is indexed. But only getting 2 to 3 clicks a day which is basically nothing.

Before writing I did keyword research and the keyword seemed fine. Not too competitive, decent search volume. But the results are just not there.
I am thinking maybe my title is not good enough or maybe the keyword I picked has too many big sites ranking for it. Or maybe my content is just not good compared to what is already ranking.

Checked the top 10 results for my keyword and most of them are big authority sites. Should I even be targeting these keywords or just go for easier ones?
How do you guys decide if a keyword is actually winnable before putting in all that effort writing a full post?

Click to expand...

Try rewriting the title and description so the main keyword is included. Make the first 2–3 paragraphs as a “shortly about the main point” block. Internal linking to your previous articles is also important. It is one of the stronger signals that your topic is not just taken out of context, but is structured and fits into the general cluster of the site. Headings and image alt texts should also partially contain the keywords. Add related questions at the end. Google does not look only at how optimized the page is, but at whether it answers the main question of the user.
You need to narrow the intent and not mix different years if you are tied to a specific time period.
And yes, strong competitors, even with worse content, will rank higher if your site is relatively new or does not have authority. But you still have a chance to outrank them if your material is more expert-level and based on real specific experience.

6 weeks is still early tbh, especially if your site is not aged/high authority. If top 10 is filled with authority sites, you probably picked a keyword that looks easy on tools but is hard in reality.

I usually check:

• DR/authority of top 10
• Search intent match
• Weak pages/forums/Reddit ranking?
• Backlink profile of competitors
• Whether I can make something clearly better

Sometimes better title + CTR optimization + a few good links/internal links can change everything. Easier long-tail keywords are usually safer for newer sites.

yea if top 10 is all big authority sites, I usually dont waste too much time on it tbh
For a newer site I’d rather go after some ugly long tail kw with low volume but easier SERP. 2-3 clicks/day after 6 weeks isn’t totally dead tho, just means either the kw is harder than it looked or the page needs more time/links.

6 weeks in SEO is basically Google saying “hmm… interesting” and then ignoring you for a while

If the top 10 is full of giant authority sites, don’t beat yourself up sometimes the keyword tools make a keyword look easier than it really is. I usually look for keywords where smaller blogs are already ranking because that’s a sign normal humans still have a chance lol.

indexed does not mean it will get traffic bro check if top 10 sites are too strong then pick easier long tail keywords first

Target lower compititon long tail keywords first, big authority sites are harder to outrank.

WaffleDrifter said:

Published a post about 6 weeks ago. Went to Google Search Console and it is indexed. But only getting 2 to 3 clicks a day which is basically nothing.

Before writing I did keyword research and the keyword seemed fine. Not too competitive, decent search volume. But the results are just not there.
I am thinking maybe my title is not good enough or maybe the keyword I picked has too many big sites ranking for it. Or maybe my content is just not good compared to what is already ranking.

Checked the top 10 results for my keyword and most of them are big authority sites. Should I even be targeting these keywords or just go for easier ones?
How do you guys decide if a keyword is actually winnable before putting in all that effort writing a full post?

Click to expand...

Indexing alone doesn’t guarantee traffic.sometimes the keyword is too competitive or the content doesn’t fully match search intent.improving the title content quality and internal linking can often help

Getting indexed is just the first step; the real issue here is likely SERP Entrenchment. If massive authority sites dominate the top 10 results, the keyword wasn't actually 'low competition' regardless of what third-party keyword difficulty scores told you. In 2026, you should always check the live SERP manually before writing.

If you see huge brands, forums like Reddit, or major niche giants holding the top positions, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Shift your strategy toward ultra-specific Long-Tail Variations where the search intent is so precise that big sites can't satisfy it with generic content.