Why isn’t my website showing up on Google?
It is almost always one of a handful of reasons, and most of them can be checked in a few minutes. Here they are, in the order worth checking.
Short answer: either Google has not added your site to its index, something on the site is telling Google to stay away, or Google can see the site but ranks other businesses above it. The first two are usually quick fixes. The third is what SEO is for.
First, find out which problem you have
Search Google for site:yourdomain.com, using your own web address. If nothing comes back, Google has not indexed you, so start with reasons 1 to 4. If your pages do come back but you cannot find yourself when you search for your service, Google knows you exist and is choosing others, so go to reasons 5 to 8.
1. The site is new
Google can take days or weeks to find a new site on its own. You can speed this up by adding the site to Google Search Console, which is free, and submitting your sitemap there.
2. The site is telling Google not to index it
This is more common than it sounds. WordPress has a setting called “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” that is often switched on while a site is being built and never switched off. Other builders have similar options. A single line in the page code, called a noindex tag, does the same thing.
3. The site is blocked or broken
A robots.txt file that blocks Google, a site that is down or showing errors, or a domain that has lapsed will all keep you out. If your old website address now shows an error page, Google will eventually drop it.
4. There is not much on it
A one-page site with a phone number and a logo gives Google very little to work with. Pages built mostly from images, with the words inside the pictures, are close to invisible.
5. You have no Google Business Profile, or it is half finished
For a business that serves a local area, the map results matter more than the website listing. A complete Google Business Profile with the right category, services, areas, hours and photos is often the single biggest fix.
6. Your pages do not match what people search
If customers search “emergency plumber in Weatherford” and your site has one page called Services, Google has nothing that matches. A clear page for each main service, and for the towns you cover, gives it something to rank.
7. Your details do not match across the web
Different phone numbers, an old address on a directory, or a business name spelled three ways make Google less sure who you are. Getting them consistent is slow, unglamorous work that pays off.
8. Competitors simply have more going for them
More reviews, more useful pages, and more mentions on other websites. You catch up by doing the same things well and steadily, not by tricks. Bought links and stuffed keywords can get a site pushed down instead of up.
ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews look businesses up on the web. A site Google cannot read, a thin Google profile and mismatched details hurt you there too. See how to get your business recommended by ChatGPT.
Want someone to check all of this for you? Our free check looks at your site, Google and the AI assistants, and tells you which of these applies.
Common questions
How do I check if Google has my website?
Type site:yourdomain.com into Google, using your own address. If nothing comes back, Google has not indexed the site. If some pages come back, those are the ones Google knows about. Google Search Console, which is free, shows exactly which pages are indexed and why others are not.
How long does it take a new website to show up on Google?
Often a few days to a few weeks for Google to find and index a new site, faster if you submit it in Google Search Console. Showing up high for competitive searches takes much longer than simply being indexed.
Why does my site show up for my business name but not for my services?
Being found by name is easy, because almost nobody else uses it. Showing up for a service in your town means competing with every other business that offers it. That takes pages that clearly cover each service and area, a complete Google Business Profile, and reviews.
Can I fix this myself?
Some of it, yes. The checks on this page are free and most take a few minutes. If the cause turns out to be technical, or you would rather have it done for you, our Website Fix and SEO + AI Fix are fixed-price.
Find out what Google and AI say about your business
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