You paid for a website, it looks good, and when you search for your business on Google it is nowhere to be found. Or it shows for your business name but never for the services you sell. Either way, customers searching right now are finding someone else. The cause is usually one of ten things, and most of them can be checked for free in under an hour. This guide shows you how.
First: is it not indexed, or just not ranking?
These are two different problems, and the fix depends on which one you have.
- Not indexed means Google has not added your pages to its index, so they cannot appear for any search, not even your business name.
- Not ranking means your pages are in the index, but other pages are shown above them for the searches you care about.
To check, search Google for site:yourdomain.com (with your real domain). If no pages come up, the site is not indexed. If pages come up, it is indexed and the work is about ranking. For an exact answer on any page, add your site to Google Search Console, which is free, and paste the page address into the URL Inspection tool at the top.
If you are looking for your Google Maps listing rather than your website, that is a separate system. See why your business is not showing up on Google Maps.
1. The site is new
A brand new website, especially on a brand new domain, can take days or weeks before Google indexes it. Nothing is wrong. You can help by adding the site to Search Console, submitting your sitemap and requesting indexing for your home page and main service pages in URL Inspection. Then give it time.
2. A setting tells Google not to index it
This is the most common cause on sites that were built quietly and then launched. Many website builders and WordPress have a switch that hides the site from search engines while it is being built, and it is easy to forget to turn it off.
- WordPress: go to Settings, then Reading, and make sure the box that discourages search engines from indexing the site is not ticked.
- Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and others: look in the SEO or site visibility settings for an option that hides the site from search engines.
- Any site: URL Inspection will say if a page is excluded by a "noindex" tag.
3. The site is behind a password or on a trial plan
Google cannot index pages it cannot open. If your site needs a password, shows an "under construction" page, or is still on a builder's free trial address, publish it properly on your own domain first.
4. The robots.txt file blocks Google
The robots.txt file tells search engines which parts of a site they may crawl. A single wrong line can block the whole site. Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt in your browser. If you see "Disallow: /" under "User-agent: *", Google is being told to stay out. Your web developer or website platform can fix it.
5. Google found the pages but chose not to index them
In Search Console, under Pages, you may see "Discovered, currently not indexed" or "Crawled, currently not indexed". This often happens on new sites with little authority, or when pages are thin or very similar to each other. Fixes that help:
- Make each page clearly useful: real detail about the service, the area, prices or common questions, and real photos.
- Link to important pages from your home page and from related pages, so Google sees they matter.
- Combine near duplicate pages, such as the same text copied for ten different towns, into one stronger page.
6. The wrong version of a page is marked as the main one
A "canonical" tag tells Google which address is the main version of a page. If it points to the wrong address, or to another page entirely, Google may ignore the page you want. URL Inspection shows both the canonical you set and the one Google chose. Also make sure your site works on one version only, with https and either with or without www, and that the others redirect to it.
7. A website move or redesign broke things
If your site disappeared after a redesign, a new platform or a new domain, the old pages may now return errors without redirects to the new ones, or a "hide from search engines" setting may have come across from the test site. Check the Pages report in Search Console for errors, and set up redirects from old addresses to the matching new pages.
8. A manual action or a security problem
Rarely, Google takes action against a site for spam, such as bought links or hidden text, or because it was hacked. Open the Security and Manual Actions section in Search Console. If something is listed, Google explains the problem there. Fix it fully, then request a review.
9. It is indexed, but the pages do not match what people search
If your home page just says "Welcome to Smith and Co" and you have no page about "water heater repair in Dallas", Google has nothing to match to that search. Give each main service its own page with a clear title and heading that names the service and the area, and write for the questions customers really ask.
10. It is indexed, but competitors are stronger
For competitive searches, Google shows the pages it trusts most. Newer sites with few links and few mentions around the web usually start lower. This is normal and it improves with steady work: helpful pages, a complete Google Business Profile, reviews, consistent listings and links from real local partners. Our small business SEO checklist covers each step, and how long SEO takes explains what to expect.
A 15 minute checklist
- Search site:yourdomain.com. Do any pages appear?
- Add the site to Google Search Console and submit your sitemap.
- Run your home page through URL Inspection and read what it says.
- Check your builder or WordPress settings for a "hide from search engines" option.
- Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt and look for "Disallow: /".
- Check Security and Manual Actions in Search Console.
- Make sure each main service has its own page with a clear title.
Watch out for paid shortcuts
Google does not take payment to index or rank a website in its normal results. Be wary of anyone who offers to "submit your site to 500 search engines" or guarantees first page rankings. If you get visitors but they do not call, that is a different problem, covered in why your website gets visitors but no calls.
Want us to look at it?
Our affordable SEO services for small businesses start at $180 a month with no contract, and the first month covers exactly these checks and fixes. Not sure what is wrong? Ask for a free audit and a person on our team will check your site and your Google listing by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my website not showing up on Google?
The most common causes are that the site is new and not indexed yet, a setting is telling Google not to index it, the robots.txt file blocks it, or the pages are indexed but rank too low to see. Check the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to find out which one applies.
How do I check if my website is on Google?
Search Google for site: followed by your domain, for example site:yourbusiness.com. If no pages appear, Google has not indexed the site. For an exact answer for each page, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, which is free.
How long does it take for a new website to show up on Google?
It can take from a few days to a few weeks for a new site to be indexed, and longer to rank for searches other than your business name. Submitting a sitemap in Search Console helps Google find your pages, but it does not guarantee they will be indexed.
Why is my Squarespace or Wix website not showing up on Google?
Website builders have settings that can hide a site from search engines, and sites on a trial plan or behind a password often cannot be indexed. Check the SEO or visibility settings in your builder, connect your own domain, then add the site to Google Search Console and submit the sitemap.
Can I pay Google to index my website?
No. Google does not accept payment to index a site or rank it higher in the normal results. The only paid placements are ads, which show with a Sponsored label.
My business shows on Google Maps but my website does not. Why?
Your map listing comes from your Google Business Profile, which is separate from your website. The profile can be live while the website is not indexed yet or ranks lower. Work through the checks in this guide for the website itself.