Why is my website not showing up on Google?

You have launched a site, but searching your business name brings up nothing. A website not showing up on Google is frustrating, but the cause is usually one of a handful of common problems. Most can be found in a few minutes with free tools.

Work through the checks below in order.

Step 1: check whether Google has indexed you

Search for site:yourdomain.com on Google. If no results appear, Google has not indexed your site. If some pages appear, Google knows about your site, and the problem is ranking rather than indexing.

Common reasons for a website not showing up on Google

Step 2: set up Google Search Console

Google Search Console is free and shows exactly how Google sees your site. Verify your domain, submit your sitemap and use the URL Inspection tool on your home page. It tells you whether the page is indexed and, if not, why.

Step 3: fix blocking settings

A very common cause of a website not showing up on Google is a setting left on from development. In WordPress, go to Settings, then Reading, and untick “Discourage search engines from indexing this site”. Also remove any coming soon or maintenance mode. Read why a coming soon page is showing.

Step 4: request indexing

Once blockers are removed, use URL Inspection to request indexing for key pages. Google explains the process in its guide to asking Google to recrawl. Read how to get indexed fast for more tips.

Indexed but not ranking?

If your pages are indexed but appear far down, the issue is relevance and authority. Improve content so it answers what people search, link pages together, earn links from other sites and set up your Google Business Profile for local searches.

Example: one checkbox

A tuition centre launched its new site and waited six weeks for it to appear. Search Console showed every page excluded by a noindex tag. The developer had ticked “Discourage search engines” during the build and forgot to untick it. One click fixed it, and pages began appearing within days after requesting indexing. Many cases of a website not showing up on Google are this simple.

How long does it take?

New sites are often indexed within days to a few weeks once nothing blocks them. Ranking well for competitive searches takes longer and depends on content and links. Brand-name searches usually come first.

Quick checklist

If your website not showing up on Google is a new problem on an established site, check for recent changes first: a redesign, a migration, new plugins or changed settings. If the website not showing up on Google is a brand-new site, focus on indexing settings and Search Console. Either way, write down what you changed and when, because it makes the cause much easier to find.