If your website doesn't show on Google, it is usually one of ten causes. Either the page is not in Google, or it is there but ranks too low. Check them in order here, with an action for each.
Step 1 is to see whether the website is in Google
Type site:yourdomain.com in the Google search box and replace the address with your own. This shows which pages Google has saved.
Also run a URL inspection. Paste an address into the search box at the top of Google Search Console. It says whether the page is in Google and, if not, why.
Use the list below to know where to start.
- You see no results at all. The site is probably not indexed. Go to causes 1 to 5.
- The homepage is there but several subpages are missing. Look at causes 4 and 5.
- The pages are there but you can't find them for your keywords. That is a ranking problem. Go to causes 6 to 10.
- You show up for your company name but not for what customers search. Look at causes 6, 7 and 8.
The website is not in Google, 5 reasons
1. The website is new
Google has to find a new site before it can show it. This can take from a few days to a few weeks. That is normal and not an error.
How to check it. Run a URL inspection in Search Console. If it says the page is not in Google, it has not been found yet.
What to do. Verify the site in Google Search Console and submit your sitemap. Use "Request indexing" on the most important pages. Link to new pages from the homepage, because Google finds pages by following links.
2. Noindex or the WordPress box is still on
While a site is being built, many block search engines. Then someone forgets to open it up again. WordPress has a box called "Discourage search engines from indexing this site". It sits under Settings and Reading.
How to check it. Look at the box in WordPress. Also view the page source and search for "noindex". Search Console shows it as a noindex error in the pages report.
What to do. Untick the box and remove the noindex tag. Also check the per page setting in your SEO plugin. Then request indexing again.
3. Robots.txt blocks Google
The robots.txt file tells search crawlers what they may visit. A line like "Disallow: /" blocks the whole site. It is often left over from the development phase.
How to check it. Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt in your browser. Read whether it says Disallow for pages you want included.
What to do. Remove the line or limit it to folders that should stay hidden. Add the address of your sitemap to the file. Then test a page with URL inspection.
4. Server errors or a move without redirects
If the server is slow or answers with an error code, Google can't read the page. The same goes if the domain or addresses were moved without redirects. Old addresses then point to nothing.
How to check it. Open the pages report in Search Console. It lists pages with error codes, such as server errors or "Not found (404)".
What to do. Have the hosting company or developer correct the error. Add 301 redirects from old addresses to new ones. Then request indexing of the most important pages.
5. Discovered or crawled but not indexed
This is the trickiest status. Search Console shows "Discovered – currently not indexed" or "Crawled – currently not indexed". The first means Google knows the address but has not fetched the page. The second means Google has read the page and chosen not to save it.
The cause is often thin content or duplicates. Duplicates appear when the same text lives on several addresses, for example with and without www. Google then picks one of them. You steer the choice with the canonical tag, which points out the original.
How to check it. Open page indexing in Search Console and click the status. You get a list of addresses. URL inspection shows which address Google has chosen as canonical.
What to do. Expand thin pages with original text that adds something. Merge pages that say the same thing. Set the canonical to the original and link to the page internally.
The website is there but doesn't show, 5 reasons
Here the pages are indexed but rank too low. Position 40 technically "shows on Google" and in practice is invisible. This is a competition problem. Stronger pages answer the same search better.
6. Titles and texts don't answer what people search
This is the most common cause of all. A title like "Home | Company Inc" tells Google nothing. A page about bathroom renovation that never uses the customer's words won't show for those searches.
How to check it. Search your main keyword and read the titles of the top results. Compare them with your own title and heading. See in Search Console which searches the page actually appears for.
What to do. Write a title that says what the page is about, with the town if you are local. One example is "Bathroom renovation in Boston, set price and free quote". Use the customer's words in headings and text. If you need suggestions, try the title generator.
7. Too few links from other sites
Google sees links from other sites as a sign that a page is worth showing. This is called authority. If nobody links to you, it is hard to compete with sites many link to.
How to check it. Open the Links report in Search Console. There you see which sites link to you and which pages get the most links. If the list looks thin, that is probably a cause.
What to do. Ask for links where it is natural, for example from suppliers, trade associations, clubs and local newspapers. Write something others want to refer to. Also link internally so your strongest pages lift the others. Don't buy links, because that can give Google a reason to penalize the site.
8. Local businesses without a Google Business Profile
If someone searches "plumber Boston", Google often shows a map with businesses before the regular results. You only get there if you have a Google Business Profile.
How to check it. Search your company name and your service plus town. Do you see a box with your profile, opening hours and reviews? If not, the profile is missing or incomplete.
What to do. Create or claim the profile and verify it. Fill in category, address, opening hours and services. Ask happy customers for reviews and reply to them. Use the town name in titles and texts on the website.
9. The website is slow or poor on mobile
Most people search from their phone. If the page is slow or hard to read there, visitors leave quickly. Google takes into account how the page feels to use.
How to check it. Measure with Google PageSpeed Insights and open the site on your own phone. Search Console also has a page experience report.
What to do. Compress large images. Remove plugins and scripts you don't use. Change hosting if the server is slow. Make sure text and buttons can be read without zooming.
10. You used to show but have slipped down
Pages age. Competitors write newer answers and people search with new words. Prices and years on the page get old. A page that ranked for years fades month by month. This is sneaky because nothing looks broken.
The problem is called content decay. It is not only about Google. ChatGPT and other AI answers often pull from pages that rank and are up to date. If you slide down in Google, your chance of being cited there drops too.
How to check it. Compare the last three months with the same period last year in Search Console. Look for pages where clicks are going down. Also look at pages with many impressions but few clicks.
What to do. Update the page. Replace old prices and years, answer what competitors answer and rewrite the title and description. After four weeks, measure whether clicks increased.
"Showing" is not a yes or no question
Search Console separates impressions (how often you appeared in the results), position and clicks. A page can have thousands of impressions and zero clicks. Then it is visible in theory and invisible in practice.
So "is my site showing on Google" is really three questions. Are we indexed? Where do we appear? Does anyone click?
Checklist, go through it in this order
- Search site:yourdomain.com and run a URL inspection on the homepage.
- Verify the site in Search Console and submit the sitemap.
- Check noindex, the WordPress box and robots.txt.
- Read the pages report for error codes and the Discovered and Crawled statuses.
- Look for duplicates and set the canonical to the original.
- Compare title and heading with what customers search.
- Review who links to you.
- Check your Google Business Profile if you are local.
- Measure speed and test the site on mobile.
- Compare clicks over time and update pages that get fewer visitors.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take before a new website shows on Google?
It can take from a few days to a few weeks. Submitting a sitemap in Search Console often speeds it up. Ranking high for competitive keywords takes longer. It depends on content and links.
Why does the website show sometimes but not always?
Google shows different results depending on location, device and earlier searches. Position also moves when competitors change their pages. Look at average position in Search Console over several weeks, not at a single search.
Can I pay Google to show up?
You can buy ads in Google Ads. They are marked as ads and disappear when you stop paying. The regular results can't be bought. There, content, links and technology decide.
Do I need Google Search Console?
It is free and run by Google. There you see indexing, errors, searches and clicks. Without it you have to guess what is wrong.
What do I do if Google doesn't want to index my page?
"Request indexing" only helps if the page is worth saving. If it says "Crawled – currently not indexed", the content needs to be better or more unique. Read more under cause 5.