Why is my website not showing up on Google?
Nine times out of ten it is one of five things: the site is brand new and Google has not indexed it yet, the site is accidentally blocking Google with a noindex tag or a robots.txt rule, the pages have almost no real text on them, there is no Google Business Profile for local searches, or the site is indexed perfectly well and simply ranking below competitors.
Those problems have completely different fixes, so the first job is working out which one you have. Work through the checklist below in order. It takes about twenty minutes and you do not need to be technical.
The ten-step checklist
1. Check whether Google has your site at all
Search Google for site:yourdomain.co.uk (no space after the colon, and use your real domain). If pages come back, Google has indexed you and this is a ranking problem, not an indexing one. If nothing comes back, Google either has not found your site or has chosen not to include it yet.
What to do: Nothing listed? Move on to steps 2 and 3. Pages listed? Skip ahead to the ranking section below.
2. Set up Google Search Console
Search Console is Google's free tool that tells you exactly what it thinks of your site. Add your domain, verify ownership (usually a DNS record or a file your web person can add), then use URL Inspection on your homepage. It will tell you if the page is indexed, discovered but not indexed, or blocked.
What to do: This is the single most useful thing you can do. Everything below is guesswork without it.
3. Make sure you are not blocking Google
Two common accidents keep sites invisible: a robots.txt file that disallows crawling, and a noindex tag left on from when the site was being built. Visit yourdomain.co.uk/robots.txt in your browser and check it does not say Disallow: /. Then view the page source (Ctrl+U) and search for noindex.
What to do: If either is there, that is almost certainly your whole problem. Remove it, then request indexing in Search Console.
4. Submit a sitemap
A sitemap is a list of your pages that Google can read. Most platforms create one automatically at yourdomain.co.uk/sitemap.xml. Open that URL to check it exists and lists your real pages, then submit it in Search Console under Sitemaps.
What to do: A sitemap does not force indexing, but it removes the excuse that Google never found the page.
5. Check the page has real text content
Google indexes words. A page that is a full-width image, a video, or a design that only loads after JavaScript runs can look empty to a crawler. Right-click the page, choose View Page Source, and see whether your headings and paragraphs are actually in the code.
What to do: If the source is nearly empty, the site needs its content rendered in the HTML. That is usually a developer job.
6. Check it works on a phone
Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. If the mobile layout is broken, painfully slow, or hides most of the content, that hurts. Open your site on your own phone on mobile data, not wifi, and time how long it takes.
What to do: Anything over about five seconds needs attention: usually oversized images or a bloated template.
7. Check you are on HTTPS
Your address should start with https:// and show a padlock. If a visitor sees a Not secure warning, so does Google, and it counts against you.
What to do: Most hosts provide a free SSL certificate. Turning it on is normally a single setting.
8. Claim your Google Business Profile
For local searches like plumber in Sutton Coldfield, the map results usually appear above the normal ones, and those come from Google Business Profile, not your website. It is free. Add your address or service area, opening hours, phone number, categories and a good set of photos.
What to do: For most local UK businesses this brings in more enquiries than any change to the website itself.
9. Make sure your details match everywhere
Your business name, address and phone number should be written identically on your website, your Google Business Profile, and any directories you appear on. Mismatches make Google less confident that you are one real business.
What to do: Pick one format and correct the others.
10. Ask for reviews
Reviews influence which local businesses Google shows and, more importantly, which one a person clicks. A steady trickle of genuine reviews beats a burst of ten in one week.
What to do: Ask every happy customer, and send them the direct review link from your Business Profile.
"Not indexed" and "ranking badly" are two different problems
This is the bit that confuses most business owners, and getting it wrong means spending months fixing something that was never broken.
Not indexed
Google does not have your page in its list at all. You will find nothing with a site: search, and Search Console will say something like "Discovered, currently not indexed" or "Excluded by noindex tag".
The fix is technical: remove the block, submit a sitemap, make sure the content is in the HTML, and request indexing. It is usually a one-off job with a clear before and after.
Indexed but ranking badly
Google has your page, and you can find it by searching your business name or a very specific phrase from the page. You just are not on page one for the searches that bring in work.
The fix is content and trust: pages that properly answer the search, the towns you serve written on the page, a complete Business Profile, reviews, and other local sites linking to you. It is ongoing rather than a switch you flip.
A quick test: search for an exact sentence from your homepage in quote marks. If your site comes up, you are indexed and this is a ranking problem. If it does not, it is an indexing problem.
What you can fix yourself, and what needs help
You can do this yourself
- Setting up Google Search Console and submitting a sitemap
- Claiming and filling in your Google Business Profile
- Asking customers for reviews
- Making sure your name, address and phone number match everywhere
- Adding real, specific text to thin pages, including the towns you serve
- Turning on HTTPS through your host
Worth getting help with
- A site that renders as an empty page in the source code
- A noindex tag or robots.txt rule you cannot find or remove
- Slow loading caused by the theme, hosting or huge images
- Duplicate or conflicting canonical tags
- A site rebuild where the old URLs were never redirected
- Competitive rankings where the basics are already right
If you would rather someone just looked at it for you
Everything above is genuinely doable on your own, and if you work through it you will probably find the problem. If you would rather not, we will run the same checks by hand and send you a short written review of what is wrong and what we would do about it. No charge, no obligation, and no sales call unless you ask for one.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for a new website to show up on Google?
Usually a few days to a few weeks. If you submit the site in Google Search Console it is often indexed within a week. If nothing has happened after a month, something is blocking it rather than it being slow.
Why does my website show up when I search my business name but not for my services?
That means you are indexed but not ranking. Google knows you exist, but does not yet see your pages as a strong answer for competitive searches like emergency plumber Birmingham. That is fixed with better page content, clearer targeting and local signals, not with indexing.
Do I have to pay Google to appear in search results?
No. Normal search results and your Google Business Profile are free. Ads are a separate paid product and buying them does not improve your free rankings.
How do I check if my website is indexed by Google?
Search Google for site: followed by your domain, with no space, for example site:dunnecreative.com. Anything listed is indexed. For a definite answer, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console.
My website disappeared from Google. What happened?
The most common causes are a redesign that left a noindex tag in place, changed URLs with no redirects, an expired domain or hosting problem, or the site being moved to a new address. Check Search Console first, then check for noindex.
Does having a Google Business Profile help my website rank?
It helps you appear in the map results and builds local trust signals, which often matters more for enquiries than the website ranking itself. The two work together.