Why is my website not showing up on Google? 10 common reasons
Website not showing up on Google? Run a quick test to see whether Google is missing your site or ranking others above it, then work through 10 common causes and the questions to ask your developer.
If your website is not showing up on Google, one of three things is usually going on: Google hasn't found the site yet, something is keeping Google out, or Google has your pages but shows other sites first. A fourth case catches many local businesses: there is no verified Google Business Profile, so nothing appears on Google Maps. Each needs a different fix, so first work out which one you have. None of the checks below needs you to touch any code.
First, is Google missing your site, or ranking others above it?
Type site: and your domain into Google with no space, for example site:yourbusiness.in. If nothing comes up, Google doesn't have your site; see reasons 1 to 7. If your pages appear, Google has the site, and reasons 8 to 10 explain why it can still be hard to find.
For a firm answer about one page, paste its address into the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, Google's free tool for site owners. Google's help for the Page indexing report says a site with fewer than 500 pages probably doesn't need the full report; site: searches for your key pages are enough to start.
| What you see | What it usually means | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| A site: search shows nothing | Google hasn't indexed the site | Reasons 1 to 7 |
| Your business name finds you, your services don't | Indexed, but other pages rank higher | Reasons 8 and 9 |
| Your website shows, but not on Google Maps | No verified Business Profile | Reason 10 |
| You were there last month, now you're gone | Something changed: a redesign, a lapsed renewal or a hack | Reasons 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 |
Is something keeping Google away from your site?
1. The site is new, and nothing points to it yet
Google finds pages by following links from pages it already knows and by reading sitemaps, the lists of pages a site publishes for search engines. A new domain that nobody links to can go unnoticed. Google's help says it can take a week or so to start crawling and indexing a new site. Add the site to Search Console, submit your sitemap and click Request indexing for the homepage once; clicking it again and again won't speed things up.
2. A "hide from search engines" setting is still on
Hiding a site while it is being built is normal; forgetting to switch that off at launch is the problem. In WordPress, the box is under Settings, then Reading: "Discourage search engines from indexing this site". When it is ticked, WordPress adds a noindex tag to every page, and Google drops pages carrying that tag from its results. Most website builders have a similar switch.
To check, open your homepage in Chrome on a computer, right-click, choose View page source and search for the word noindex. This check belongs on every launch list; the guide to the six stages of a website project shows where it fits.
3. The robots.txt file blocks Google
Type your domain followed by /robots.txt into your browser. This small file tells crawlers which parts of a site they may visit. If you see User-agent: * followed by Disallow: /, every crawler is being told to stay out of the whole site. Ask your developer to remove that rule, then request indexing again.
4. A password, firewall or "coming soon" page is in the way
Google can't log in, so pages behind a password stay out of search, and a "coming soon" page left up after launch is all Google sees. Hosting firewalls are a less obvious cause. Google's Page indexing help explains that security systems which block heavy traffic can block Googlebot too, because it makes more requests than a person does, and that your hosting provider may need to fix it.
5. Google is showing a different copy of your site
To Google, http and https, and www and non-www, are separate addresses. So is a preview copy left on your developer's server, at an address like yourbusiness.developersite.com. When several copies carry the same pages, Google picks one to show, and it may not be your main address. When an owner tells us their site has vanished, a forgotten preview copy is one of the first things we look for.
Search for a sentence from your homepage, in quotes. If another address appears, that copy is competing with you. Ask your developer to take it down or put it behind a password, and to send every other version to your main address with permanent (301) redirects.
6. The domain or hosting renewal lapsed
When someone else registered your domain or bought your hosting, the renewal reminders go to their email. Miss one, and the site stops loading. Google's crawler documentation says pages it can't reach are removed from its index within days. Log in to both accounts yourself and check the expiry dates, auto-renewal and whose email gets the reminders; a hosting and maintenance plan should cover renewals and uptime checks.
7. The site was hacked or hit by a manual action
Sites running outdated software are easier to break into. One well-known hack fills a site with auto-generated Japanese pages selling fake branded goods. Look through the pages your site: search lists; any you never wrote, in another language or about betting or medicines, are a warning sign. In Search Console, open Security issues and Manual actions. A manual action means a Google reviewer found spam, and some or all of the site can drop out of results until it is cleaned up and a review is approved.
Why does Google show other businesses instead of yours?
8. Your pages don't use the words customers search
A homepage that reads "Welcome! A trusted name since 1995" says nothing about "corrugated boxes manufacturer in Bhiwandi", which is what a buyer types. Google's starter guide asks owners to think about the words customers might search for. Its language matching copes with different wording, but it can't match a service your site never mentions. Give each main service its own page with a plain heading and the areas you serve, written as real text rather than inside banner images.
9. Thin or copied pages in a crowded search
Two-line service pages, descriptions copied from the manufacturer, or area pages with only the suburb name changed give Google little reason to pick you; in Search Console they often sit under "Crawled - currently not indexed". Competition matters too: "caterer in Mumbai" is crowded, while "Jain wedding caterer in Borivali" is far less so, and newer sites usually get found for specific searches first. Skip anyone selling hundreds of directory links, since Google's spam policies treat buying links to boost rankings as link spam.
10. You are looking for Google Maps, not the website
Map results come from Google Business Profiles, so a website alone won't put you on the map. Google's guidance on improving your local ranking says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, that verified businesses with complete and accurate details are more likely to show up, and that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. Claim your profile, verify it, choose the right category and add your website.
What should you ask your developer?
You don't need to fix any of this yourself. Send these questions on WhatsApp to whoever built or looks after your site:
- Is the site in Google Search Console, and am I listed as an owner?
- Is the "discourage search engines" setting off, with no noindex tag on pages that should be found?
- Does robots.txt block anything it shouldn't?
- Has the sitemap been submitted, and what does the Page indexing report say?
- Do the http, www and any preview addresses all redirect to one main address?
- Whose name and email are on the domain and hosting, and when do they renew?
- Are there any messages under Security issues or Manual actions?
Questions 1 and 6 matter most. Only owners and full users of a Search Console property can request indexing, and if a former developer holds that account and your domain, getting them back can be awkward. For a new site, write ownership of all three into your website brief.
Key takeaways
- Start with a site: search; it shows whether Google has your site at all.
- If the site is missing, look for a setting, a file, a duplicate copy or a lapsed renewal first.
- If it is indexed but hard to find, the fix is content: one clear page per service, in your customers' words.
- Showing up on Google Maps needs a verified Business Profile.
- Keep the domain, hosting and Search Console account in your own name.
FAQs
How long does a new website take to show up on Google?
There is no fixed answer. Google's help says it can take a week or so to start crawling and indexing a new site, and that indexing is never instant, even when you request it. Ranking for competitive searches, rather than your own business name, usually takes far longer, and nobody can promise a date.
Can I pay Google to list my website or rank it higher?
No. Google's guide to how Search works says it doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher, and that it doesn't guarantee any page will be indexed. Search Console is free. The only paid route is Google Ads, which appear as sponsored results. Be wary of "Google submission" packages.
Why can I see my website on Google when my customers can't?
Google tailors results to each person's location, device and search history, so what you see in your Andheri office isn't always what a customer in Thane sees. For a fairer picture, ask a friend elsewhere to search, or open the Performance report in Search Console, which lists the searches your pages actually appeared for.
Do I need to submit my website to Google?
Not strictly. Google's starter guide says most sites in its results are found automatically as its crawlers explore the web. Adding your site to Search Console and submitting a sitemap is still worth doing, because Search Console shows what Google has indexed, what it has left out and why.
Still can't see why your site is missing, or seeing Search Console statuses you don't recognise? Our SEO service starts with exactly this check: indexing, settings, duplicate copies, content and your Business Profile, explained in plain English. Nobody can guarantee a position on Google, but we can show you what is holding your site back. Send us your web address, and after a short call we will explain what we would fix first and send a fixed written quote.