Website not showing up on Google? 7 common causes and how to fix them

A website not showing up on Google almost always has a clear reason. Either Google is not allowed to read your site, it has not found it yet, or it lists your site so far down that nobody sees it. You can find out which one it is in about ten minutes. Most causes have a fix you can start on yourself.

How do you check if your website is on Google?

Start with the simplest test. Type site:yourdomain.com into Google, with your own address and no space after the colon. If pages appear, Google knows your site. It keeps a big list of pages it can show, called its index. If nothing appears, your site is not in that list.

Next, search for your business name. Then search for what you sell plus your town, for example 'bike repair Palma' or 'accountant Leeds'. This tells you if you are missing completely or only missing for the searches that bring customers.

For a firm answer, use Google Search Console. It is a free tool from Google that shows how Google sees your site. Paste a page address into the box at the top. It tells you if the page is on Google, and if not, why not. Write down what it says, because it points to one of the causes below.

Why is Google not crawling my website?

Crawling means Google's robot visits your pages and reads them. If that does not happen, nothing else matters. There are two usual causes.

Cause 1: your site tells Google to stay away. This often happens by accident, and it is the answer to 'why did Google drop my site all of a sudden'. Google is rarely blocking you. More often a setting was changed. Check these three:

Cause 1 is the first thing to rule out, because it takes minutes to check and to fix.

Cause 2: Google has not found your site yet. A new site with no links pointing to it can sit unnoticed for a while. Create a sitemap, which is a list of your pages for Google. Most WordPress SEO plugins make one for you. Submit it in Search Console. Then link to your site from places you already control, like your social profiles and your Google Business Profile.

Can you force Google to crawl your site? No, but you can ask. In Search Console, use 'Request indexing' on your most important pages. Google decides when it comes. Asking more than once does not speed it up.

• In WordPress, go to Settings, then Reading. If 'Discourage search engines from indexing this site' is ticked, untick it and save.
• Look for a 'noindex' tag. This is an instruction that tells Google to leave a page out. Builders sometimes switch it on while the site is in development and forget to remove it. Search Console shows it, and so do most SEO plugins.
• Check your robots.txt file by opening yourdomain.com/robots.txt. If you see 'Disallow: /' on its own line, the whole site is closed to robots.

Why does my site not appear for what customers search?

Sometimes Google does list you, but only when someone types your exact business name. That points to causes 3 and 4. Your texts do not match what people search.

Cause 3: you use your words, not your customers' words. A plumber who writes 'comprehensive heating solutions' on the homepage will not show up for 'boiler repair'. Customers search in plain language. Look at how they phrase their questions to you by phone or email, and use those same words. Keyword research is the process of finding those phrases in a structured way.

Cause 4: your pages say too little. One page for all your services, three lines of text, or product descriptions copied from a supplier give Google little to work with. Copied text is a particular problem for webshops, because many other shops use the same words.

The fix is the same for both. Give each service or product group its own page. Describe it in your own words, say who it is for, and say where you work. A page called 'Wedding photography in Seville' has a better chance than a general 'Services' page.

Can a slow or badly working website keep you out of Google?

Yes, it can hold you back. Cause 5: your site is slow or hard to use on a phone. Most people search on their phone, and Google looks at the mobile version of your site first. If pages take ages to load, or text is too small to read, visitors leave and Google notices.

Open your site on your own phone, using mobile data instead of wifi. Try to find your opening hours and phone number. If that is annoying for you, it is annoying for customers too. You can also run a page through PageSpeed Insights, a free tool from Google that points out what slows a page down.

The usual fixes are not complicated. Shrink large photos before uploading them. Remove plugins you no longer use. Make sure buttons are big enough to tap. If your hosting is very cheap and the site is still slow after that, a better hosting plan is often the next step. Regular website maintenance keeps these problems from creeping back, but even a one-off clean-up helps.

Why do my competitors rank above me?

If your site is on Google but buried on page five, look at trust and competition.

Cause 6: Google has little reason to trust you. Google looks at whether other sites mention you, whether customers leave reviews, and whether your business details are the same everywhere. Fill in your Google Business Profile completely. Ask happy customers for reviews. Make sure your name, address and phone number are written the same way on your site and in directories. Local newspapers, suppliers and partner businesses can also link to you.

Cause 7: you are aiming at searches that are too big. A hairdresser in a large city competes with hundreds of others for 'hairdresser'. A small site rarely wins that. Aim narrower: 'curly hair specialist in Manchester' or 'balayage Rotterdam'. These phrases get fewer searches, but the people typing them are closer to booking.

Be honest with yourself here. In a crowded market, there is no quick trick. It takes steady work on your pages, your reviews and your links.

What should you do now if your website is not showing up on Google?

Work through it in this order, because the early steps are the cheapest:

• Run the site: check and Search Console check from the first section.
• Rule out blocking: the WordPress setting, noindex tags and robots.txt.
• Submit your sitemap and request indexing for your main pages.
• Rewrite your key pages in the words your customers use, one page per service.
• Test your site on your phone and fix anything slow or awkward.
• Complete your Google Business Profile and ask for reviews.
• Choose narrower searches that fit your town and your speciality.

How quickly will you see results after a fix?

It depends on the fix. If your site was blocked, removing the block and requesting indexing can get pages listed within days to a few weeks. Nobody can promise an exact date, because Google decides. Rankings move slower. Better texts, reviews and links build up over months. For a realistic picture, read how long SEO takes to show results.

If you work through the list and still cannot see what is wrong, a paid SEO audit costs €199 and gives you a list of what to fix first. If you just want a quick look from someone who does the work himself, Request the free quickscan. It is free, even if you do not buy anything afterwards.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Google blocking websites all of a sudden?

Google rarely blocks a site without a reason. More often a setting changed after a redesign, plugin update or hosting move, and a noindex tag or robots.txt rule now keeps Google out. Check Search Console too. It shows if Google has taken a manual action against your site.

How do I force Google to crawl my website?

You cannot force it, but you can ask. Add your site to Google Search Console, submit your sitemap, and use 'Request indexing' on key pages. Then make sure other sites and your social profiles link to you. Google decides when to visit, and repeated requests do not make it faster.

How do I get my website to appear on Google?

First make sure Google can read your site: no blocking settings, a sitemap submitted in Search Console. Then give each service its own page, written in your customers' words. Add your town, complete your Google Business Profile and collect reviews. Appearing happens first. Ranking higher takes longer.

Why is my website on Google but only when I search my business name?

It means Google knows your site, but does not see it as a good match for other searches. Your pages probably use different words than your customers, or say too little. Write one detailed page per service, include the town you work in, and build up reviews and links over time.

Dimitry founder of Growetic. He does SEO, Google Ads and websites for businesses in the Netherlands, on Bonaire and in Spain.