When your website does not show up on Google, the cause usually falls into one of two categories: Google does not know your pages exist at all, or Google knows about them but places them far down in the search results. Understanding why is your website not showing up on Google starts with figuring out which of these two situations you are facing, because the fixes are completely different.
How to check if Google even knows your website exists
Before you change any content or worry about your keywords, you need to find out whether Google has actually visited your site and saved copies of your pages. This process is called indexing. If a page is not indexed, nobody will ever find it through a search engine.
The simplest way to check is to open Google and type a specific command into the search box. Type site: followed immediately by your full web address, with no spaces between the colon and the www. For example, type site:example.com and press enter.
Look at the results that appear. If Google shows a list of pages from your domain, your site is indexed. If the search returns a message saying no pages were found matching that query, your site is missing from Google entirely. For more guidance on this part of the process, read our guide on why your website is not showing up on Google.
Reason one: your website is not indexed yet
If your site is new, Google simply might not have found it yet. Google sends automated computer programs out across the internet to discover new addresses by following links from other pages. If your site is brand new and no other sites link to you yet, the automated programs might not have walked down your path.
Sometimes older sites have technical blocks that tell Google to stay away. A setting in your files or content management system might be accidentally turned on, which blocks search engines from reading your pages. When this happens, your pages remain invisible in google indexing vs ranking scenarios because they never even enter the starting gate.
Other times, the issue is structural. If your pages are hidden behind complex menus that automated programs cannot figure out, or if your site has broken links everywhere, Google gives up trying to read it. Fixing these structural problems usually requires a developer if you are not comfortable editing code yourself.
Reason two: your website is indexed but not ranking high enough
If your site: search brings up a neat list of your pages, your website is indexed successfully. If you still cannot find your business when typing in what your customers are searching for, your problem is that you are indexed but not ranking high enough to be seen.
Google has billions of pages to choose from, and it tries to show the most helpful ones first. If your page only mentions your service once or twice, Google might not be sure whether your page actually answers the searcher's question. Stronger pages from competitors often take the top spots.
Another common reason for low placement is a slow loading time or a poor layout on mobile phones. Google prefers to send users to websites that load fast and work well on small screens. If visitors leave your pages immediately because they take too long to load, Google notices that behavior and gradually moves you down the results page.
How to tell the difference in two minutes
You do not need fancy software to diagnose your situation. You can separate an indexing problem from a ranking problem in two quick steps.
| Check type | What you do | What the result means |
|---|---|---|
| Index check | Search site:yourwebsite.com |
If zero results appear, your site is not indexed. |
| Ranking check | Search your specific business topic | If your site appears on page five, you are indexed but not ranking. |
Once you run these two checks, your path forward becomes clear. If the index check fails, your focus must be on getting Google to notice and read your pages. If the ranking check shows you buried on page five or six, your focus must shift to improving your content and user experience so Google decides you deserve a higher spot.
What to fix first to get your website found
If your site is not indexed, you should create a free account with Google Search Console, which is Google's official tool for website owners. Inside that tool, you can submit your web address directly and ask Google to come and inspect your pages. You can also check our full audit checklist to uncover any hidden technical blocks.
If your site is indexed but buried, look closely at what your pages actually say. Make sure your main headings clearly state what you do and the town or city you serve. If you sell plumbing services in Bristol, your main page should state that clearly at the top, rather than relying on vague corporate taglines.
If you need expert help with your website design, development or automation, Tech Creeds, our own agency, can help you get your site structured correctly so search engines can read it properly. Otherwise, start by running your own diagnostic checks and fixing the obvious gaps on your pages.
To see how your website is performing right now, run a free audit on Get Website Audit.