Why Is My Website Not Showing Up on Google?

You built a website for your business, but when you search for it on Google... nothing. It's like your site doesn't exist. This is one of the most frustrating problems business owners face, and you're not alone.

The good news? In most cases, this is fixable. Let's walk through the 10 most common reasons your website isn't showing up on Google and exactly how to fix each one.

1. Google Hasn't Indexed Your Site Yet

This is the #1 reason new websites don't appear in Google. Indexing is Google's process of discovering, crawling, and adding your site to its database. If your site isn't indexed, it simply can't appear in search results.

How to check: Go to Google and search site:yourdomain.com. If nothing shows up, your site isn't indexed.

How to fix it:

• Create a Google Search Console account (it's free)
• Add and verify your website
• Submit your sitemap (usually yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml)
• Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for your homepage

New sites can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to get indexed. Submitting through Search Console speeds this up significantly.

2. Your Site Is Blocking Search Engines

Your website might be accidentally telling Google to stay away. This happens more often than you'd think, especially with new WordPress sites or sites that were recently in development.

Common culprits:

• robots.txt file - Check yourdomain.com/robots.txt. If it says "Disallow: /", that's blocking everything.
• Noindex tags - Your pages might have a meta tag telling Google not to index them.
• WordPress settings - In WordPress, go to Settings > Reading and make sure "Discourage search engines" is unchecked.

3. Your Website Is Too New

Google prioritizes established, trusted websites. If your site is brand new (less than 6 months old), it takes time to build authority and start ranking.

How to speed this up:

• Get your business listed on Google Business Profile
• Create social media profiles that link to your site
• Get listed in relevant business directories
• Start creating helpful content (like blog posts)

Patience is key here, but the steps above help Google trust your site faster.

4. You Don't Have Enough Content

Google needs content to understand what your website is about. A site with just a homepage and contact page doesn't give Google much to work with.

Minimum recommended pages:

• Homepage with clear description of your business
• About page
• Services or Products page(s)
• Contact page
• Blog or resources section (this really helps)

Each page should have at least 300-500 words of unique, helpful content.

5. Poor On-Page SEO

Even if your site is indexed, it won't rank well without basic SEO. On-page SEO tells Google what each page is about.

Essential on-page SEO elements:

• Title tags - Each page needs a unique title (under 60 characters)
• Meta descriptions - Summaries that appear in search results (under 160 characters)
• Headings - Use H1, H2, H3 tags to structure content
• Keywords - Include relevant terms naturally in your content
• Image alt text - Describe your images for accessibility and SEO

6. Your Site Is Slow

Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you're hurting your chances of ranking.

How to check: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to test your site.

Common speed fixes:

• Compress and resize images
• Use a faster web host
• Enable browser caching
• Minimize plugins (if using WordPress)
• Use a content delivery network (CDN)

7. Your Site Isn't Mobile-Friendly

Google uses "mobile-first indexing," meaning it primarily looks at the mobile version of your site. If your site doesn't work well on phones, you'll struggle to rank.

How to check: Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

Signs your site isn't mobile-friendly:

• Text is too small to read without zooming
• Buttons are too close together to tap
• Content is wider than the screen
• Pages look broken on phones

8. No SSL Certificate (HTTPS)

Google has confirmed that HTTPS is a ranking signal. If your site still uses HTTP (no padlock icon), you're at a disadvantage.

How to fix: Most web hosts offer free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt. Contact your host to enable it, then make sure your site redirects from HTTP to HTTPS.

9. You're Targeting Impossible Keywords

If you're a local bakery trying to rank for "cake" against major national brands, you're going to have a bad time. Newer business websites need to target realistic keywords.

Better keyword strategy:

• Target local keywords: "bakery in [your city]"
• Use long-tail keywords: "custom birthday cakes [your city]"
• Focus on what makes you unique

10. Duplicate Content Issues

If the same content appears on multiple pages of your site (or worse, copied from other sites), Google may penalize you or simply not know which page to rank.

How to check: Copy a sentence from your page and search it in quotes on Google. If it appears elsewhere, you have duplicate content.

How to fix:

• Write unique content for every page
• Use canonical tags if you must have similar pages
• Never copy content from other websites

How Long Does It Take to Show Up on Google?

After fixing these issues, here's what to expect:

• Getting indexed: A few days to 2 weeks
• Showing up for your business name: 2-4 weeks
• Ranking for competitive keywords: 3-6 months (or longer)

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. But fixing the fundamentals above will get you on the right track.

The Bottom Line

If your website isn't showing up on Google, don't panic. Start with the basics:

1. Set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap
2. Check that nothing is blocking search engines
3. Make sure you have enough quality content
4. Implement basic on-page SEO
5. Ensure your site is fast and mobile-friendly

Most indexing issues resolve within a few weeks once you've addressed these fundamentals. If you're still having trouble, it might be time to consult with a professional who can diagnose the specific issues with your site.

Have questions about your website's visibility? Reach out for a free consultation - I'm happy to take a look and give you honest feedback.

Chris Thorn

Founder of Thorn Web Solutions. I help service businesses build professional websites that actually get results. Serving clients nationwide.