Why Isn't My Website Showing Up on Google?
A step-by-step way to work out why your site isn't appearing, from indexing problems to plain competition.
There's a big difference between "Google doesn't know my site exists" and "Google knows, but ranks me tenth". They have completely different fixes, so start by working out which one you've got.
If nothing appears at all
1. The site is too new
A brand-new site can take days to weeks to be indexed. Submit it in Google Search Console and be patient.
2. It's blocking search engines
The most common cause after a rebuild: a "discourage search engines" setting left on, or a robots.txt blocking everything, or a noindex tag left over from staging. Check yourdomain.com.au/robots.txt and your site settings.
3. It's not in Search Console
Verify the site, submit your sitemap, and check the page indexing report. It will usually tell you exactly what's wrong.
4. Nothing links to it
A site with no links from anywhere — no Google Business Profile, no directories, no social pages — is genuinely hard to find. A profile and a couple of legitimate listings help.
5. The pages are built in a way Google can't read
Rare on modern sites, but content locked inside images, or a page that renders nothing without JavaScript, can cause it.
If your site appears, but not where you want
6. You have no page for what people search
The most common cause by far. If your best-earning service is one line on a services page, there's nothing for Google to show. Give it a page.
7. You haven't said where you work
Local searches need local signals. Name your suburbs on the site, and set your service area on your Google Business Profile.
8. No Google Business Profile
Without one you can't appear in the map results at all. See ranking without a Google Business Profile.
9. Thin or duplicated content
Pages with two paragraphs, or fifty suburb pages with the same text, give Google nothing to prefer.
10. The site is slow or awkward on mobile
It won't be the only reason, but it doesn't help, and it definitely costs you enquiries from the people who do arrive.
11. You're up against established competitors
Sometimes the answer is simply that the businesses above you have been at it for years. Target more specific searches — service plus suburb — rather than the broadest term.
12. You're checking wrong
Searching your own business name from your own phone gives you personalised, location- skewed results. Use Search Console data instead.
Work through these in order
- Run a site: search to check indexing
- Verify the site in Google Search Console and submit a sitemap
- Check robots.txt and any noindex settings
- Confirm you have a page for each main service
- Name the suburbs you cover
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
- Fix thin or duplicated pages
- Test speed and usability on a phone
If most of that list is broken, rebuilding is usually faster than patching — the SEO foundations are included in every site I build. See what's included.
Want to Improve Your Google Visibility?
SEO varies enormously depending on your website, your market and who you're competing against, so there's no fixed package. Tell me what you do and where you work, and I'll tell you honestly what's realistic.
Talk to Mike About SEOCommon questions
- How long should I wait before worrying?
- A few weeks for indexing, and months for competitive rankings. See how long indexing takes.
- Can I pay to be indexed faster?
- No. You can request indexing in Search Console, which is free, but nobody can buy their way into the organic results — that's what ads are for, and they're separate.
Written by Mike — Web Guy Mike
I build and look after websites for Australian tradies and small service businesses. Every site is built by me — no outsourcing, no account managers. More about Mike.