There are multiple reasons why your website is not showing up on Google search results.
Simple reasons like your website is new, and has not been indexed into Google yet, and more technical reasons like blocked pages or Robots.txt files, content issues, or website design.
1 . Check If The Website Is Indexed By Google
This is the easiest way to see if your website has been indexed in Google search.
The first thing you need to do is type “site:YourDomainName.com” into Google search.
If you see this result but with your website, then your website is indexed in Google.
If your website has not been indexed in Google, you will see a notice that looks like this:
2. Check Or Install Website Sitemap With Google Search Console
If you haven’t already, you need to make a Google Search Console account.
Create a Google Search Console account here
Once you have done this you can tell Google directly that your website exists.
This is done by submitting your website’s sitemap.xml file to Google directly.
A website sitemap.xml file will tell Google about the information on your website.
For example, how many pages, how many posts, indexed and non-indexed pages, etc.
Your sitemap will be “Yourwebsitename.com/sitemap.xml
Once you have a GSC account you can submit your website’s sitemap.
3. Search Engine Visibility
If your website is not showing up on Google there is a small chance it has been discouraged from being indexed.
In your website’s back office, click on “Settings” then “Reading” and you can see if your website is purposely blocking search engines.
4. Website Content Errors
Low-quality information, or not enough information on your website is another reason your website is not showing up on Google.
Main content problems:
1 – Not enough text: The recommended amount of words per page is 350. Too few words do not explain a subject well, and Google has difficulty understanding and identifying exactly what your content is about.
2 – Spam content: Spammy content, or scam websites are not shown on Google.
3 – Too many Outgoing or external links: Loading your website up with external affiliate links is a bad idea. Google looks at this like you have nothing to offer on your website as you are sending traffic away.
4 – Duplicate content: If you have copied and pasted content from other websites onto your site, Google will know, and will most probably show the original post, not yours.
Quality content is essential in getting Google to index your website. It is the number one way to drive traffic and increase the chances of indexation.
5. Website Speed and Loading
A slow website has a decreased chance of getting indexed in Google.
People and Google expect almost instant results and a slow load time can increase your traffic bounce rate dramatically ( Traffic will leave your website before the page has finished loading )
To check the speed of your website I use the Google Page Speed Insights tool.
I can see that I still need to make a few changes to my website to increase the overall performance.
My desktop score was 83.
6. Absent Focus Keywords
Another reason your website is not showing up on Google is the absence of focus keywords.
Each page and post/blog should include at least one focus keyword.
These tell Google exactly what your page, blog, article, etc, is about.
These keywords should be included in your:
- H1 title
- In your meta title.
- In your meta description
Pro Tip: 11 must-dos to get your blogs ranked on Google search <<<
Titles, the website address ( URL ), and the meta description are the first things people will see if your website is indexed in Google and appears in search results.
I use the AIO SEO plugin to add my meta descriptions, focus keywords, and check other important aspects of your blog.
7. Backlinks
Backlinks play a huge part in your website ranking ability.
The more backlinks you have the more domain authority you will score.
For example, if I have my website address ( URL ) on 1000 other websites, this tells Google that 1000 other websites recommend my website or information on my website, resulting in a higher domain authority score.
You can check your website backlink count for free with ahrefs.com
This is the result for my website which is 8 months old at the time of this blog
You can create backlinks by adding your website address to your social media platforms, forums, ebooks, and other websites with high domain authority, or anywhere you can leave your website address.
Note: Leaving your website address on spammy websites will result in a worse domain authority score.
Always make sure the place you are leaving your link is reputable and has a good domain authority score.
8. Your Website Needs To Be SEO Optimized
Seo stands for Search Engine Optimization, and this is the lifeline for many websites when it comes to being ranked on Google.
If your website is not showing up on Google it may be because you have fine-tuned your website’s SEO.
This means adding a focus keyword for all pages and posts.
Make sure all pages and posts include at least 350 words minimum.
Blogs should be around 1000 to 2000 words long.
Images should all include an alt text.
There are lots of easy SEO tasks to tick off and once again the AIO SEO plugin is perfect to use as your guide and checklist.
9. Accessibility and Responsive Mode
Make sure your website is available in responsive mode.
This means your website will be accessible on phones.
Many websites forget to check their website pages to see how they fit and look on a phone screen.
Almost 65% of searches on Google are through mobile devices such as phones.
Making sure your banners, images, and content shrink and fit to screen correctly is critical.
You can check this by right-clicking the page you want to check and then click on inspect.
This will load the responsive view of that webpage.
10 - Site Health and Security Issues
To make sure there are no security issues with your website, head over to your Google Search Console and scroll down to “Security and Manual Actions” then “Security”.
This will show you if someone from Google has manually placed a penalty on your website.
They will do this if your website has abusive content or behavior.
If this is the case and you do have a manual penalty, remove the content that is abusive and manually write to Google and ask for it to be checked and removed.
11. You Website Is Still New
If your website is still new, say 1 – 3 months old, it may not be indexed in Google.
This can be due to low content or any of the reasons listed above, however in most cases, if your website has more than 3 pages, more than 10 blogs, and your website is SEO optimized, there is no reason why it should not get indexed in Google.
With the right training and skills, plus the help of some tools, a website I build gets ranked almost instantly and blogs rank in Google in the first month.
It takes practice.
Summary: Why Your Website is Not Showing Up On Google
If your website is not showing up on Google, start by working through the list of possible reasons I have provided.
In most cases, it will be a mixture of more than one reason.
Use tools to help pinpoint areas of concern and deal with them accordingly.
I hope this blog has been informative and will help you and your websites get indexed and start showing on Google.
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Great post, Luke! Your detailed guide on why a website might not show up on Google is incredibly helpful. The step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting and resolving indexing issues are clear and easy to follow. I especially appreciate the tips on optimizing content and improving website speed. One question: do you have any specific recommendations for tools or plugins to help track and manage backlinks effectively? I’m still trying to understand plugins. Thanks!
– Scott
Hey Scott, thanks for your comment. I do not use plugins at this stage for monitoring backlinks however, I do use https://ahrefs.com/backlink-ch… to check and follow backlinks on my website which is a free tool.
The paid version of ahrefs.com will give much more info on backlinks as well as other valuable information regarding obtaining backlinks such as the backlink GAP tool inside the platform.
I may look into upgrading at some stage as my online business grows.
Thanks again for your comment and best wishes for the future 🙂
This is a sterling guide for beginners. However, I’ve been running websites for several years now, so I know the basics that you mention. But I wonder how you keep abreast of the new developments google is making, especially as they integrate AI rather thoughtfully into the picture? Can you recommend a tool that will keep me up-to-date without sifting through many verbose articles, please? I don’t have time to read everything these days.
Hey Linden, thanks for your comment and question.
Being online for years you will know the importance of keywords, If you have no idea why your website is not showing up on Google, I would start with the list I have mentioned.
If you are specifically looking into AI and Google I would search for this as a keyword specifically.
I have written blogs with 100% AI that rank in Google, and also written ones that do not. This ultimately comes down to content quality again which is mentioned in my blog.
If my AI blogs stopped ranking in Google, I would then look up reasons, however, most of the time it will be the quality of the information, and or the way it has been written and presented.
I am unsure of any tool that monitors AI-written blogs and Google rankings, however if you do find one, I would love to hear about it 🙂
Thanks again.
The article outlines common reasons why a website may not appear in Google search results, ranging from straightforward issues like new site indexing delays to more complex technical challenges such as robots.txt file misconfigurations, content quality issues, and website design shortcomings. It provides a practical overview of how these factors can impact search visibility and offers actionable steps to diagnose and resolve each issue effectively. Addressing these aspects comprehensively is crucial for improving a website’s chances of being indexed and ranked by Google, thereby enhancing its online presence and reach.
The step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting and resolving indexing issues are clear and easy to follow.This is a sterling guide for beginners.I especially appreciate the tips on optimizing content and improving website speed.
Thanks! Glad to know your found this helpful 🙂
Hello Luke,
Thank you for this incredibly detailed and informative post! You have covered a comprehensive list of reasons why a website might not be showing up on Google search results, which is extremely helpful for anyone managing a website. The step-by-step guidance on checking if a website is indexed, using Google Search Console and optimising SEO is particularly valuable.
I appreciate the tips on content quality, keyword focus and backlinks, as well as the emphasis on website speed and mobile responsiveness. Your advice on addressing potential security issues and the importance of a clean, well-organised site will definitely help many site owners improve their visibility and ranking on Google.
Cheers for the comment 🙂 Glad you found this helpful.
Hey Luke,
It is annoying when your site is not appearing on Google or getting very low traffic. You are not getting found online, and you feel as if no one sees your work .
From indexing to meta tags, this guide has all you need to do to get your site visible again! If you want to increase your site home widget visibility, then this information is great and the section about “Some common mistakes that are decreasing my website post” was great. This is a must-read for anybody who has problems getting their website not just on Google but on the first page, above even all competitors in search results.
Msrios
Champion, and glad you found it helpful 🙂