You’ve launched your new website. You’ve told your friends. Your network of LinkedIn contacts. Oh, and your mum. You’ve typed your website name into Google with the confidence of someone expecting instant fame… and nowt, nothin’, zilch.
Leading you to yell in frustration:
“What the hell!? Why is my website not showing on Google or appearing in search results at all!?”
Legit response that, honestly, I get it.
There are a lot of reasons why your site isn’t ranking, so get comfy, cos I’m going in deep.
But before then, ask yourself this.
Are you sure your site isn’t showing on Google?
There’s a dead-simple search you can try that shows every page of your website that Google knows about.
So, before reading one, go to Google and type this in:
site:yourwebsite.com (or co.uk, .fr, .org, etc., whatever it ends in)
If your pages appear, woohoo — your site is indexed and Google knows your website exists.
If your pages show up, it’s not that Google can’t see you; it’s just that it’s not ranking your pages as relevant or high-authority for specific search terms at the moment (which can happen with a new site).
And if nothing is showing up?
Well, let’s see what might be wrong.
Why is your website not showing up on Google?
There might be several reasons, so check these off one by one:
One. Your website is new, so Google doesn’t know who you are
Google doesn’t instantly rank your pages the second you hit ‘Publish‘. So, if you’re not showing up at all, then you need to look at whether your website is:
- Less than a few weeks old
- Recently redesigned
- Only just moved to a new domain
It can take days, weeks and sometimes months for Google to index pages.
So, relax and check it again in a week or two.
Two. You haven’t asked Google to index your site
Are you signed up for Google Search Console?
If not, that’s a major reason your pages aren’t showing. You’ve got to tell Google it exists, so:
- Set up a Google Search Profile (or log in if you do have one but haven’t used it)
- Add your sitemap (usually yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml, you can find this via your website host or something like RankMath if you use WordPress plugins)
This helps Google crawl your website, but it might still not rank if your website contains:
- No internal links
- No backlinks from other websites
- The site is hidden behind technical issues
So, make sure your pages and blogs link to other pages and blogs that are relevant to that page.
Three. You’ve told Google not to index your site
This is one of the biggest reasons a site isn’t visible on Google, especially after a redesign.
You might have things like:
- noindex tags on pages
- A robots.txt file blocking crawlers
- Password-protected pages
- Entire site set to “discourage search engines” in WordPress
How to check and fix this in WordPress:
- Go to Settings → Reading
- Make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked
- Save changes
Then:
- Check individual pages (especially if you use plugins like Yoast or Rank Math)
- Make sure they are set to Index, not Noindex
After fixing it:
- Open Google Search Console
- Use URL Inspection
- Click Request Indexing
How to fix this in Squarespace
Squarespace loves hiding important SEO settings in places you wouldn’t think to look:
- Go to Settings → Advanced → Crawlers
- Make sure “Hide page from search results” is turned OFF
To fix individual pages:
- Open the page
- Click Settings
- Go to SEO
- Make sure “Hide page from search results” is OFF
Once updated:
- Save
- Head to Google Search Console
- Request indexing for affected pages
How to fix this in WIX
Wix often applies noindex accidentally to:
- Draft pages
- Pages hidden from menus
- Pages marked as “private”
To check:
- Go to SEO Settings in your Wix dashboard
- Find the affected page
- Make sure it’s set to Index
Also check:
- The page is published
- The page is not password-protected
After fixing:
- Use Google Search Console to request re-indexing
How to fix robots.txt
If robots.txt is blocking Google, it won’t even look at your site.
Check if yours is set up correctly by doing this:
yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
You’re looking for any errors like:
Disallow: /
If you see that, Google is blocking your entire site.
To fix it:
- Remove the disallow rule
Or adjust it so only specific pages are blocked
And don’t forget to tell Google you’ve fixed it
Once you’ve removed noindex, fixed robots.txt or unlocked blocked pages:
- Open Google Search Console
- Use URL Inspection
- Click Request Indexing
It’ll nudge Google to recrawl your site and rank it faster than it would otherwise.
Four. Your content doesn’t match what people are searching for
Just because you think people are searching for “bespoke holistic solutions” (hisss, hate the word solutions) doesn’t mean they are.
Search engines rank pages based on proper search intent. If your copy isn’t written with search intent in mind, it’s no surprise your website isn’t ranking on Google.
So, you need to check if:
- Your pages are too vague
- There are no clear keywords
- You’re using overly clever language with no substance
If that’s the case, what to do:
- Research actual search terms (start typing the problems you solve into Google and the search terms will drop down in a list, these are real searches by real people)
- Create landing pages focused on one specific niche
- Write blog posts answering these searched-for problems
- Answer real questions people ask
Five. Your website has thin, weak or duplicate content
Google doesn’t like:
- 200-word service pages
- Copy-paste AI crap
- Blog posts that say a lot without saying anything
If your site looks like it was built just to exist, Google won’t give a stuff.
What Google wants is:
- In-depth, useful content
- Clear expertise
- Original writing
- Pages that actually help someone
Yes, length matters (oo-er!), but useful, helpful content matters more. Google detects fluff, so your copy and your content need to be strong.
Six. You have technical SEO issues
Your website might look fine, but a mess behind the scenes can be a major reason your website isn’t showing up on Google.
Reasons for this include:
- Slow page speed (check the speed with PageSpeed Insights)
- Broken internal links
- Mobile usability issues (see your score with the SE Ranking test)
- JavaScript-heavy sites that Google is struggling to read
- Multiple versions of the same page
Seven. Your website has little or no authority
Google trusts websites that other websites trust, but if there’s nothing linking to you, search engines aren’t seeing you as a voice in your industry.
This happens if you have:
- No backlinks
- Your website is new (I think you probably knew this one!)
- You’re in a competitive industry
- You’ve bought spammy backlinks
Here’s how to fix it:
- Create content worth linking to
- Get listed in relevant and industry directories (for example, if you’re a writer, join ProCopywriters)
- Build genuine connections with potential clients, industry peers, etc
- Stop buying spammy links
Eight. You’re competing with giants
Trying to rank for terms like:
- Insurance
- Marketing agency
- Toy store
- Online shop
Honestly, it’s like bringing a butter knife to a sword fight. It’s hard enough to rank for these basic terms when you’ve had a site for years, so if yours is new, there’s even less chance.
A better approach would be to:
- Target long-tail keywords (these are things like, best copywriter in Liverpool, if I was using one – hehe!)
- Be specific with your search terms
- Create landing pages for niches you work in/with, so you can rank for keywords
- Blog about the niches you work with and the problems you solve for them
Google loves helpful content and your normal webpages can only get you so far. That landing page tip has served me well and landed me work with LEGO, Universal Pictures and Hampton Court Palace.
Blog and be as useful as possible, so people share your content and get your articles showcased on directories if they allow you to submit them.
Nine. Your business doesn’t exist anywhere else online
If your business only exists on your website, Google has very little context to trust you. And this is down to several factors I’ve mentioned earlier in this post, like:
- No Google Business Profile
- No directory listings
But it will also affect you if you have:
- No social media presence
- Inconsistent business details (name, address, phone number)
I don’t even need to tell you what to do here, because you already know you need to get a Google Business page and list yourself on directories. And even if you hate social media, get yourself on it so you have a link back to your website (and link out to your social accounts in your website footer).
Ten. Google is trying to crawl your site, but doesn’t understand it
Your site might be indexed, technically fine and fully visible, but Google still might not get it.
If your pages aren’t clearly focused on specific topics or search terms, Google will struggle to understand:
- What the page is about
- Who it’s for
- When it should appear in search results
Common causes for this are:
- Vague page topics
- Trying to target too many keywords on one page
- Clever copy or jargon-filled pages that don’t really say anything at all
If that’s the case, here’s what you can do:
- Assign one main keyword/topic per page
- Match your content to real search intent
- Make your headings and copy painfully clear
Eleven. Your website looks untrustworthy (to Google and humans)
If your website feels unfinished, insecure, or anonymous, Google is unlikely to take a chance on it, especially for competitive searches.
Trust-killers include:
- No HTTPS (SSL certificate)
- No privacy policy or terms
- No reviews, testimonials or proof you’re legit
- No clear contact information
If you don’t have these, wow, that’s a big reason for your website not showing on Google.
So, do this:
- Make sure your site uses HTTPS
- Add basic trust pages (privacy policy, terms)
- Add testimonials or case studies
- Make it obvious how to contact you
Honestly, if you’ve used a website designer to create your pages, I’d be astounded if they didn’t set up your SSL certificates and make, at the very least, a bog-standard Privacy Policy page.
Testimonials and case studies are difficult if you are a newbie, but I’m sure you can scrape some up from somewhere.
Twelve. You’ve got duplicate content
If multiple pages on your website are extremely similar, Google doesn’t know which one to rank, so it may choose none of them.
Duplicate content can happen accidentally through:
- Multiple URLs for the same page
- Similar service pages targeting the same thing
- Copy-pasted content with minor tweaks
- Your homepage has a keyphrase in the cop that’s the same as another page or a niche landing page
Fix it by doing this:
- Make sure every page has a unique purpose
- Combine overlapping pages where possible
- Use canonical tags when duplication is unavoidable
- Tweak the copy so your other pages have a chance of being crawled and ranked
In short, why is your website not showing on Google?
It’s likely to be a mixture of some of the above (unlikely all), but the main culprits are usually:
- It hasn’t been indexed (or Google isn’t indexing your website properly)
- You haven’t set up a Google Search Profile
- Weak content
- Technical problem
- Low authority
- No SSL certificates
- Unrealistic expectations for how long it takes to rank
Once you’ve got loads of content, you’ll find pages rank much faster, but if you’re new, it might take longer than you hoped.
Want to learn more about SEO copy?
Then check out these articles:
- 24 awesome ways to optimise SEO for blog posts
- 8 reasons your website needs B2B SEO Copywriting
- Should I hire an SEO copywriter?
Need help from a brilliant SEO copywriter?
If writing SEO copy isn’t your strong point (and why would it be, you’re not a writer), then maybe I can help.
Whether you need a copywriter to help your website rank or you need an SEO checklist to check everything yourself, I can help.
I’ve improved the SEO for loads of clients, like Udari Wickremasinghe, helping her get more traffic and clients and Nikki Pilkington, whose copy I wrote that increased her sales by 350%.
So, if you’re sick of your website not showing up on Google, get in touch and let’s chat about how I can help your website start appearing on search engines.
Until next time,
Matt
