Website not showing up on Google? 9 common causes and how to fix them

You typed your business name into Google, scrolled, and... nothing. A website not showing up on Google is one of the most common worries I hear from business owners, so take a breath. It happens all the time, and it's usually fixable.

This guide walks you through a two-minute test, the nine most common causes, and how to check and fix each one. No technical background needed. I'll explain any jargon as we go.

Quick test: is your website not showing up on Google at all?

Start here. Go to Google and search for site: followed by your web address, with no spaces, like this: site:yourbusiness.com

• If you see a list of your pages, Google has found your site. Your problem is ranking, not being invisible. Skip ahead to causes 4 to 8.
• If you see no results, Google hasn't indexed your site yet. "Indexed" just means Google has found your pages and added them to the list it searches. Start with causes 1 to 3.

1. The site is brand new

How to check: when did your site go live? If it's only been a few days or weeks, Google may simply not have visited yet.

How to fix: give it time, and speed things along with cause 3 below (Google Search Console). It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for a new site to appear, and longer to start ranking for anything competitive.

2. The site is set to hide from search engines

This one is surprisingly common. Websites can carry an instruction that tells search engines "don't list me." It's often switched on while a site is being built, then forgotten at launch.

How to check: many website builders have a setting with a name like "hide from search engines" or "discourage search engines." Look in your site's settings or ask whoever built it. Behind the scenes, this shows up as a "noindex" tag on your pages or a robots.txt file that blocks search engines. Google Search Console (cause 3) will also flag pages that are blocked.

How to fix: turn that setting off, or have your web designer remove the noindex tag or the blocking rule. Then ask Google to take another look using Search Console.

3. It's not connected to Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your site is doing in search: whether your pages are indexed, what searches you appear for and any problems Google found.

How to check: if you've never set it up, or nobody can tell you who has the login, it isn't connected.

How to fix: add your site to Search Console and verify you own it. Then submit your sitemap (a file that lists all your pages, usually at yourbusiness.com/sitemap.xml) and use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for your homepage. This is the single most useful thing you can do if your site isn't indexed.

4. You're searching broad terms instead of your business name

How to check: what exactly did you search? If you typed "plumber" or "roofing company" and didn't see yourself, that doesn't mean Google can't find you. It means other businesses rank higher for that broad term.

How to fix: search your exact business name first. If you show up for that, your site is working. Showing up for services is the next challenge, which I cover below.

5. Your pages have very little text

How to check: read your pages. If your homepage is mostly a big photo, a logo and "Call us today," Google has very little to go on. It can't tell what you do or where.

How to fix: describe your services in plain words, the way customers would search for them. Mention the towns you work in. Give each main service its own page or section, with a clear page title like "Drain Cleaning in Bangor, ME."

6. No Google Business Profile, or it's incomplete

Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Maps and in the map results. Without one, you're missing the spot where most local customers look first.

How to check: search your business name on Google Maps. If nothing appears, or the listing is missing hours, photos or services, or it says it isn't verified, there's work to do.

How to fix: claim and verify your profile, then fill out every section: category, service area, hours, photos and services. You can do this yourself. My step-by-step guide on getting your business to the top of Google walks through it.

7. Technical problems: slow, broken or not mobile-friendly

How to check: open your site on your phone, ideally on a weak signal, and look for these warning signs:

• It takes a long time to load.
• You have to pinch and zoom to read it.
• Buttons are too small to tap, or the menu doesn't work.
• Your browser shows "Not secure" next to the address, meaning there's no SSL certificate (the padlock).
• Links lead to error pages.

How to fix: these usually need your web designer or host. Search Console also reports pages it had trouble with. A site that's slow or hard to use on a phone frustrates visitors, and search engines take that into account.

8. Strong local competition

How to check: search for your main service and town, like "plumber Bangor." Who shows up? If it's established businesses with detailed sites and lots of reviews, you're in a competitive spot.

How to fix: there's no shortcut, but there is a path: clear service and town pages, a complete Google Business Profile, a steady stream of real reviews and a site that's easy to use on a phone. In smaller Maine markets, doing these basics well is often enough to stand out.

9. Spam or penalty issues (rare)

Very occasionally, a site is held back because it broke Google's rules, often from an old shortcut like bought links or copied content. How to check: Search Console has a "Manual actions" report that will say if there's a problem. How to fix: remove the cause, then follow the steps Google gives in that report. For most small businesses, this isn't the issue.

Showing up for your name vs. showing up for your services

There are really two goals here. Showing up when someone searches your business name is the first step, and the fixes above usually sort it out. But the customers you don't have yet aren't searching your name. They're searching for what you do, where they live: "roofer Bangor," "furnace repair Brewer," "snow plowing near me."

To show up for those, Google needs to see that you offer that service in that town. That's why separate service pages and town pages matter. A page about "Roof Replacement in Bangor" gives Google a clear match for that search. A single homepage that says "we do it all" doesn't. You can see how this works on my pages for website design across Maine.

How long fixes take to show results

Be patient but persistent. Fixing a noindex setting and requesting indexing can get pages listed within days to a couple of weeks. Moving up for competitive service searches usually takes weeks to months of steady work. Check Search Console every few weeks rather than every day, and keep adding real content and earning real reviews.

Where I fit in

Every website I build is set up for local search from day one, so most of the problems above simply don't happen:

• Clean, fast code that search engines can read, with an SSL certificate included.
• A clear page title and description on every page, written for the searches your customers use.
• A page or section for each main service, plus service-area pages on the Business plan.
• Designed for phones first, with tap-to-call buttons and short quote forms.

If your current site has some of these problems, I'll show you a free redesign of your homepage, so you can see the difference before you decide anything. Plans start at $65 a month with no setup fee. You can compare plans and pricing.