New sites take time
Google's starter guide says some changes show within hours while others take months, and suggests waiting a few weeks before judging a change.
Website not showing on Google
First check whether Google has your site at all with a site: search. If it does not, look for a rule blocking it (noindex or robots.txt), then help Google find it through Search Console, a sitemap and links.
Diagnose it
Symptoms, checks and fixes
Common symptoms
- Searching your business name does not show your site.
- A site:yourdomain.com search returns no results.
Checks to run
| Check | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Is the site indexed at all? | Search site:yourdomain.com in Google. Results mean you are in the index. | If results appear, the issue is ranking, not indexing. If none appear, keep going.[1] |
| Is something blocking Google? | Inspect the home page in URL Inspection and check "Crawl allowed?" and "Indexing allowed?". | Remove a stray noindex or a robots.txt Disallow left from development.[2][3][4] |
| Does Google know the site exists? | Check whether the site is verified in Search Console and whether any other site links to it. | Verify the site, submit a sitemap, and get listed where your customers look, such as industry directories.[1][5] |
| Is there a manual action? | Open the Manual actions report in Search Console. | Fix the listed issue on every affected page and request a review.[6] |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a sitemap?
It is optional, but helpful. Google mainly finds pages through links from pages it has already crawled.[1]
How we work together
Two ways to get started
Website Subscription
Your website, fully managed — no big upfront cost.
We design, build, host, maintain and keep improving your site for one simple monthly fee.
- Custom-designed & built for your brand
- Hosting, security & maintenance included
- Ongoing edits & content updates
- Continuous SEO & performance improvements
- Scale up or down as you grow
Fixed Project
A one-off custom build you own outright.
A defined scope and a single fixed quote — delivered once, and yours to keep.
- Bespoke design & development
- Defined scope & timeline
- You own the website & code
- Optional care plan after launch
- Custom-quoted to your needs
Sources
- [1] Google Search Central: SEO starter guide. Checked 10 October 2026.
- [2] Search Console Help: URL Inspection tool. Checked 10 October 2026.
- [3] Google Search Central: Block search indexing with noindex. Checked 10 October 2026.
- [4] Google Search Central: Introduction to robots.txt. Checked 10 October 2026.
- [5] Search Console Help: Sitemaps report. Checked 10 October 2026.
- [6] Search Console Help: Manual actions report. Checked 10 October 2026.
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