Why Is My Website Not Showing Up In Google Search? (and What To Do About It)

Here are few of the most common technical issues which could be preventing your website from ranking:

If your website hasn’t been crawled and indexed by Google, or any other search engines, it can’t appear in search results and generate any organic traffic.

Note: if your website is new, Google may not have had enough time yet to crawl and index your web pages.

The simple way you can check is to get a quick indexing report using your website URL. Use the search command site:yourdomain.com in your Google search engine browser.  Here is a screenshot of me doing a search for this website:

If this doesn’t display any results, I recommend you log into your Google Search Console Account and request indexing.

If you’ve not heard of Google Search Console, you can read more here: Has Google Indexed My Site? or follow the instuctions in this blog post to create your free account: How to Set Up Google Search Console for your Website.

Most websites (but not all) have a robots.txt file which is a simple text file placed in the root directory of your website. This file provides instructions to search engine bots (also know as search engine crawlers) on how to crawl and index your site’s pages. Sometimes this txt file may be blocking the Googlebot from crawling the site or specific pages.

To ensure you are not unintentionally blocking critical areas, you can use the Google Search Console tester tool, which is available in the “crawl section” of the search console.

Are there any server errors?

HTTP status codes like 500 (server errors) or 503 (service unavailable) prevent crawling, and slow-loading pages can make it harder for Google to crawl all the pages effectively.

Google Search Console will highlight any critical issues in the main overview when you log in.

Unverified Google Business Profile

Your business profile might not be verified, which means it won’t be eligible to appear in Google search results. Verification is essential to establish credibility and visibility.

You can verify your profile by mail, phone, or email – see inside your Google Business Profile account for details. After verifying your profile, it might take a few weeks for your business to appear in relevant search results.

This is particularly important if you are looking for local business visibility, and want to appear in Google Maps recommendations.

No HTTPS:

Google prioritises secure websites (those that start with https) over non-secure ones (http). To make your site secure, you need an SSL certificate.

An SSL certificate is crucial because it encrypts data exchanged between a website and its visitors, ensuring privacy and security. It also builds trust as it tells search engines the site is safe which also improves website rankings. Some browsers show using a padlock symbol, or, like Google Chrome below, will show it if you click an icon at the start of the URL.

If you need to add an SSL certificate to your website, you can arrange this (sometimes for free) via your web hosting company.

Hacked Website

A hacked or compromised website may be removed from search results. It is not always immediately obvious that you are a victim of a hacker – one of my ecommerce websites was affected and I only found out about it when I did a site search and saw some strange language results being displayed.

I recommend running a site search (see site not indexed above) a couple of times a year to make sure everything appears as it should and you can also check your Google Search Console for any issues in the Security and Manual Actions section.

Imagine walking into a bustling marketplace and shouting about your amazing products… in a language no one else speaks. That’s what happens when your website and marketing content don’t align with the words your ideal clients are searching for.

Many small business owners assume they know what their audience is looking for, but without the right data, it’s just guesswork.

If your content doesn’t reflect the same keywords or phrases your audience types into Google search, they’ll never find you.

So how do you discover the those target keywords so you can create website content that will match search intent?

Keyword research is the cornerstone of a successful online presence. It’s not just about stuffing your website with random words—it’s about understanding your audience’s search intent.

• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What questions do they need answers to?

When you skip this step, your content may:

• Target search terms that are too competitive.
• Focus on irrelevant phrases that attract the wrong visitors.
• Overlook high-value, low-competition keywords your competitors are missing.

Without keyword research, you’re flying blind and your ideal clients are missing out on the chance to connect with you.

This is where strategic keyword research comes in.

By identifying the right words and phrases, you can create content that resonates with your audience, boosts your search rankings, and ultimately drive more search traffic to your site.

I designed my Profitable Marketing Words Mini Course to make this process simple, actionable, and accessible for small business owners like you. It’s perfect if you:

• Struggle to understand SEO jargon and want a clear, straightforward approach.
• Feel overwhelmed by the idea of keyword research but know it’s essential for your growth.
• Want to attract the right customers to your website, not just any visitors.

This course walks you through the basics of keyword research so you can start creating content that gets your business found online.

Once you are confident the search engines know your site exists and you are in Google’s index, visibility isn’t just about getting clicks—it’s about connecting with the people who need your services the most.

When your business ranks for the right keywords, you’re not just increasing traffic—you’re building trust, credibility, and relationships with potential customers.

And the best part? Keyword research is an investment that keeps giving. As you implement your learnings, you’ll see long lasting results that compound over time, achieving top ranking pages, one page at a time..

Don’t let your business remain invisible. Take control of your online visibility today with the Profitable Marketing Words Mini Course.

It’s affordable, self-paced, and designed to give you actionable steps you can implement immediately. Imagine finally seeing your business website pop up in search results—and the joy of connecting with people who truly value what you offer.

Your ideal clients are out there searching. Let’s make sure they find you.