Why Is My Website Not Showing on Google? 8 Checks for Small Businesses
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If your website isn't ranking on Google, first check whether Google has it at all. A site that isn't indexed can't rank for anything. If it is indexed, the usual reasons are that its pages don't clearly match what people search for, competitors give Google stronger reasons to show them, or, for local searches, you're too far from the searcher. Penalties are rare causes but worth ruling out. For a clearer indexing check, check your indexed pages in Search Console.
Check 1: is your site in Google at all?
Search Google for site:yourdomain.com.au. If nothing appears, or important pages are missing, open Google Search Console and use the URL Inspection tool on those pages. Google's own guidance is to look for problems such as a "noindex" tag or a robots.txt block, fix them, then request indexing (Search Console Help).
Common causes:
The site was launched with "discourage search engines" still switched on
Pages were moved or renamed without redirects
The site is very new and Google hasn't crawled it yet
Check 2: is it new?
Google says some changes take effect within hours and others can take several months, and suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change worked (Google Search Central). A brand-new site with few pages and no links is unlikely to rank quickly for competitive searches.
Check 3: do your pages match what people search for?
Google needs to understand what each page is about. Common problems:
Page titles like "Home" or "Services" instead of "Blocked drain repairs in Footscray"
One page listing every service, instead of a page per main service
Little written content, or important text inside images
Writing for search engines instead of people; Google's spam policies prohibit keyword stuffing (Google Search Central)
Check 4: who are you up against?
Search your target phrase and look at what ranks. If the results are large national businesses or established local competitors with detailed pages and many reviews, ranking will take longer. A more specific phrase, such as a service plus a suburb, may be more realistic to start with.
Check 5: is it a local search?
For searches like "electrician near me", Google shows map results based on relevance, distance and prominence (Google Business Profile Help). Your website alone rarely appears in the map results; that needs a verified Google Business Profile. Distance also matters: you'll usually show best close to your base.
Check 6: is there a manual action or security issue?
In Search Console, check the Manual actions and Security issues reports. These are uncommon for small business sites but stop pages ranking until fixed.
Check 7: is the site usable on a phone and fast?
Google uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking (Google Search Central). Test your key pages in PageSpeed Insights and on your own phone.
Check 8: can Google reach every page?
Google finds most pages by following links from your other pages, so a page that nothing links to can be missed. Link your main service pages from the menu or footer, and link each new page from a related one.
Open your site in a private or incognito browser window. If any page asks for a login, or the whole site is hidden behind a "coming soon" screen, Google cannot see it either. While you are there, run a site: search for your domain: strange pages you did not create are a common sign of a hacked site, which needs fixing before anything else.
A quick troubleshooting order
If... | Then |
site: search shows nothing | Check Search Console for indexing problems |
Pages are indexed but get no impressions | Improve titles, headings and content for each service |
You get impressions but low positions | Look at competitors and strengthen the page and your reviews |
Local map results don't show you | Set up and complete your Google Business Profile |
Next step
If you've worked through these checks and still aren't sure what's wrong, book a free 15-minute call with Morphic, or see how Morphic approaches small business website design.
Related services: local SEO for Melbourne businesses and website maintenance in St Albans.
Related reading: Why Is My Website Not Getting Enquiries? 11 Fixes for Small Businesses and Why Isn't My Business Showing on Google Maps? 12 Causes and Fixes.
Key Takeaways
First check whether Google has indexed your site using a site: search and Search Console.
Fix indexing blockers such as noindex tags or robots.txt rules, then request indexing.
Give each service a clear page with a descriptive title and real text content.
For local searches, a verified Google Business Profile is needed to appear in the map results.
New sites take time; Google says some changes can take several months to show.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
