Why Your Website is Not on Google and How to Fix It

It can be very frustrating to build a website and then realize it does not show up when you search for it. You might feel like you did something wrong or that your site is broken. The good news is that most of these problems are common. They can usually be fixed with a few simple steps.

When a site is missing from search results, it usually comes down to how Google finds, reads, and ranks your pages. Here are the most common reasons your site isn’t showing up and what you can do to get it back on the map.

Google Doesn’t Know Your Site Exists Yet

If your website is brand new, Google might not have found it yet. Google uses crawlers, which are like digital robots that follow links from one page to another. If no other websites link to yours, the robots might not know you are there.

How to fix it:
The best way to tell Google you exist is to use a free tool called Google Search Console. You can upload a sitemap, which is just a list of all the pages on your site. This acts like a map for Google’s robots. Once you submit it, you are basically inviting Google to come and take a look.

You Told Google to Stay Away

Sometimes, a website has a “noindex” tag hidden in its code. This tag tells search engines, “Please do not show this page in search results.” Often, web developers use this while they are building a site so people don’t see an unfinished product. If you forget to turn it off when you launch, your site will stay hidden.

How to fix it:
Check your website settings. If you use a tool like WordPress, there is often a checkbox that says “Discourage search engines from indexing this site.” Make sure that box is not checked. Options like this can also be found in SEO plugins for WordPress, so be sure to check everything you can. You can also use Google Search Console to see if any of your pages are being blocked on purpose.

Your Site is Hard to Use on a Phone

Most people use their phones to look things up today. Because of this, Google looks at the mobile version of your site first. If your buttons are too small to click, the text is tiny, or the page takes forever to load on a phone, Google might not want to show it to people. This also lowers your compliance with accessability, so it is very important to fix this.

How to fix it:
Open your website on your own phone. Can you read everything easily? Do the pictures fit on the screen? If the answer is no, you might need to change your theme or design. Make sure your site is responsive, which means it automatically changes its shape to fit whatever screen someone is using.

Your Content Doesn’t Answer the Question

Google wants to give people the best answer possible. If someone searches for “how to fix a leaky faucet” and your page talks mostly about the history of plumbing, Google might not think your page is a good match. This is called “search intent.”

How to fix it:
Look at the pages that are already ranking at the top for the words you want to show up for. What are they talking about? How are they organized? Try to make your content even more helpful than theirs. Use simple language and get straight to the point so people can find what they need quickly.

Other Websites Aren’t Talking About You

Think of the internet like a popularity contest. When a high-quality website links to your site, it’s like a “vote of confidence.” Google sees these links and thinks, “This site must be trustworthy because other people are talking about it.” If you have zero links from other sites, it is harder for Google to trust you.

How to fix it:
The best way to get links is to create things people want to share. This could be a helpful guide, a great video, or a list of tips. You can also reach out to local business groups or blogs in your industry and ask if they would like to mention your site.

Your Website is Too Slow

This one again? See a pattern? No one likes waiting for a slow website to load. If your site takes more than a few seconds to appear, people will leave and go somewhere else. Google notices when people bounce away from your site quickly, and it will stop showing your site as a top result.

How to fix it:
Big images are often the reason a site is slow. Before you upload a photo, make sure it isn’t a giant file. You can use free tools online to shrink the file size without making the picture look blurry. Also, try not to use too many “plug-ins” or extra features that might slow things down. Bloated themes, builders have bad code output. And don’t forget, garbage hosting is a huge factor in this.

You Might Have a Penalty

This is rare, but sometimes Google punishes a website if it thinks the owner is trying to cheat. This can happen if a site uses hidden text, copies content from other people, or buys fake links. If this happens, Google might remove the site from search results entirely. This is bad because Google does not have a phone number or real human support. Once your banned, that is it, your pretty much screwed, so don’t cheat and use less than ethical means to try and get ahead.

How to fix it:
Inside Google Search Console, look for a tab called “Manual Actions.” If Google has penalized you, they will tell you why right there. You will have to fix the problem and then ask Google to look at your site again. Most of the time, this is handled by their automated systems. As long as the violation is not to serious, you have a good chance of removing the penalty.

Why Keeping a Written Record is Best

If you are working with a professional to fix these issues, it is usually a good idea to keep all your communication in email. Having a written record helps you remember exactly what was changed and why. It keeps everyone on the same page and gives you a trail to look back on if you need to see when a certain fix was made. As you may or may not know, we here at Orvani are all about the written record.

Patience is Key

Even after you fix every problem on this list, it won’t happen overnight. It can take a few days or even a few weeks for Google to update its records. The best thing you can do is keep adding helpful information to your site and making sure it stays easy for people to use.

By following these steps, you give your website the best chance to be found by the people who are looking for you. Focus on being helpful, keep your site fast, and make sure you aren’t accidentally blocking the search robots. Before long, you should see your pages starting to appear where they belong.

If you have any questions about your website not showing up on Google, or with websites in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us!