You’ve got a website, you search for your business, and nothing comes up. It’s frustrating, but the cause is usually simple. Work through these checks in order.
1. Check whether Google knows about your site
Go to Google and search for site:yourdomain.co.uk, using your own address. If pages appear, Google has found your site, and the problem is ranking rather than indexing. If nothing appears, Google hasn’t added it yet, so carry on with the next checks.
2. Give it time if the site is new
New websites can take days or weeks to appear. You can speed this up by adding your site to Google Search Console, which is free, and submitting your sitemap.
3. Look for a “noindex” tag
A noindex tag tells Google to leave a page out of its results. Web designers often turn this on while a site is being built and forget to turn it off. In WordPress, check Settings, then Reading, and make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” isn’t ticked.
4. Check your robots.txt file
Open yourdomain.co.uk/robots.txt in a browser. If you see Disallow: / under a line that says User-agent followed by an asterisk, you’re telling all search engines to stay away from the whole site.
5. Make sure the site actually loads
Sites that are down, slow or showing security warnings don’t do well. Our free website check shows whether your homepage loads, whether it’s secure and how fast it responds.
6. Check your page title and description
Your page title is the single clearest signal of what a page is about. If yours just says “Home”, Google has very little to go on. Use your business name, what you do and where, such as “Smith’s Plumbing | Emergency Plumber in Leeds”.
7. Add real content
A homepage with a logo and one sentence gives Google nothing to work with. Explain what you do, who you do it for and where you work, in plain language. Give each main service its own page.
8. Set up your Google Business Profile
For local searches, your Google Business Profile matters as much as your website. It’s free, and it’s what puts you on Google Maps. Claim it, verify it, and fill in your hours, services, photos and website address.
9. Compare yourself honestly with your competitors
If you’re indexed but not ranking, search for what your customers would search for, and look at who appears. Do they have more pages, more reviews, or more local information? That’s your to-do list.
Still stuck?
Most of these problems are quick to fix once you’ve found them. Run the free website check to see your biggest issues, or ask us to take a look. Website fixes start at a one-off £49.
Common questions
How long does it take for a new website to appear on Google?
It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Adding your site to Google Search Console and submitting a sitemap helps Google find it sooner.
Can I pay Google to rank higher?
No. You can pay for Google Ads, which appear as sponsored results, but you can’t pay for a better position in the normal results.