Why Isn't My Website Showing Up on Google?
Almost always for one of five fixable reasons: Google hasn't indexed the site yet, the site is too new to outrank anyone, Google doesn't recognise your business as a real entity, the pages don't answer anything people actually search for, or the site is built in a way Google can't read. Two free checks — below — will tell you which one you have in under five minutes.
First, the good news
"Not showing up on Google" feels like a mystery, but it isn't a lottery — it's a short list of causes you can rule out one by one, and the two most common ones are fixable in days, for free. Before paying anyone for "SEO", run the checks below and find out which problem you actually have.
Three checks that find the problem (5 minutes, free)
- 1
The site: check
Type site:yourwebsite.com.au into Google (with your real address, no spaces). If pages appear, Google has your site — skip to check 2. If nothing appears, Google doesn't have your site at all: that's an indexing problem, and it's the easiest fix on this page.
- 2
Search your business name
Search your exact business name plus your suburb. If your own website doesn't come up for your own name, Google doesn't yet trust that your business is a real, established entity — that's a recognition problem, not a content problem.
- 3
Search what a customer would type
Now search the way a stranger would: "your service + your suburb". This is the competitive one. If checks 1 and 2 pass but this fails, your site is indexed and trusted — it just doesn't yet answer the questions people search, or hasn't earned enough authority to outrank the sites that do.
The five causes, in the order to rule them out
Work top to bottom — each cause is more common than the one below it:
What actually fixes each one
Matching fix for each cause, with honest timeframes:
- Not indexed — set up Google Search Console (free), submit your sitemap, request indexing. Google usually picks the site up within days.
- Too new — Google holds new websites at arm's length for their first weeks or months. There's no shortcut to buy; keep publishing useful pages and the handbrake releases on its own.
- Not recognised as an entity — make your business name, details and description identical across your website, Google Business Profile, socials and directories. Google cross-checks them, and any mismatch reads as "not established".
- Content too thin — a page for each service you offer beats one page listing everything. Write pages that answer what customers actually type, and say something specific: prices, timeframes, suburbs served.
- Built in a way Google can't read — some site builders and heavy-JavaScript sites serve Google a nearly blank page. If everything else checks out, have someone technical fetch your pages the way a crawler does.
We had this exact problem
When we set up our own studio, our website was live, indexed and technically clean — and searching our own name plus "Melbourne web design" still returned our competitors. The site wasn't the problem; the entity was. Google had nothing to cross-check us against: no Business Profile, no directory listings, details written slightly differently in each place. Fixing exactly that — same name, same description, same details everywhere — is what moved the needle. If a web design studio can be invisible on Google, nobody's immune.
Symptom, most likely cause, and fix
| What you see | Most likely cause | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| site: search shows nothing | Not indexed | Search Console + sitemap (days) |
| Your own name doesn't find you | Weak entity | Consistent listings + Business Profile (weeks) |
| Name works, services don't | Thin or young content | Publish pages that answer real searches (months) |
| You ranked before, now gone | Technical change or penalty | Check Search Console for messages |
How long each fix takes
Set expectations before anyone quotes you a retainer:
How long until it works?
Honest timeframes: indexing fixes show up in days. Entity fixes take a few weeks to be cross-checked and trusted. Outranking competitors for valuable searches takes three to six months of consistent, useful content — that one has no shortcut at any price. Anyone promising page one in a fortnight is describing a miracle or an ad campaign, and they're charging you for the second one.
Where to next
- Step 01 of The Climb — getting on Google in the first place
The step-by-step version of this exact fix.
- Websites built so Google can read them
Clean code and structure are half of why sites rank.
- Sahara Caravans — built to be found by buyers nationwide
A manufacturer whose site sells far beyond its suburb.
See the whole journey, step by step
We documented getting our own site from zero to found — every step, in order, in plain English. Or send us your address and we'll tell you which of the five causes you've got.