Why isn't my website showing up on Google?
The short answer
Usually because the page isn't indexed: Google hasn't crawled it yet, a noindex tag or robots.txt is blocking it, or Google treats it as a duplicate of another page. Search Console tells you page by page, in the page indexing report and the URL Inspection tool. Google also warns that it never guarantees indexing.
How does Google find a page?
Google works in three stages, described in its official documentation: crawling (its robots download the page), indexing (it analyses the page and stores it in its index), then serving (it shows the page when it answers a search).
Not every page makes it through all three. Google says it plainly: it doesn't guarantee that it will crawl, index or show a page, even if the page follows its rules. A website missing from Google is almost always stuck at one of these stages, and the first job is to find out which one.
How do I know whether a page is indexed?
The usual reflex, typing site:yourwebsite.com into Google, gives an idea but not an answer. Google states that this operator doesn't necessarily return every indexed page.
The real answer is in Google Search Console, Google's free tool for website owners:
- the URL Inspection tool tells you, for a given address, whether it is indexed and if not, why;
- the page indexing report lists every non-indexed page, grouped by reason.
If your website doesn't have Search Console yet, that is the first thing to set up. Without it, you are working blind.
What are the most common causes?
These are the statuses I come across most often in the indexing report, with what they mean:
| Status in Search Console | What is happening | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Excluded by 'noindex' tag | The page itself asks not to be indexed | Remove the tag if the page should appear (often forgotten after launch) |
| Blocked by robots.txt | Google isn't allowed to crawl the page | Fix the robots.txt rule |
| Discovered – currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but hasn't crawled it yet | Be patient, add internal links to the page |
| Crawled – currently not indexed | Google read the page and chose not to index it | Make the page more useful and less similar to others |
| Duplicate without user-selected canonical | Google sees it as a copy of another page | Declare the reference URL (canonical tag) |
| Not found (404) or soft 404 | The page no longer exists, or looks empty | Redirect the old URL or put content back |
| Page with redirect | The URL points to another one | Nothing, if the redirect is intended |
On a new website, the noindex case is common: the tag hides the site while it is being built, and stays in place at launch. One line of code is enough to make an entire website invisible.
Why isn't robots.txt enough to hide a page?
This is a classic trap. The robots.txt file stops Google from crawling a page, not from indexing it. Google is clear: if a page is blocked by robots.txt, its crawler will never see the noindex tag, and the page can still appear in results, without a description.
So to remove a page from Google, leave it crawlable and add a noindex tag. And for a page to appear, it must be neither blocked nor marked noindex.
How long does indexing take?
Google mentions about a week to start crawling and indexing a new page or website, and a few days to a few weeks for a recrawl.
Two ways to help, described in its documentation:
- For a few pages, request indexing from the URL Inspection tool. There is a quota, and repeating the request for the same URL doesn't speed anything up.
- For many pages, submit a sitemap (an XML list of your pages) in Search Console.
Either way, Google points out that a request guarantees neither fast indexing nor indexing at all.
What if the page is indexed but can't be found?
Then the problem is no longer technical, it is about ranking. The page is in the index, but other pages answer the search better. That is where content, structured data, site speed and, for a local business, the Google Business Profile come in.
Where do I start in an audit?
Always with Search Console, before talking about keywords. For Inspector Médor, a company that detects bedbugs with sniffer dogs, the SEO audit was delivered as a roadmap ranked by effort and impact. That is what I took from the project: a non-technical client knows where to start when actions are ranked, rather than listed flat.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay Google to get my website indexed?
No. Crawling and indexing are not something you pay for. Google Ads is a separate advertising service: ads show above the results without changing how your pages rank organically.
Is a page that isn't indexed always a problem?
No. Google says so itself: a non-indexed page isn't necessarily a bad sign. Duplicates, internal search result pages or old redirected URLs don't need to be indexed. The problem is when a page meant to bring you customers is among them.
Is a sitemap enough to get all my pages indexed?
It helps Google discover them, especially on a new website with few links from other sites. But it guarantees nothing: a discovered page can stay unindexed if it is blocked, duplicated or judged too thin.
How long after a fix will the page show up?
Google mentions about a week to start crawling and indexing a new page, and a few days to a few weeks for a recrawl. Requesting indexing several times in a row doesn't speed anything up.
Sources
- In-depth guide to how Google Search works · Google Search Central
- Page indexing report · Search Console Help
- site: search operator · Google Search Central
- Ask Google to recrawl your URLs · Google Search Central
- Block search indexing with noindex · Google Search Central