You paid for a website. You typed your own business name into Google, scrolled, scrolled again, and found a directory listing, a competitor, and a Facebook page from 2019. Not you. It’s a horrible, slightly panicky feeling, because if you can’t find yourself, what chance do customers have?
Take a breath. This is one of the most common problems we’re asked about, it’s nearly always diagnosable in ten minutes, and the answer starts with one distinction: is your site missing from Google, or just losing in Google? Those are different problems with different fixes, and the checks below will tell you which one you’ve got.
Indexed vs ranking: the distinction that explains everything
Indexing is Google storing your pages in its database. Ranking is where those stored pages appear for a given search. A website that isn’t indexed shows up for nothing, not even its own name. A website that’s indexed but ranking poorly shows up somewhere, just too far down for anyone to find.
So the first job is to find out which camp you’re in.
Three 10-minute checks
Check 1: the site: search
Type this into Google, replacing the domain with yours:
site:yourbusiness.co.uk
If your pages appear, you’re indexed. Your problem is ranking; skip to that section. If nothing appears at all, you’re not indexed, and the checks below will usually show why.
Check 2: Google Search Console
Google Search Console is Google’s free tool that tells you exactly how it sees your site, and it takes the guesswork out of everything else in this post. Set it up, then use the URL inspection box to paste in your homepage. It will say whether the page is on Google and, if not, why. “URL is unknown to Google” means Google hasn’t found the page; “Crawled, currently not indexed” means it found it and chose to wait.
While you’re there, submit your sitemap (usually yourdomain.co.uk/sitemap.xml). A sitemap is a list of your pages that hands Google a map instead of leaving it to wander.
Check 3: the noindex trap
Websites have a setting that tells Google “don’t list this site”. It exists so half-built sites stay hidden, and web designers switch it on during development. The classic mistake is forgetting to switch it off at launch. On WordPress it’s a single tick-box (“Discourage search engines from indexing this site”). If your site was recently built and is invisible, check this first. It’s the number-one culprit we find.
If you’re not indexed: the usual causes
| Cause | How you spot it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Site is brand new | Launched in recent weeks | Wait, submit sitemap, be patient |
| noindex left on | Setting or tag on the page | Turn it off, request indexing |
| No sitemap submitted | Search Console shows none | Submit it |
| Nothing links to you | New domain, no mentions | Get listed and linked locally |
| Technical blocks | robots.txt disallows crawling | Have it corrected |
One reassurance worth stating plainly: new websites take time to appear. Days sometimes, weeks quite often, and that’s normal, not broken. If your site went live a fortnight ago, submit the sitemap, confirm nothing is blocking Google, and let it work.
If you’re indexed but nobody can find you: that’s a ranking problem
This is the more common situation, and honestly, the harder message: your website is competing, and at the moment it’s losing. Ranking depends on whether your pages answer what people search for, whether your site is technically healthy, and whether anything else on the web points to you as credible.
For a small business the practical levers are unglamorous: a page for each service you offer and each area you cover, real useful copy rather than three lines and a photo, and a well-maintained Google Business Profile for local searches. If you were visible before and have recently dropped, that’s a different diagnosis; we’ve written a calm checklist for when your Google ranking drops. And if terms like indexing and crawling are new to you, our plain-English guide to what SEO is fills in the background without the jargon.
Ranking work is a months-not-days game. Anyone who promises page one by Friday is selling you something the ASA would like a word about.
When to stop DIYing and get help
The self-checks above find the mechanical problems: noindex tags, missing sitemaps, absent pages. What they can’t do is write the content and build the presence that ranking takes, month after month. That’s the point where owners either commit the time or hand it over.
MarketingDone4U runs SEO as a fixed monthly service, and you can see what SEO costs and what you get at each level with real numbers rather than “it depends”. If you’d rather someone just found the problem and got on with fixing it, our SEO service starts with exactly the checks in this post, done properly.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my website not showing up on Google at all?
Either Google hasn’t indexed it or something is blocking it. The usual causes are a brand-new site Google hasn’t reached yet, a noindex setting left on from development, no sitemap submitted, or nothing on the web linking to you. A site: search and Google Search Console will identify which within minutes.
How long does it take for a new website to show on Google?
Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks is normal, and it isn’t a sign anything is wrong. You can speed it up by setting up Google Search Console, submitting your sitemap and requesting indexing of your key pages. Appearing is the quick part; ranking well takes months of ongoing work.
How do I check if my website is indexed by Google?
Search Google for site:yourdomain.co.uk. If your pages are listed, you’re indexed and your issue is ranking position. If nothing appears, you’re not indexed. For detail, Google Search Console’s URL inspection tool tells you page by page whether you’re on Google and exactly what’s stopping you.
Why does my business not show up when I search my own name?
If the website is indexed but buried, Google doesn’t yet associate your name strongly with your site. Common causes: a very new domain, your business name matching bigger or more established names, or directories outranking you. A Google Business Profile and consistent name, address and phone details usually fix brand searches fastest.
Do I need to pay Google to show up in search results?
No. Organic listings are free and always have been; you cannot pay for organic position. Google Ads can put you above the organic results while you pay, which is a legitimate shortcut for visibility, but the moment the budget stops, so does the placement. Organic visibility is earned, not bought.
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