Why isn't my website showing on Google?

First, separate two different problems

When a business owner says their website is not showing on Google, it usually means one of two things: Google has not indexed the page, or the page exists in Google but ranks too low to be seen.

Those are different problems and need different fixes. A clear diagnosis saves time and prevents unnecessary rebuilds.

Problem A: The page is not indexed

If a page is not indexed, Google has not added it to searchable results yet. In that case, ranking work will not help until indexing is resolved.

A practical first check is searching Google for site:yourdomain.co.uk plus a key page topic. If the page does not appear at all, start with indexing and crawl checks.

• Check whether the page returns properly and is not broken or blocked.
• Check whether the page is linked from other pages on your website.
• Check whether important pages were accidentally set to noindex during a redesign or migration.

Problem B: The page is indexed but ranking poorly

If your page appears in Google but far down the results, the challenge is usually relevance, quality, and competition rather than indexing.

This is where service-page clarity, stronger local context, and regular page improvements tend to make the biggest difference.

• Read our guide on why websites struggle to rank: Useful when pages are indexed but not earning visible positions.

A simple diagnosis workflow for business owners

Work through your key service pages one by one rather than trying to fix everything at once.

• List three to five services that should bring enquiries.
• Check whether each service page is indexed.
• Search the service and location terms your customers would actually use.
• Note whether Google shows the right page, the wrong page, or no page.
• Prioritise fixes on pages tied to commercial enquiries first.

Common reasons visibility drops after a website change

A site can disappear from expected searches after platform changes, URL changes, or content rewrites. Often this happens because old pages were removed without proper redirects or new pages became harder for Google to understand.

If traffic has also dropped, it is worth checking broader causes before assuming one technical fault explains everything.

• Read the full guide to diagnosing traffic drops

What to do next if you are still unsure

If you cannot tell whether the issue is indexing, ranking, or both, use an audit process that prioritises what affects enquiries first.

• Explore managed SEO services
• Start a free website audit: Get a practical diagnosis and clear next actions.

Use the intended URL as the starting point

Inspect the exact page you want customers to find. Check whether Google selected a different canonical and whether ordinary internal links point to the intended URL. A site search is a clue, not a complete inventory of indexed pages.

Work through the step-by-step SEO checks before requesting another indexing attempt.

• Help with technical SEO obstacles