01 / Guides
The two-minute test: indexing problem or ranking problem?
- 01
Run a site: search
Type site:yourdomain.com into Google (no https or www). No results means Google does not know your pages: an indexing problem.
- 02
Search your business name
If the site appears for site: but not for your exact business name, it is indexed but weak. For very new sites this is normal.
- 03
Search your keyword
If you appear for your name but not for “web design Lisbon” or your product, it is a ranking problem: content, competition, links. No setting fixes that; it takes SEO work.
02 / Guides
The most common causes and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| site: shows nothing, site is a few days old | Google has not crawled it yet | Set up Search Console, submit a sitemap, request indexing of the home page |
| site: shows nothing, site has been live for a while | A noindex tag or robots.txt keeps Google out | Check the source for noindex, open robots.txt, check your CMS settings |
| Vanished after a relaunch | noindex carried over from staging, missing redirects, canonical pointing to the staging domain | Remove noindex, add 301 redirects for every old URL, check canonical tags |
| Only some pages missing | Duplicates, thin content or pages with no internal links | Merge or expand content, link pages internally, include them in the sitemap |
| New shop, nothing indexed | Shopify password page still on | Turn off password protection in the store settings |
| Spam pages you never made appear under your domain | The site has been hacked | Act now: clean the site, check Security issues in Search Console |
| Indexed, but only on page 3 or later | Strong competition, little content, few links, no business profile | Build content for your search terms, local SEO, maintain your Google Business Profile |
03 / Guides
Set up Google Search Console and use it properly
- 01
Add a property
At search.google.com/search-console, add a Domain property and verify it with a DNS TXT record at your domain provider. A Domain property covers http, https, with and without www, and subdomains.
- 02
Submit your sitemap
Under Sitemaps, enter your sitemap address, usually /sitemap.xml, or /sitemap_index.xml on WordPress with Yoast.
- 03
Inspect a URL
Enter your home page address at the top. URL Inspection shows whether the page is indexed, when Google last crawled it and whether noindex or robots.txt blocks it.
- 04
Request indexing
If the page is not indexed and shows no error, click Request indexing. It speeds up the first visit but does not guarantee inclusion.
- 05
Read the Pages report
Under Indexing › Pages you see which pages are not indexed and why. The main reasons are in the next table.
04 / Guides
What the Search Console messages mean
| Message | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag | The page itself tells Google not to index it | Remove noindex from important pages; on thank-you or login pages it is correct |
| Blocked by robots.txt | Google is not allowed to fetch the page | Fix robots.txt; never “Disallow: /” on a live site |
| Discovered – currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but has not crawled it yet | Be patient with new pages; strengthen internal links, check server speed |
| Crawled – currently not indexed | Google saw the page and decided not to index it for now | Improve the content, avoid duplicates, link to it internally |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user | Google considers another URL the original | Align canonical tags, redirects and internal links on one URL |
| Page with redirect | The URL redirects; the target gets indexed | Normal after a move; just check the target is indexed |
| Not found (404) | The page no longer exists | If it had visitors or links, 301 it to the matching new page |
05 / Guides
Where noindex and blocks hide
- WordPress: Settings › Reading › “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” must be unticked. With Yoast or Rank Math, also check “Show in search results” per content type.
- Shopify: While the password page is on (Online Store › Preferences › Password protection), Google will not index the store.
- Wix, Squarespace and other builders: Check in the SEO settings that the site is visible to search engines; individual pages can be hidden there too.
- Custom sites: View the source (Ctrl+U) and search for meta name="robots" content="noindex", and check the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header. Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt.
- After a relaunch: Staging sites are often set to noindex on purpose. When staging goes live, that setting travels with it. It is one of the most common causes of a site suddenly disappearing.
06 / Guides
New website: how long does it take?
A brand-new domain can take from a few days to a few weeks before Google finds and indexes it. A submitted sitemap and an indexing request usually speed this up. It is normal for a new site to appear only for its own name at first.
Better positions need signals: content that genuinely answers a search, a clear site structure, links from other websites and, for local businesses, a well-kept Google Business Profile. Our article on SEO for small businesses shows where to start.
07 / Guides
Technical checks when everything looks right
- Does the page return status 200? A page that shows Google an error (500) or a redirect loop will not be indexed.
- Is there exactly one version of the site? http, https, with and without www should all 301 to a single address.
- Do canonical tags point to the live domain, not a staging or old domain?
- Is the content in the HTML? For pages that load text via JavaScript, use View crawled page in URL Inspection.
- Is there a manual action? Check Security & Manual Actions in Search Console. Rare, but unambiguous.
- Is the server fast enough? Very slow servers hold back crawling, especially on large shops.
08 / Guides
Not showing on Google Maps?
For local searches such as “hairdresser near me”, the Google Business Profile matters as much as the website. If your listing is missing from Maps entirely, the profile may be unverified or suspended. Our guide on a suspended Google Business Profile explains what to do.
FAQ
Common questions
01Why is my website not showing up on Google?
Usually it is either not indexed yet (new site, noindex, robots.txt, password protection) or it is indexed but does not rank for your search terms. A search for site:yourdomain.com shows which.
02How long does it take for a new website to show on Google?
From a few days to a few weeks. Search Console, a submitted sitemap and an indexing request usually speed it up. Good positions for search terms take considerably longer.
03How do I submit my website to Google?
Through Google Search Console: verify your domain, submit your sitemap and request indexing of the home page. Google does not charge for this.
04My website disappeared from Google after a redesign. What now?
First check whether the new site still has noindex set or whether robots.txt blocks Google. Then make sure every old URL redirects with a 301 to a new page.
05What does “Crawled – currently not indexed” mean?
Google visited the page but is not indexing it for now, usually because the content is thin, duplicated or poorly linked. Improving the content and adding internal links helps.
06Why is my Wix or Shopify site not showing on Google?
On Shopify, check that the password page is off. On Wix and other builders, check the SEO settings allow indexing. Then follow the Search Console steps in this guide.