May 24, 2025

10 Reasons Your Website Isn’t Ranking and How to Fix It

Why Isn’t My Website Showing Up on Google?

10 Reasons Your Website Isn’t Ranking and How to Fix It

You launched your website. You typed your business name into Google.

And… nothing.

It’s frustrating. But it’s also common.

If your website isn’t showing up on Google, there’s always a reason—and usually a fix.

This guide explains the most likely causes and what to do to get your website indexed, visible, and ranking higher.

1. Your Website Is Too New

If your site just went live, it can take a few days to several weeks for Google to crawl and index it.

Use Google Search Console to request indexing and speed up the process.

Search Term Tip:

“How long does it take for a website to show up on Google?”

2. Google Hasn’t Indexed Your Site

Search: site:yourdomain.com on Google.

If nothing comes up, your site isn’t indexed.

Fix it:

  • Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console
  • Make sure your site isn’t marked as “noindex”
  • Use internal links to help Google crawl pages

3. Your Site Is Set to “Noindex”

Some site builders (like WordPress or Webflow) let you accidentally block search engines.

If “noindex” is enabled, Google will ignore your site completely.

Fix it:

  • Check SEO settings in your CMS
  • Look at the page’s HTML head section for <meta name="robots" content="noindex">

4. Your Website Has No Backlinks

Google finds your site faster if other sites link to you.

Without backlinks, you’re invisible to Google and have no authority to rank.

Start building links by:

  • Getting listed in local directories
  • Posting on social media
  • Reaching out for guest post or collaboration opportunities

5. You Don’t Have Enough Content

Thin websites (1–2 pages, no blog, no detail) often don’t rank.

Google needs content to crawl, understand, and match to search terms.

Fix it by adding:

  • A blog with relevant topics
  • Detailed service/product pages
  • FAQs, testimonials, and case studies

6. Your Website Is Too Slow

Page speed is a ranking factor.

If your site loads slowly, Google may push it down—or ignore it altogether.

Test your site with:

Then optimize your images, clean up unused code, and choose fast hosting.

7. You’re Targeting the Wrong Keywords

If your website uses generic or highly competitive keywords, you’ll get buried.

You need low-competition, long-tail keywords that match what your audience is really searching for.

Fix it with tools like:

  • Ubersuggest
  • Google Keyword Planner
  • AnswerThePublic

8. You Don’t Have SEO Basics in Place

At minimum, every page should have:

  • A unique title tag
  • A meta description
  • One H1 headline
  • Internal links
  • Optimized image alt tags
  • A mobile-friendly layout

If these are missing, your site is hard for Google to understand.

9. You Have Technical Issues

Broken links, crawl errors, or missing sitemaps can block your site from ranking.

Check for issues using:

  • Google Search Console
  • Screaming Frog
  • Ahrefs Site Audit (paid)

10. Your Competitors Have Outranked You

Even if your site is live and functional, you might not rank because others are doing better.

Their sites might be older, more linked, faster, or more optimized.

Fix it by:

  • Improving your SEO fundamentals
  • Publishing better, more useful content
  • Earning backlinks from relevant sites

SEO Keywords and Questions This Blog Targets

  • Why can’t I find my website on Google?
  • Website not showing up on Google search
  • How to get indexed by Google
  • Site not ranking in search results
  • SEO checklist for new websites
  • How long for Google to index a website
  • How to fix Google indexing problems
  • Why is my business not on Google?

Final Takeaways

If your website isn’t showing up on Google, it’s not a mystery—it’s a missed step.

Here’s a quick checklist to fix it:

  • Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console
  • Check for “noindex” settings
  • Build backlinks to your site
  • Add more quality content
  • Improve page speed
  • Target long-tail keywords
  • Fix SEO basics (titles, descriptions, H1s)
  • Make sure your site works on mobile

Want a full SEO audit to uncover why your site isn’t ranking?

Book a free consultation and we’ll review your setup and show you exactly what’s missing.