Why isn’t my business website showing on Google? Five plain-English checks

By Alleo Gordon, founder of WonderlandSites · Published 3 November 2026 · Last updated 3 November 2026 · 11 min read

Short answer
If your website isn’t showing on Google, check five things in order. First, whether it’s really missing: search your business name and use a site: search. Second, whether WordPress is asking search engines to stay away. Third, whether Google has been told about your site through Search Console. Fourth, whether each page clearly says what it is. Fifth, whether old pages are getting in the way. Most of these checks are free and take an afternoon.

When I checked my own website in October 2026, Google was still showing an old “under construction” page for it. The real site was finished and working. Google just hadn’t caught up, and nothing had told me.

If you’ve searched for your own business and found nothing, or found something old, you’re not alone. Before you pay anyone to “do your SEO”, there are five checks you can do yourself, mostly for free.

This guide is for UK service businesses on WordPress: coaches, therapists, tutors, personal trainers and wedding DJs. It’s part of a bigger question I cover in why a good-looking site stays quiet. If Google knows your site but sends few visitors, read why a website isn’t getting traffic next.

Key takeaways

• A website not showing on Google is either not indexed at all, or indexed but not appearing for the searches you want, and each needs a different fix.
• A single WordPress setting, “Discourage search engines from indexing this site”, can ask Google not to list a site, and it is often left on after a build.
• Google Search Console is Google’s free tool for site owners, and its URL Inspection tool shows whether a page is on Google and often why not.
• Google says crawling can take from a few days to a few weeks, and requesting indexing again does not make it faster.
• Nobody can honestly promise a page-one position, because Google decides where pages appear; what can be fixed is anything standing in the way.

In this guide

• Is your website really missing from Google?
• Is WordPress telling Google to stay away?
• Has Google been told about your site?
• Does each page clearly say what it is?
• Is anything old getting in the way?
• Frequently asked questions
• Sources and references

Is your website really missing from Google?

Your website may not be missing at all. Search for your exact business name, then search site: followed by your web address. If your site appears for its name, Google knows about it but may not show it for other searches yet. If a site: search shows nothing, Google probably hasn’t indexed your site.

Three quick searches

• Search for your exact business name. If your site appears, Google knows about it.
• Search site:yourdomain.co.uk with your own address and no spaces. This lists a sample of the pages Google has. If you see old or odd pages, note them for the fifth check.
• Try it on your phone, in a private window. Your own browser can show a slightly different picture because of your history.

Which problem do you have?

“Google doesn’t know my site exists” and “Google knows it, but I’m not showing for the searches I want” are very different problems. The first is about being indexed, and the next three checks cover it. The second is about relevance and competition, which the fourth check and the traffic guide linked above cover.

Is WordPress telling Google to stay away?

WordPress may be telling Google to stay away if one tick box is switched on. In your dashboard, go to Settings, then Reading, and look for “Search engine visibility”. If “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is ticked, your site is asking search engines not to list it. It’s often switched on during a build, then forgotten.

How to check

1. Log in to WordPress.
2. Go to Settings → Reading.
3. Find Search engine visibility.
4. If the box is ticked and your site is ready, untick it and save.

WordPress’s documentation explains that this box asks search engines not to index the site, and that “it is up to search engines to honor your request” (WordPress.org). Most major search engines do honour it, which is why it matters.

If you don’t have access

Ask whoever looks after your site: “Is anything on the site telling search engines not to index it?” That covers this setting and a few similar ones that can be added by plugins or themes.

Has Google been told about your site?

Google finds most sites on its own eventually, but you can help it and see what it sees with Google Search Console, Google’s free tool for site owners. Once your site is set up there, submit your sitemap, inspect your homepage, and request indexing for your most important pages. Then be patient while Google crawls.

Submit your sitemap

A sitemap is a list of your pages for search engines. Since version 5.5, WordPress creates one automatically at /wp-sitemap.xml (Make WordPress Core), unless an SEO plugin provides its own. Submit that address in Search Console.

Use the URL Inspection tool

Paste your homepage address into the inspection bar at the top of Search Console. Google says the tool shows whether a page is in its index, why it could or couldn’t be indexed, and lets you test the live page (Search Console Help).

Request indexing, then wait

Google’s own guidance says crawling “can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks”, that asking doesn’t guarantee a page will be included, and that requesting a recrawl several times for the same page “won’t get it crawled any faster” (Google Search Central). Ask once, then check back.

Does each page clearly say what it is?

Each page clearly says what it is when its page title, its description and its visible words all use the language your clients would type. Google reads these to match pages to searches. A page titled “Home” or “Welcome” tells Google very little. “Couples therapy in Leeds | Your Name” tells it a lot.

Page titles

The title is the blue headline in search results. Google asks site owners to write descriptive, concise titles and to avoid vague ones like “Home” (Google Search Central).

Descriptions

The description is the short line under the title. Google says it mainly builds that line from the content on your page, and may use your written description when it describes the page better (Google Search Central). So write one, and make sure your opening paragraph is clear too. If Google or ChatGPT already describes you wrongly, here’s why AI tools and Google describe your business wrongly, and the places they read.

Your clients’ words, not yours

A coach might describe their work as “unlocking potential”, but a client is more likely to search “career coach for new managers”. A tutor might write “bespoke learning journeys”, but parents search “GCSE maths tutor online”. Use their words somewhere a visitor can see them.

Your Google Business Profile

If you serve a local area, your free Google Business Profile, the listing on Google Maps, matters too. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and how well known a business is (Google Business Profile Help). Check your name, category, area and website link are right.

Is anything old getting in the way?

Old pages get in the way when Google keeps showing a “coming soon” page, test content, an old web address or two pages saying the same thing. They can linger long after you’ve moved on, and they confuse both visitors and Google. Find them with a site: search and Search Console’s Page indexing report, then tidy them up.

What to look for

• A “coming soon” or “under construction” page from before the site launched.
• Test or sample pages, like “Sample Page” or “Hello world!”.
• An old web address, if you changed domain and the old one doesn’t redirect to the new one.
• Two pages saying the same thing, so Google can’t tell which one matters.

Recap: the five checks

Here’s the whole list on one screen.

Check	What to look for	Where	Cost
1. Really missing?	Business name search, site: search	Google	Free
2. Telling Google to stay away?	The “Discourage search engines” box	WordPress Settings → Reading	Free
3. Told Google?	Sitemap, URL Inspection, request indexing	Search Console	Free
4. Says what it is?	Page titles, descriptions, client words, Business Profile	Your pages and Google Maps	Your time
5. Old pages in the way?	Coming soon, sample pages, old domain, duplicates	site: search, Page indexing report	Your time

What nobody can honestly promise

Getting your site properly found is something you can check and fix. Where it then appears depends on Google, on what other businesses publish, and on how well your pages answer searches. Be careful with anyone who promises “page one”. Nobody can honestly promise that, and I don’t either.

What I found on my own site (October 2026)
Google was still showing an old “under construction” page for wonderlandsites.com months after the real site went live. I updated the page titles and descriptions so each page said clearly what it was, removed the leftover sample content, and asked Google to look again through Search Console.

Later that month, Search Console emailed to say pages were “not being indexed: Blocked due to other 4xx issue”. It sounded alarming. When I checked, only one address was flagged: a WordPress background file that isn’t a page and is meant to stay out of search. No real page was affected, so I changed nothing. Not every scary Search Console email is a problem. Check which address it names first.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my new website not showing on Google?

New websites often take time to be found. Check that WordPress isn’t set to discourage search engines under Settings then Reading, set the site up in Google Search Console, submit your sitemap and request indexing for your key pages. Google says crawling can take from a few days to a few weeks.

How do I check if Google has indexed my website?

Search site: followed by your web address on Google for a quick sample of indexed pages. Google notes this doesn’t always list every page. For a definite answer on one page, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, which also explains why a page isn’t indexed.

How long does it take Google to index a new website?

Google says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and requesting indexing doesn’t guarantee a page will be included. Submitting a sitemap helps Google find many pages at once. Asking repeatedly for the same page doesn’t speed things up, so request once and check back.

Can someone guarantee my website will be on page one of Google?

No. Nobody controls Google’s results. Someone can check that nothing is blocking your site, that each page clearly says what it is and that Google has been told about it. Where your pages then appear is decided by Google, and depends on your competition and how well you answer searches.

Why does Google show an old version of my website?

Google shows an old version when it hasn’t recrawled your pages since they changed, or when old pages still exist at their addresses. Update your page titles and descriptions, remove or redirect old pages, then use URL Inspection in Search Console to request indexing for your most important pages.

Do I need a Google Business Profile for my website to show on Google?

Not for your website to be indexed. A Google Business Profile matters for map results and local searches, such as “therapist near me”. If you serve clients in a particular area, set one up and keep your name, category, area and website link accurate. Fully online businesses benefit less.

What does “Discovered, currently not indexed” mean in Search Console?

It means Google knows the page exists but hasn’t crawled or indexed it yet. On a small site, it often clears with time. Make sure the page is useful, linked from your menu or other pages, and included in your sitemap, then check again in a few weeks.

Sources and references

• Ask Google to recrawl your website – Google Search Central.
• Settings Reading screen – WordPress.org documentation (search engine visibility).
• New XML sitemaps functionality in WordPress 5.5 – Make WordPress Core.
• URL Inspection tool – Search Console Help.
• How to write meta descriptions – Google Search Central.
• Tips to improve your local ranking on Google – Google Business Profile Help.

About the author

Alleo Gordon, founder of WonderlandSites. Studied Computing at London South Bank; IT technician at a sixth form college in Bethnal Green for 3 years; looking after websites since 2018. Read my story

Written with AI help, ideated, checked, and confirmed by Alleo.
Last reviewed 3 November 2026.

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