Why Isn’t My New Website Showing Up in Google Search Results?
Just launched a shiny new website but can’t find it on Google? It's a common scenario many new site owners experience. Understanding why your website isn't appearing in search results can help you fix the issue.
Why Your New Website Might Not Appear in Google Search Results
Google Hasn’t Indexed Your Site Yet: Search engines need time to discover and index new sites. If your website is brand new, it might not have been crawled by Google's bots yet. This is the most common cause of why your website isn’t appearing in search results yet.
If you can imaging a library and each book is a website. Although your book is on the shelf, your index card hasn’t been added to the draw yet or if you are younger than a millennial… Your book hasn’t been added to the database yet. So we need to let the librarian (Google) know you are there.
There are millions of websites out there and search engines are constantly crawling and looking for new websites but they are reindexing established websites too (looking for new content or changes). So it can take a while (sometimes months) for google to find your website. To speed up this process, you can submit your website to Google Search Console but keep in mind, it will still take a few days for you to get to the front of the queue. To check if google has indexed your site, type into the google search bar: site:yourdomainname.com. If pages are listed, then Google knows about your site.
Poor Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): If your site lacks basic SEO, such as title tags, meta descriptions, or keyword-optimised content, it may struggle to rank well. If you know your site has been indexed but you are really far down the search results, this can be common when first launching too. It can take months to move up the search results even for your individual business name let alone highly competitive keywords (such as your profession and location).
No Inbound Links: Google views inbound links from reputable sites as indicators of a website’s credibility. Without these links, your site might not be deemed significant enough to index. This plays into my first point as to why it can take anywhere from weeks to months for google to find you. If you have silently published your website but not shared the website on social media for people to take a look, then its like you’re hiding in the corner not wanting anyone to actually see you. To drive people to your site, I highly recommend creating a freebie incentive for people to either sign up to on your site, or just simply download it from you site for now until you create a email nurture sequence.
Robots.txt File Issues: Incorrect settings in your robots.txt file can block search engines from indexing your site. In Squarespace this is pretty rare and only happens if you have clicked the “do not allow search engines to crawl” button in the page settings. This issue would be more common on a Wordpress website but again, likely due to you actually telling the search engines not to crawl your site.
Technical Errors: Various technical issues, such as incorrect redirects, a non-responsive design, or slow loading times, can affect indexing.
Tips to Help Your Website Appear in Google Search Results
1. Verify Your Site with Google Search Console: As above, register your site with Google Search Console. This tool is invaluable for seeing if Google can find and index your site. You can also manually submit your site for indexing. I have a tutorial here that you can watch to see how to do it.
2. Optimise Your Website for SEO: Ensure your website is optimised for search engines:
Use relevant keywords naturally in your content.
Optimise your title tags and meta descriptions.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
Improve your site’s loading speed.
3. Generate High-Quality Inbound Links: Obtain links from reputable websites to boost your site’s credibility. You can start by listing your site in relevant directories or writing guest posts for other blogs in your industry.
4. Create Quality Content Regularly: Regularly update your website with high-quality, original content that adds value for your users. This could be through blogs, white papers, or case studies.
se Social Media: Promote your website on social media platforms to increase visibility and generate traffic. Regularly share updates, blog posts, and other relevant content and as above, create an incentive (freebie) for people to go to your website.
6. Check Your Robots.txt File: Review your robots.txt file to ensure it’s not accidentally blocking search engines from indexing your site. Use Google Search Console to test your robots.txt file.
7. Monitor Site Performance: Regularly check your website’s performance and health through Google Search Console. Monitor for any crawl errors or security issues that might affect indexing.
Patience is key when launching a new website. It takes time for Google to index new content and for SEO efforts to yield results. By following the tips outlined above, you can increase your chances of being indexed and ranked effectively, helping your target audience find you more easily.
Remember, the goal is to make it as easy as possible for search engines to understand and trust your site. With consistent effort and optimisation, you’ll see your new website climbing the ranks in search results.
If you think you may need further help with this, please get in contact.
