Why Is My Website Not Showing on Google?

First, is any of your site in Google at all?

Type site:yourdomain.ca into Google, with your own domain and no space after the colon. No results at all means the site is not indexed yet, or something on it is keeping Google out. A list of your pages means you are in Google, and the question is where you rank. A short list proves little: Google says the site: search does not always show every page it has indexed.

For a definite answer, add the site to Google Search Console as a Domain property. It takes in http and https and every subdomain, www included, and is verified by adding a DNS record wherever your domain's settings are managed. If you cannot get into those settings, find out who the domain is registered to first; the answer on who owns your website and domain shows how.

Then paste your homepage address into the URL Inspection tool. “URL is on Google” means it is indexed, though Google says even that does not guarantee it appears in results. “URL is not on Google” comes with a reason, which the table below translates. Do not expect every page to be there: Google says not every URL will be indexed, and names low-quality content among the common reasons.

Is a setting telling Google to stay away?

Open the page in a desktop browser, right-click, choose View page source and search for noindex. The line that matters is a robots meta tag such as <meta name="robots" content="noindex">, which makes Google drop the page from results even when other sites link to it. A noindex can also be sent in the page's headers, which the source does not show, so check URL Inspection too: it reports whether indexing is allowed.

WordPress, Wix and Squarespace each have a switch that hides the whole site, sometimes turned on during the build and forgotten at launch. On WordPress it is under Settings, then Reading: a tick in “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” puts a noindex tag on every page. A site-wide password or “coming soon” mode is the other trap. You may see the real site because you are logged in, but password-protected content stays out of Google Search.

Then open yourdomain.ca/robots.txt. A line reading Disallow: / under User-agent: * asks every crawler to stay out of the whole site. robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing: a blocked page can still appear in results with no description, and Google never sees a noindex tag on a page it may not read. To have a page found, remove the block. To hide it, use noindex and leave robots.txt open for that page.

Was it on Google before, and now it has gone?

Start by opening the site in a private browser window. If it does not load, check that the domain and hosting were renewed. An expired .ca is not lost at once: CIRA, which runs .ca, allows up to 45 days for the registrar to chase a renewal, then 30 days to redeem it, before anyone else can register it. If a past web designer holds your domain, see the answer on who owns your website and domain.

Next, think about what changed. A redesign, a new template or a move to another builder can go live with a noindex left over from the build, or leave old addresses that Search Console now lists as Not found (404). Google's advice for a page that has moved is a permanent 301 redirect to its new address.

Last, open the Security Issues and Manual Actions reports in Search Console. The first shows whether Google found the site hacked, which can lower your rankings or show visitors a warning. A manual action can push pages down or remove them from Google altogether. On a bought or inherited site, read the history in both. The Removals tool is worth a look as well, in case someone asked Google to drop the site.

Indexed, but not for the search you typed?

Google's own troubleshooting guide says many people who think they are missing from Google are simply ranking low. Searching your business name is usually the easiest test, because few other sites use your exact name. “Plumber London Ontario” is the real test, and results depend on where you search from, because Google takes the searcher's location into account.

The Performance report in Search Console lists most of the searches your site has appeared for, with clicks, impressions and average position. It leaves out rare ones, made by no more than a few dozen people over two to three months, to protect privacy. If your name is there and none of your main service searches are, the work is ranking: see the local SEO page and the answer on ranking higher on Google Maps.

Your address can be typed four ways, with or without https and www, and all four should land on one address through a permanent 301 redirect. Google shows one version, preferring https unless something is wrong with it, so this rarely hides a site, but it can split links between two addresses instead of adding them up. Check with a free redirect checker, not your browser: Chrome switches http to https by itself when it can.

How long to wait, and when to pay someone

Google says a new page typically takes a day or two to a few weeks to be indexed, and to allow at least a week after submitting a sitemap or indexing request before assuming a problem. Press Request Indexing once: asking again for the same page does not speed it up. Ranking is slower to judge. Google's starter guide says changes can take from a few hours to several months to show.

A brand-new site has one more handicap. Google finds most pages by following links from pages it has already crawled, often on other websites, and a new site has none. Put your address where a customer might look for you anyway: the website field on your Google Business Profile, your social media pages, and any trade association, supplier or sponsor list you already appear on.

Everything above is free. Pay someone when the fix sits inside the site rather than behind a switch: a template that adds noindex, a host that will not let you set a redirect, or thin pages to rewrite. My free site audit checks who your domain is registered to, and its Lighthouse run flags a homepage blocked by noindex, but it cannot tell you which of your other pages Google has; Search Console can. I quote any repairs after the audit.

Page indexing statuses in Search Console, in plain English

What Search Console says	What it means, and what to do
Discovered - currently not indexed	Google knows the page exists but has not crawled it yet. Give it time, and link to the page from your other pages.
Crawled - currently not indexed	Google read the page and left it out for now. It may be indexed later, and there is no need to resubmit. If the page is thin, improve it.
URL marked ‘noindex’	The page itself asked to be left out, through a tag or a header. Remove the noindex unless you meant it.
URL blocked by robots.txt	Your robots.txt file told Google not to crawl it. If you want the page found, remove the rule. If you want it hidden, remove the rule and add noindex instead.
Not found (404)	Google tried the address and got an error, perhaps because the page has since been deleted. If it moved, add a 301 redirect to the new address. If it is gone for good, a 404 is fine.
Duplicate without user-selected canonical	Google treats this as a copy of another page and shows that one instead. Fine for an http or www copy; a problem only if this is the address you want.
Page with redirect	This address forwards to another one, so it is not indexed itself. Expected for old or duplicate addresses. Nothing to do.

Questions people ask

My website used to show up on Google. Why has it disappeared?

Work through three checks, in this order. First, load the site and make sure the domain and hosting have been renewed. Next, if the site was rebuilt or moved to a new template, look for a leftover noindex and for old pages Search Console now lists as Not found (404). Last, open the Security Issues and Manual Actions reports in Search Console.

I am on Google Maps, so why is my website not in the search results?

Because they are two separate things. The Maps listing is your Google Business Profile; the ordinary results list web pages Google has indexed. Run a site: search and inspect your homepage in Search Console. If it is indexed, your site is on Google, and the question is how it ranks for the phrase you typed, not whether it exists.

Is Wix or Squarespace the reason my site is not on Google?

Not by itself. Google indexes sites built on both, but each has a switch that hides the whole site. On Wix it is the “Let search engines index your site” toggle in SEO Settings, which should be on. On Squarespace it is the “Block Search engine crawlers” box under Settings, then Crawlers, which should be unticked. Password-protected pages stay out of Google on any builder.

Why does Google still show my old website or old pages?

Usually because the old pages have not been recrawled yet, or they do not redirect. Point each old page at its replacement with a permanent 301 redirect, which Google treats as a signal to show the new address, then inspect the new pages in Search Console. An old street address or phone number on your Google listing is changed in your Business Profile, not on the website.

Should I pay for SEO to fix this?

Not until you know which of the three problems you have. A leftover noindex tag or a missing redirect is a small repair, not a monthly retainer. If the site is indexed and simply ranks low for service searches, that is ranking work, and nobody can honestly guarantee a position. Run the free checks on this page first; Search Console will show you which problem it is.

Why is my website not showing on Google?