You had your website built. You’re proud of it. And now you’re waiting for the enquiries to roll in.
Except… nothing.
You Google your own business and it’s nowhere to be found. You search for the services you offer in your suburb and your competitors are all there, but not you.
So what’s going on?
The truth is, having a website doesn’t automatically mean Google knows you exist. There are a handful of very common reasons why businesses disappear in search results, and the good news is, most of them are fixable.
1. Your website is brand new
Google doesn’t index websites the moment they go live. It can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for Google to crawl and index a new site. If your site launched recently, you may simply need to wait — or speed up the process by submitting your sitemap through Google Search Console.
What to do: Go to Google Search Console, add your website, and submit your sitemap. This tells Google your site exists and asks it to come take a look. If you had your website done by us, we’ve already completed this for you!
2. Your pages are set to “noindex”
This one sounds technical, but it’s surprisingly common, especially on websites built by developers or using certain page builders. There’s a setting that tells Google “don’t index this page.” It’s useful during development, but if it’s left on after the site goes live, Google will politely ignore your entire website.
What to do: Check with your web developer or look in your website platform’s SEO settings. Search for a “noindex” or “search engine visibility” toggle and make sure it’s switched off. If we built your website, we’ve got this covered already so you don’t need to do anything.
3. Nobody is linking to you
Google decides how trustworthy your website is partly based on how many other websites link to it. If you’re brand new with no links pointing to your site, Google treats you as an unknown quantity and ranks you lower.
What to do: Start with the basics: get listed on Google Business Profile, True Local, Yellow Pages, and any industry directories relevant to your business. Each listing creates a link back to your site and signals to Google that you’re a real, established business.
4. Your website doesn’t mention the right words
This sounds obvious, but many websites are written the way the business thinks about itself, not the way customers search for it.
If you’re a plumber in Frankston, your website needs to actually say “plumber in Frankston.” If you’re an NDIS support coordinator in Melbourne’s south-east, those words need to appear clearly on your site. Google can only rank you for the words that are actually on your pages.
What to do: Think about what your customers type into Google when they’re looking for what you offer. Make sure those exact phrases appear naturally in your page headings, first paragraphs, and throughout your content. When you choose us to build your website, we ensure your copy is written with these key phrases in mind!
5. Your Google Business Profile isn’t set up
If you’re searching for a local business and nothing shows up, the Google Business Profile (the map listing with the star rating) is often the fastest win available to you. Many small businesses still haven’t claimed theirs.
What to do: Go to Google Business Profile and create your listing and ask your happy customers to leave a Google review. This alone can get you showing up for local searches within weeks.
6. Your website is slow or broken on mobile
Google penalises websites that load slowly or don’t work properly on mobile phones. And since most people are searching on their phones, a website that looks great on a desktop but falls apart on mobile is working against you.
What to do: Test your site speed using GT Metrix. A score C and below is a red flag. If your website is slow, it’s worth talking to your web developer about performance improvements, or considering whether it’s time for an upgrade.
7. Your competitors have been doing this longer
Sometimes the issue isn’t that you’re doing anything wrong. It’s that your competitors have a head start. They’ve been publishing content, collecting reviews, and building links for years. That takes time to catch up to.
What to do: Don’t try to outrank everyone overnight. Instead, focus on a specific niche or location where the competition is weaker. A new NDIS provider in a regional area, for example, will find it far easier to rank than one trying to compete across all of Melbourne.
The bottom line
If your website isn’t showing up on Google, it’s almost never a mystery. It’s usually one (or a few) of the reasons above. The fix isn’t always quick, but it is achievable, and for most small businesses, getting the basics right delivers real, lasting results.
If you’re not sure where to start, that’s what we’re here for. We offer a free consultation so we can discuss exactly how our team can help you build your online presence. We’ll take a look at what’s holding your site back and tell you exactly what needs to change.
