Why people can’t find you on Google even though you have a website

1. Google hasn’t indexed the site at all

Type site:yourdomain.com into Google (with your domain). If no pages show up, Google hasn’t added you to its results yet. A new site needs time, and it helps to add it to Google Search Console and submit a sitemap.

2. The site tells Google not to show it

While a site is being built, a setting that tells Google not to show it (called noindex) is often switched on. If nobody switches it off at launch, the site stays invisible no matter what else you do. Search Console shows this in the indexing report.

3. The site doesn’t say what people search for

People search for “plumber Dubrava” or “accountant for sole traders Zagreb”. If your site only says “Quality and reliability since 2005”, Google doesn’t know what to show you for. The page title, the main heading and the first paragraph should say what you do and where.

4. Your Google profile isn’t linked to the site

For local searches, your Google Business profile does a lot of the work. Google says local ranking depends on how well a profile matches the search, distance and how well-known a business is. A profile without a link to your site and a site without a profile each do half the job.

5. The competition is simply stronger

Sometimes everything is technically fine, but others have more reviews, more content and have been around longer. Then only patient work helps: an accurate profile, regular reviews and a page for each main service.

A ten-minute check

1. Type site:yourdomain.com and see whether there are results.
2. Type your service and neighbourhood or town and see who shows up.
3. Open your home page and check whether the first paragraph says what you do and where.
4. Check that your Google profile links to your site.