Why isn’t my website showing up on Google?

Short answer: A website usually drops out of Google because it’s down or showing errors, has a security-certificate warning, was hacked, is blocked from search engines by a setting left on after a redesign, moved without redirects, or works poorly on phones. Search “site:yourdomain.com” to see what Google has, fix what a check-up finds, and use Google Search Console to see exactly why pages are missing.

Search your business and your website isn’t there. Here’s how to find out why, and get it back.

Check what Google sees first

Search Google for site:yourbusiness.com. If nothing comes up, Google has no pages from your site at all. If pages come up but you can’t find them for your own business name, the problem is ranking, not indexing.

The common causes

1. The site is down or shows an error. Google drops pages it can’t load. Run the free check-up to see if your site loads, and how.
2. A security warning. An expired or wrong certificate stops visitors and can push your site down. Check it with our SSL inspector.
3. The site was hacked. Google may hide or flag hacked sites. See how to tell if your site was hacked.
4. Search engines are told to stay away. A setting left on after a redesign (in WordPress: Settings → Reading → “Discourage search engines”) or a robots.txt file can block Google entirely.
5. The domain moved or the address changed without redirects, so Google’s old links now lead nowhere.
6. It doesn’t work well on phones. Google ranks sites by their phone version. See if your site works on phones.

How to fix it

1. Fix whatever the check-up finds: errors, certificate, hacked pages, the search-engine setting.
2. Add your site to Google Search Console (free). It shows exactly which pages Google indexed, and why others were left out.
3. Claim your Google Business Profile so your business shows on Maps and local searches, even while the website recovers.
4. Give it a few days to weeks. Google re-crawls on its own schedule; Search Console lets you ask it to look again sooner.

Common questions

How long until Google shows my site again?

Days to weeks after the problem is fixed; Search Console lets you ask Google to re-check sooner.

Is my business on Google Maps even if my website isn’t?

Maps listings come from your Google Business Profile, which is separate from your website and free to claim.

What does “Discourage search engines” do?

In WordPress (Settings → Reading) it tells search engines not to index the site. It’s often left on by mistake after a redesign.

Updated October 17, 2026.