Why isn't my website showing on Google?

Before assuming it's an SEO problem, check whether Google has your site at all. Type site:yourdomain.com.au into Google. If nothing comes back, you don't have a ranking problem, you have an indexing problem, and it's usually fixable in a day.

The site is blocking crawlers

Plenty of sites launch with the "discourage search engines" setting still on from the build stage, or a robots file that blocks everything. It's the most common cause of a brand new site being completely absent, and the least talked about.

It's too new

A new domain can take days to weeks to appear properly. Submitting a sitemap in Google Search Console speeds it up considerably. If you've never opened Search Console, that's the next hour of your life well spent.

You're searching for something you don't rank for

Searching your own business name and seeing yourself proves nothing. Search the job, "carpet repairs Ringwood", "mobile x-ray hire", and look honestly. If your page doesn't contain those words in a heading, you were never in the running.

Every page says the same thing

If ten pages carry the same title tag and near-identical text, Google picks one and ignores the rest. Each page needs its own title, its own purpose and its own words.

There's nothing pointing at you

Your Google Business Profile, industry directories, suppliers, associations and local sponsorships all count. A site with no mentions anywhere on the internet looks like a site nobody has verified.

What to do in order

• +Check indexing with a site: search
• +Set up Search Console and submit a sitemap
• +Give every page a unique title and description
• +Complete your Google Business Profile
• +Get listed anywhere your industry is genuinely listed