You’ve spent hours (maybe weeks!) building your website. The fonts are perfect, the images pop, and you’ve told everyone from your mum to your dog walker that it’s live. So why—why—can’t you find it on Google?
Take a deep breath. You’re not alone. This is one of the most common questions we get, and there are a few very real (and fixable) reasons your site might be playing hide-and-seek with the world’s biggest search engine.
1. Your Site Is Still New
If you just launched, Google might not have had the chance to index your site yet. Google bots (a.k.a. crawlers) need to discover your site, read its pages, and decide where they belong in the search results. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
What to do: Submit your site to Google Search Console. It’s like waving at the Google bots and saying, “Hey! Over here!”
2. Website not showing Google? You’re Not Using the Right Keywords!
Here’s the hard truth: if your site is all “We’re amazing! Welcome to our world!” but doesn’t mention what you actually do or where you are, Google’s going to be confused. You need clear, specific keywords that match what people are actually searching for.
What to do: Think like your ideal customer. Are they searching for “wedding photographer in Melbourne” or “visual storyteller with a passion for light”? Make sure those real-world terms are on your pages—naturally, of course.
3. Your Site Isn’t SEO-Friendly (Yet)
You might have all the right intentions, but if your site isn’t technically sound, Google might be skipping over it. We’re talking slow loading speed, no mobile responsiveness, missing meta titles and descriptions—the behind-the-scenes stuff that tells search engines “Yes, this is a solid site.”
What to do: Run a free SEO audit (there are heaps of tools out there). It’ll show you what’s working and what’s dragging your site down.
4. You’ve Blocked Google (Oops)
It happens. Sometimes, a little bit of code—like a “noindex” tag—can accidentally tell Google to skip your site entirely. It’s like hanging a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your hotel room door and wondering why no one’s bringing you fresh towels.
What to do: Check your site settings or ask your developer if there are any “noindex” or “disallow” tags hanging around where they shouldn’t be.
5. There’s Just a Lot of Competition
Sometimes, your site is showing up on Google—it’s just buried beneath a pile of bigger, older, more established sites. Don’t take it personally. SEO is a long game.
What to do: Focus on creating content your audience genuinely needs (like blog posts, FAQs, or guides), and keep showing up consistently. Over time, Google will notice
If your website isn’t showing up on Google, it’s not a sign that you’ve failed. It just means there’s a bit more work to do—and you’re not doing it alone. Every website starts somewhere. With the right tools, tweaks, and a bit of patience, yours will get there too.
Need a hand? We’d love to help. This is what we do. Let’s make Google notice you.