To get your website on Google, verify it in Google Search Console, submit your XML sitemap and use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing of your main pages. Google will usually crawl and list a new site within a few days to a few weeks. Being listed is the easy part, though. Showing up when a customer searches for what you sell depends on each page clearly matching a search, loading quickly on a phone and being trusted by other sites.
This guide covers both: how to get indexed, why a site might not appear, and the practical steps that move a business site up the results.
How Google finds, indexes and ranks your website
Google works in three stages, and it helps to know which one you’re stuck at.
- Crawling. Google’s crawler follows links and sitemaps to discover pages.
- Indexing. Google reads each page, works out what it’s about and stores it. Only indexed pages can appear in results.
- Ranking. When someone searches, Google picks the indexed pages it judges most useful for that search and orders them.
A brand-new site often has a crawling problem: nothing links to it yet. An established site that doesn’t rank usually has a ranking problem. The fixes are different.
How do I get my website to show up on Google?
Say you’ve just launched a site for a physiotherapy clinic in Teddington. Here’s what to do in the first week.
- Set up Google Search Console and verify that you own the domain. It’s free, and it’s the only place Google tells you directly how it sees your site.
- Submit your XML sitemap. Most WordPress SEO plugins create one automatically, usually at /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml.
- Inspect your key pages with the URL Inspection tool and click “Request indexing” for the homepage and main service pages.
- Create or claim your Google Business Profile. For a local business, this is how you appear in the map results, often before any website does.
- Get a few genuine links. A listing with a professional body, a local business directory and your suppliers’ or partners’ sites all give Google a route in and a reason to trust you.
How long does it take for a new website to appear on Google?
Usually a few days to a few weeks for the homepage to be indexed, and longer for every page to be picked up. Appearing for competitive searches takes months. Google doesn’t guarantee to index every page, so check the Pages report in Search Console to see what’s included and why anything has been left out.
Why is my website not showing on Google?
If your site still isn’t appearing after a few weeks, one of these is usually the cause:
- It’s set to “noindex”. WordPress has a setting called “Discourage search engines from indexing this site”, often switched on during development and forgotten at launch. We see this more than you’d expect.
- robots.txt is blocking Google. A leftover rule from a staging site can block everything.
- You’re searching for the wrong thing. Search your exact business name, or type site:yourdomain.co.uk into Google. If pages appear, you’re indexed and the issue is ranking.
- The pages are thin or duplicated. Pages with very little unique content, or near-copies of each other, may be crawled and then left out.
- There’s a manual action. Rare for a new site, but the Manual actions report in Search Console will say so.
How to improve your website’s ranking on Google for free
Once you’re indexed, these five steps make the biggest difference without spending anything on tools. They’re the same things we check first on any site.
1. Give each page one clear job
Every important page should target one main search. The Teddington clinic needs a page for “sports massage Teddington” and a separate one for “back pain physiotherapy”, each answering what someone searching that phrase wants to know: what’s involved, how much it costs, how long it takes, how to book. Years ago sites hid lists of keywords in white text in the footer. That stopped working long ago. Google now ranks pages that answer the search, and a page trying to cover everything rarely ranks for anything.
2. Write titles and meta descriptions for people
The title tag is the blue headline in Google’s results, and it’s one of the strongest signals of what a page is about. Put the main search phrase near the start and keep it under about 60 characters. The meta description is the short text beneath. It doesn’t affect ranking directly, but a clear one that matches the search earns more clicks.
3. Use descriptive internal links
Links between your own pages tell Google how your site fits together. “Click here” says nothing. “Sports massage in Teddington” tells both the reader and Google exactly what’s on the other side. Link from your strongest pages, such as the homepage, to the services you most want found.
4. Add alt text to images
Alt text describes an image for people using screen readers, and it helps Google understand the image and the page around it. “Physiotherapist treating a runner’s knee injury” is useful. “IMG_4032” is not. It’s an accessibility requirement as well as an SEO one, so it’s worth doing properly.
5. Make it fast and easy to use on a phone
Google indexes the mobile version of your site first, and Core Web Vitals measure how quickly pages load, respond and settle. Compress large images, remove plugins you don’t use and test your pages with PageSpeed Insights. Our guide to why websites are slow and how to fix them covers the usual causes.
Getting indexed takes a sitemap and a few clicks. Getting found takes pages that answer one search each, better than anyone else’s.
Keep your content fresh
Pages that haven’t been touched in years tend to drift down as competitors publish newer, more complete answers. Once or twice a year, review the pages that bring in enquiries. Update prices, processes and examples, remove anything out of date, and merge pages that overlap.
When you’re writing new content, aim to answer the questions your customers actually ask, in plain language, with the answer near the top of the section. That format is also what Google tends to use for featured snippets and AI Overviews. AI writing tools can help with research and first drafts. Google’s position is that it rewards helpful content however it’s produced, and pages churned out in bulk without care don’t fare well.
How do I increase traffic to my website?
Search is one channel among several, and the others support it:
- Email. A short monthly email to past customers and enquirers, linking to a useful new page, brings people back and keeps you front of mind.
- Social media. Share genuinely useful content where your customers already spend time, and make your pages easy to share.
- Your Google Business Profile. Regular posts, up-to-date opening hours and replies to reviews all help local visibility.
- Paid search for searches where you need visibility now, while your organic rankings build.
For more on how the different parts of SEO fit together, see our guide to on-page and off-page SEO. And if something in Search Console looks wrong, our post on fixing your website with Google Search Console walks through the reports.
How we help businesses get found on Google
We start every SEO project with a technical check of how Google sees the site, then fix what’s blocking it and build pages around the searches that bring in work. Because our in-house team builds websites as well as running SEO, the fixes don’t wait on another supplier. You can read more about our SEO services.
FAQs
How do I get my website on Google?
Verify your site in Google Search Console, submit your XML sitemap and request indexing for your main pages with the URL Inspection tool. If you’re a local business, set up a Google Business Profile as well. Google usually indexes a new site within a few days to a few weeks.
Why is my website not showing up on Google?
The most common causes are a “noindex” setting left on from development, a robots.txt file blocking Google, a site that’s too new to have been crawled, or pages too thin to be indexed. Search Console’s Pages report shows which pages are indexed and the reason for any that aren’t.
How can I improve my website’s ranking on Google for free?
Give each important page one clear search to target, write a descriptive title tag for it, link between your pages with descriptive text, add alt text to images and make sure the site is fast on mobile. Keep the content up to date and answer the questions your customers actually ask.
How long does it take to rank on Google?
Indexing takes days to weeks, but ranking well for competitive searches usually takes several months of steady work. Local searches with less competition can move faster, especially with a well-maintained Google Business Profile.
