It took a few weeks before our website began to rank after showing up on Google search. It was the most confusing thing. Gladly issues relating to the website not showing on searches got fixed. Following modern technology changes, Here’s the main problem and reasons most websites or blogs, in the USA, UK, and India especially running on WordPress don’t show on search engines. You’ll learn the reasons your blog is not working as expected and how to fix your website if it’s not showing up on Google.
10 Reasons Why Your Website Is Not Showing Up On Google
Few weeks our website began ranking after showing up on google search. It was the most confusing thing. Gladly issues relating to the website not showing on searches got fixed. Following modern technology changes, here are the main problems and reasons most websites or blogs, especially those running on WordPress don’t show on search engines. Check for these problems if you want to get your website to show up on Google Search
1. Website Age
Domain age impacts the appearance of sites on Google. For new domains, it takes longer than old ones, to start showing up on searches. Mostly this occurs because Google needs time to understand site structure, content hierarchy, and authority. Hence, make sure this isn’t among the reasons your website is not showing up on Google. Having just purchased your domain, I recommend waiting between two to seven days if web pages still don’t show on google. If that’s the case and it still won’t show even after waiting, then move to our next diagnosis.
FIX #1:
Give your website time to establish some authority. It’s very common, especially for newer domains not to begin ranking at least, not until it’s more than 6 months old. Patience is key, give your website room to build up, due to the fact google requires understanding what your website is about. And this varies depending on the niche type from days, months to years before you can dominate search rankings.
2. Search Console Not Configured
Google search console is specifically made to allow crawlers to locate sites. Collects data about them, from pages, location, age, and keywords. Yahoo has its own but for Google, it’s called search console. To create a search console you’re just required to sign up with Gmail. The next step involves adding the site, verifying you’re the owner and Google will do the rest. If the Website is not showing up on google, try properly configuring the search console.
FIX #2:
Immediately after making your blog. Include the website URL to search console and site maps. Ensure google can crawl your pages, importantly your site should be mobile-friendly. Don’t wait before adding a search console, actually, it’s advised to do it even before publishing your first blog post.
3. Poor Site Structure
Its recommended website is easily configured and designed for easy understanding of search engines. Any complicated blog can confuse search consoles and crawlers, hence causing unprecedented delays to your website, making it not appear on Google.
Make sure your main website actually reflects and explains to search engines how the hierarchy exists. When making any website, the main page should be the first page. Hence authority will flow from the home page to other pages and categories.
FIX #3
Create a website with proper navigation stricture. It should state which pages and categories are more relevant to your readers. Not only can it improve ranking but also help your readers easily navigate through the website.
4. Site Map Not Added
Sitemap tells search engines the content of your website, what it’s about and the structure. When putting schema for any blog, it actually works well if the site has a sitemap available. Currently, you can either use YOAST plugin to generate a sitemap structure for any blog. Another option is to use a sitemap generator, or another piece of software plugin XML sitemap.
For sitemaps, I recommend using the XML sitemap generator. The reason because you can set the priority values, this relates to how important are pages and which must be indexed first.
FIX #4:
Site map should be included on your website or blog. In fact website not showing up on Google, can be due to the absence of a sitemap. Check to see if it’s been crawled properly. Are there any sitemap errors that need fixing? Ask Google to recrawl the sitemap, if the problem persists change the sitemap generator to another plugin, or better still just male your own sitemap online.
5. Website Not Indexed Yet
Google needs to index your website. If you have just added it to the search console, it can take up to 24 hours before website shows on search results. To know if the site is indexed, type site:yourdomain.com with no www extension. If pages from your website show on search results, then the problem is not with indexing.
FIX #5:
Make sure Google understands what our website is about. Do you have any blog posts? If yes, how many? Because content matters sometimes. The quickest way to get content indexed according to my experience is by having social signals pointing to your website.
To get indexed quickly on google, add a sitemap, share content, write good and informative blog posts, optimize your posts, and target minimal competitive keywords.
6. Theme Blocking Crawlers
Inactive themes can broke crawlers from accessing your website. Google crawlers are spiders that perform the role of collecting information and content from websites and displaying pages on searches. Ensure the theme is activated, especially for WordPress themes. Double-check for any errors, search console can help troubleshoot and check for errors. You might be surprised that the website is not showing up on google because of common theme coding bugs.
Checking and suspecting themes can cause reasons why a website is not showing up on google. Hire any professional developer or designer to check the code. Importantly contact theme support and help if it can with the purchase.
FIX #6:
Theme and templates can block crawlers if not properly developed, this is common, especially on WordPress free downloaded themes. Hence it’s important to use a theme you have seen somewhere working properly and ranking well. Double-check your active template and scan it for malware and viruses.
7. Htaccess Blocking Google Crawl Spiders
Htaccess is an important web file that runs on the root domain for your website. It specifically acts when certain requests intended for the server need to be changed. Apache server receives instruction from the Ht-access file, this involves URLs to be allowed, folders and categories users should visit, including IP-Addresses not blocked, etc.
It’s very common to find website is not showing up on google, because of poor configuration on the Ht-access file. Make sure the user-agent is set to “Allow” so nothing blocks google-bots from crawling your website.
FIX #6:
Go in the root folder of your website and look for a file called, “ht-access”. Change some code by opening this file on any text editor and write user-agent allow.
8. Forbidden Folder Permissions
Reason number eight website is not showing up on google id due to permission privileges. Remember you have control over your website, hence google can not crawl what you have not allowed. Google bots don’t access pages and websites behind password-protected folders and URLs. Hence folder permission should be set to “Read” content, it’s important for bots to find files available.
FIX #7:
Go through your folders and see which one has permission not set to Read: Click on the edit on your server folder and change this permission to allow crawlers to access your website.
9. Keywords Not Properly Set
According to Google, Keyword stuffing is not recommended and permitted. Again if website is not showing up on google, the most common reason is competitors, domain strength, and niche type for your content. Mastering search engine optimization tactics is keen to take over search and rankings.
Don’t over-optimize your blog posts and pages to avoid being penalized. Target good keywords, long tail, and short tail keywords, linking to one of the best articles on your website.
FIX #9:
Google follows great Keywords and if properly optimized it will be easily crawled. Make sure you put good keywords, with high traffic and targets from countries within your location.
10. Keyword Difficulty Score
Don’t go for high competitive keywords, especially for new websites and blogs. 80% of the reasons some website is not showing up on google appeared to be no problems with indexing, but ranking factors. It becomes hard to compete with big websites and domains in the business longer. Such sites have a higher degree of trust and page rank, therefore begin with minimal competitive keywords, but with high search volume per month.
11. Pages Showing Not Found (404)
Ensure webpages can be accessible and available. Google will not promote and put something on searches that don’t exist. It includes pages that aren’t mobile friendly, fast, or of good quality. Don’t be surprised reasons website is not showing up on Google has to do with 404 errors. If a page has been deleted, make 301 or 302 redirect to another valid page with similar content.
12. Similar Content Already Exists
Copying and pasting content from another website will not work and it’s why website is not showing up on google. Search engine companies have been working hard, investing in resources and algorithm upgrades to get rid of copy scrap websites. Make sure content is unique and 100% written by humans, not computers and bots.
13. Google Penalty
The popular reason people and website owners find website is not showing up on google, due to penalty. If domain had been previously banned, flagged for malware, possibly even spam. Harden your website security as soon as possible. Check for vulnerabilities because it becomes very hard for google search engine to trust such website URL. Hence make sure website is free from spam and has no ban pending.
If it’s newly purchased then there cannot be any penalty, unless domain had expired and bought on re-newer price. To fix penalty on domain dashboard, in search console go to domain, look for a notification and file a reconsideration request.
14. Poor Website Speed
Google announced mobile friendly websites, will be given an advantage for ranking because 60% of web users access the web on mobile. Poor mobile user experience can cause but not always be factors website is not showing up on google. Install AMP accelerated mobile page for your website, if the theme did not come with one preinstalled.
16. Domain Spam
Make sure domain operates well and free from spam. Google does not easily forget domains with a spam history. Check for the health status of domain name, and ensure no malware has been associated with domain. It’s very common to find website is not showing up on google because of spam.
18. Web Server Error
Web server keeps all web files, hence requests made from searches get redirected to the domain. Then rerouted to the server which then gives user information searched for. Hence having errors can cause your website not to show up on google.
19. Analytics Not Added
Google analytics and search console are vital important web tools that any website must have working and accessing data to their website. It’s another way Google likely learns about your website, structure, location of users, and content. Therefore, having Google analytics in advance is the surest way of avoiding to start learning why website is not showing up on google. From analytics, you can see users and engagement, hence knowing people can see your website because it’s common to find maybe the internet is faulty and not website.
20. Site Not Submitted To Search Engines
Finally, this has been the most important aspect since the discovery of websites. Before you do anything, just after development and design go for your website or blog. Submit the website to Google search console for crawling and indexing of pages. No website will ever show up on search results if not on search console, this is entirely impossible unless you’re using Yahoo.com search. Ensure the website is not showing up on google because you have not submitted it to Google.
