Why Your Website Isn't Showing Up on Google (And How to Fix It)

You invested in a website. It looks professional. It explains what you do. But when you search for your business on Google, it’s nowhere to be found.

This is one of the most common frustrations we hear from Houston business owners. They expected that simply having a website would mean customers could find them. But that’s not how it works.

Here’s why your site might be invisible and what you can do about it.

First: Is Your Site Even Indexed?

Before troubleshooting ranking issues, make sure Google actually knows your site exists.

How to Check

Type this into Google: site:yourdomain.com

If you see your pages listed, you’re indexed. If you see “No results found,” Google hasn’t discovered your site yet.

If You’re Not Indexed

Possible causes:

Your site is brand new (give it a week or two)
Your site is blocking search engines (check your robots.txt file)
You have a “noindex” tag on your pages
Your site has technical issues preventing crawling
Google hasn’t discovered any links to your site

Quick fixes:

Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console
Check your robots.txt file (yoursite.com/robots.txt) for “Disallow: /”
Look for “noindex” meta tags in your page source
Request indexing through Google Search Console

If you don’t have Google Search Console set up, do that first. It’s free and gives you direct insight into how Google sees your site.

Your Site Is Indexed But Not Ranking

If your site is indexed but not appearing in search results, you have a ranking problem. Here are the most common causes.

1. Your Site Is New

Google doesn’t trust new websites immediately. This is called the “sandbox effect” and it’s essentially a probation period for new domains.

How long does it last? Typically 3-6 months, sometimes longer for competitive industries.

What to do:

Be patient (there’s no shortcut)
Focus on building quality content during this period
Get listed in legitimate directories
Earn links from other reputable sites

2. No One Is Linking to Your Site

Backlinks remain one of Google’s strongest ranking signals. If no other websites link to yours, Google sees your site as unimportant.

How to check: Use a free tool like Ahrefs’ backlink checker or Moz’s Link Explorer.

How to build links:

Get listed in local business directories
Join your Houston Chamber of Commerce and industry associations
Create genuinely useful content that people want to reference
Partner with complementary local businesses
Sponsor local events that will mention you online

3. Your Content Doesn’t Match What People Search

You might be writing about what you think people want rather than what they’re actually searching for.

Example: You wrote a page about “residential cooling solutions” but everyone searches for “home AC repair.”

How to fix:

Use Google’s “People also ask” to see actual search patterns
Research keywords with free tools like Google Keyword Planner
Look at what top-ranking competitors are writing about
Update your content to match actual search intent

4. Your Pages Lack Depth

Google favors comprehensive content that fully answers searcher questions. A 200-word service page won’t compete with a competitor’s 1,500-word guide.

Check your content for:

Does it answer the main question thoroughly?
Does it address related questions users might have?
Does it provide more value than competing pages?

The fix: Expand thin pages with genuinely useful information. Not filler - real substance that helps users.

5. Technical Issues Are Holding You Back

Your site might have technical problems that hurt rankings:

Slow loading speed: If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing both visitors and rankings. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to test.

Not mobile-friendly: More than half of searches happen on phones. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites. Test yours at Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

Security issues: Sites without HTTPS are flagged as “Not Secure” by browsers. Get an SSL certificate (most hosts offer them free).

Broken links: Links to pages that don’t exist hurt user experience and can impact rankings.

Duplicate content: Multiple pages with the same content confuse Google about which one to rank.

6. Your Site Has Poor Structure

Google needs to understand your site’s organization to rank it properly.

Common structural issues:

No clear hierarchy (pages all at the same level)
Important pages buried deep in the site
Confusing navigation that makes pages hard to find
No internal linking between related content

How to fix:

Organize content in logical categories
Link related pages to each other
Make sure every important page is within 3 clicks of the homepage
Use clear, descriptive URLs

7. You’re Targeting Impossible Keywords

If you’re a new Houston HVAC company trying to rank #1 for “air conditioning,” you’re competing with national brands with decades of SEO investment.

Signs you’re overreaching:

All top results are major brands or established players
You’re not in the top 50 results
The keyword is extremely broad and generic

Better approach:

Target longer, more specific keywords (“AC repair in Katy TX”)
Focus on local terms where you can actually compete
Build authority on smaller keywords before going after bigger ones

8. Your Competition Is Simply Stronger

Sometimes the hard truth is that competitors have been doing SEO longer, have better content, and have more links.

What to do:

Analyze what top competitors do well
Find gaps they’re not covering
Focus on hyper-local keywords where competition is lower
Build your authority systematically over time

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Run through this list to identify your issues:

The Timeline Reality

SEO isn’t instant. Here’s a realistic timeline:

Month 1-2: Fix technical issues, set up proper tracking, research keywords

Month 3-4: Create and optimize content, start building citations and links

Month 5-6: Begin seeing movement in rankings for less competitive terms

Month 6-12: Gradual improvement for more competitive terms if fundamentals are solid

Anyone promising first-page rankings in 30 days is either lying or using tactics that will eventually hurt you.

When to Get Help

DIY SEO is possible for simple sites in non-competitive industries. Consider professional help if:

You’re in a competitive industry
You don’t have time to learn and implement SEO
You’ve tried DIY approaches without results
Your site has complex technical issues
You need results faster than DIY allows

The investment in professional SEO often pays for itself through increased leads and customers.

Start With These Three Things

If you’re not sure where to begin, start here:

Set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap
Fix obvious technical issues (speed, mobile, security)
Create one comprehensive page targeting your most important local keyword

These fundamentals will give you a foundation to build on.

Frustrated with your website’s invisibility on Google? We help Houston businesses identify what’s holding them back and develop strategies to improve their search rankings. Contact us for an honest assessment, or learn more about our SEO services.