First, check whether you are already on Google
Many site owners assume their site is missing when it is actually indexed but simply not ranking for the searches they tried. Check first, because the two problems have very different solutions.
- The site: search. Type site:yourdomain.co.uk into Google. If pages appear, Google has indexed at least part of your site. Google notes that this site: operator does not necessarily show every indexed page, so treat it as a quick test, not a full count.
- Search for your business name. If you do not appear even for your own name, the site is probably not indexed yet or is blocked.
- URL Inspection in Search Console. The reliable test: it tells you for any single address whether it is indexed and, if not, why.
If your site is indexed but nobody finds it, the issue is visibility, not indexing; jump to step 4. If it is not indexed, start at step 1.
Three ways to appear on Google
There are three distinct routes onto Google's results pages, and they work on different timescales. Most businesses end up using more than one.
| Route | Where you appear | Cost | How quickly | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic results (SEO) | The unpaid listings | No fee to Google; costs your time or an expert's | Indexing in days to weeks; strong rankings in months | An indexable site with pages that answer real searches |
| Google Business Profile | Map results and the business panel | Free | Days to a few weeks, after verification | A real business with a location or service area |
| Google Ads | Sponsored positions above and below results | You pay per click, at a budget you set | Within hours of approval | A landing page, a budget, conversion tracking |
Step 1: verify your site in Google Search Console
Search Console is Google's free tool for website owners. Verifying your site there proves you own it and gives you a direct line of information: which pages are indexed, which have problems and which searches bring visitors. Google's guide to getting started with Search Console covers the options. A domain property, verified through your DNS settings, covers every version of the site at once and is usually the better choice.
You do not need Search Console to be indexed, as Google finds sites through links anyway. But without it you are working blind, and with a brand-new site it is the quickest way to tell Google you exist.
Step 2: submit a sitemap and remove anything that blocks Google
A sitemap is a file listing the pages you want Google to know about. Most modern website platforms create one automatically, often at /sitemap.xml. Submit its address in the Sitemaps section of Search Console. Google explains how to build and submit a sitemap if yours does not have one.
Then check for the blockers that most often keep new sites out of Google:
- A site-wide noindex left over from development. Many platforms have a setting such as 'discourage search engines' that developers switch on during the build and forget to switch off.
- A robots.txt rule that disallows everything. Check yourdomain.co.uk/robots.txt for a line reading 'Disallow: /'. Google's introduction to robots.txt explains what each rule does.
- A password on the live site. Fine for staging, fatal for the live address.
- Pages nobody links to. Google finds pages by following links, so every page should be reachable from your menu or from other pages.
Step 3: ask Google to crawl your key pages
Once nothing blocks Google, use URL Inspection in Search Console on your home page and your most important service pages, then select 'Request indexing'. Google describes this and the sitemap route in its guide on asking Google to recrawl URLs.
Be patient. Google's own guidance on getting your website on Google says it can take a few weeks to notice a new site. Requesting indexing repeatedly does not speed it up, and Google does not index every page it crawls. Pages that add little, or duplicate others, may be crawled and left out.
There is no way to pay for faster indexing or a higher organic position. Offers of 'priority submission to Google' are a warning sign, not a service.
Step 4: give Google pages worth showing
Being indexed is not the same as being found. To appear when customers search, you need pages that match what they type.
- One page per service or product line. A single 'What we do' page cannot rank for six different services. A roofer in Leicester needs separate pages for flat roofs, repairs and new roofs, because people search for each separately.
- Your customers' words. Use the terms people actually type in titles and headings, even if your trade uses different language.
- A direct answer at the top. Tell the visitor what you offer, where and for whom, in the opening lines.
- Real text. Information inside images, PDFs or videos without a written equivalent is harder for Google to use.
- Signs of a real business. An about page with names, a physical address if you have one, and clear contact details.
For the wider first steps, from titles to internal links, our guide to SEO for beginners sets out a 90-day plan.
Step 5: claim your Google Business Profile
If customers visit you, or you visit them within an area, a Google Business Profile is the fastest free route onto Google. It is what appears in the map results and in the panel on the right of the results page when someone searches for your business name.
Create or claim the profile, complete verification, choose accurate categories, add services, hours and real photographs, and link to your website. For a service-area business, such as a mobile mechanic or a cleaning company, you can show the areas you cover instead of a public address. Our Google Business Profile guide goes through every section.
Step 6: earn your first mentions and links
A new site with no links pointing to it is hard for Google to discover and gives it little reason for trust. Your first links usually come from relationships you already have:
- trade associations and professional bodies you belong to;
- suppliers, manufacturers or partners who list stockists or installers;
- local business networks, chambers of commerce and sponsorships;
- a small number of reputable directories relevant to your sector.
Avoid packages that promise hundreds of links for a fixed fee. Google's spam policies treat bought links meant to manipulate rankings as a violation, and they can do lasting harm to a new domain.
Advertising your website on Google
If you need visibility now, rather than in a few months, you can advertise your website on Google through Google Ads. Your advert appears in sponsored positions, clearly labelled, when people search for terms you choose. You set a daily budget and typically pay only when someone clicks.
To sponsor your website on Google well, you need four things in place:
- A focused landing page that matches the advert and makes the next step obvious.
- Carefully chosen keywords, with irrelevant searches excluded, so you do not pay for the wrong clicks.
- Conversion tracking, so you know which clicks become enquiries or sales.
- A realistic budget and a test period, because the first weeks are about learning what works.
Advertising does not improve your organic rankings, and the visibility stops when the spend does. Our guides explain what Google Ads is, how to approach Google Ads campaign setup and what drives Google Ads cost. If you are weighing the two routes, our comparison of SEO vs PPC helps you decide.