You’ve invested in a website you love. You type your business name into Google and… nothing. Or you search for what you do, “web design Gold Coast”, “lash technician Robina”, and you’re nowhere to be seen while businesses you know are less established sit right at the top.
It’s one of the most common messages I get, and the good news is that the cause is usually one of a handful of things. Some take five minutes to fix. Others take a little longer. Here’s how to work out which one is holding you back.
First, a 30-second check
Go to Google and search site:yourwebsite.com.au (with your own address, no spaces). This shows every page Google has stored for your website.
- No results at all? Google doesn’t know your website exists yet, or something is blocking it. Start with reasons 1 and 2.
- Results, but old or wrong pages? Google is holding on to an old version of your site. See reason 4.
- Your pages are there, but you don’t show up when people search for what you do? Google can see you, it just doesn’t think you’re the best answer yet. Reasons 3, 5 and 6 are for you.
1. Google doesn’t know your website exists yet
Google finds new websites by following links and reading sitemaps. A brand-new website with no links pointing to it, and no one telling Google it’s there, can sit unnoticed for weeks.
The fix: set up Google Search Console, Google’s free tool for website owners. Verify your website, submit your sitemap (on most WordPress sites it’s yourwebsite.com.au/wp-sitemap.xml) and use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for your most important pages. It’s the single most useful thing you can do for a new website, and it gives you real data about how people find you.
2. Something is telling Google to stay away
This one is more common than you’d think, and it’s completely invisible to visitors. While a website is being built, it’s normal to hide it from search engines. If that setting isn’t switched off at launch, your finished website keeps quietly asking Google not to list it.
The fix: in WordPress, go to Settings → Reading and make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unticked. Then check yourwebsite.com.au/robots.txt. If you see Disallow: / on its own line, your whole website is blocked. Search Console’s Pages report will also flag pages marked “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag”.
3. You’re not using the words your customers search for
Your website might say “elevated beauty experiences” when your customers are typing “eyelash extensions Burleigh”. Google matches searches to the words on your pages, so beautiful, on-brand copy still needs the plain, practical phrases people actually use.
The fix:
- Give every main service its own page, rather than listing everything on one.
- Put the service and your location in each page’s title and main heading, for example “Website Design, Gold Coast”.
- Write a unique meta description for each page. It’s the snippet people read in search results before deciding to click.
- Mention the suburbs and areas you genuinely serve, naturally, where it makes sense.
Your brand voice and your keywords don’t have to compete. The best pages read beautifully and still use the words your clients are searching for.
4. Google is still showing your old website
If you’ve had a redesign, Google may still be holding the old version: old page addresses, old prices, even a “coming soon” page. When those old links lead to an error page, you lose the trust Google had built up in your website, and visitors who click them leave straight away.
The fix: every old page address should redirect (a “301 redirect”) to the closest matching new page. Your old /website-design/ page should send people to the new /web-design/ page, and so on. Then request indexing for your new pages in Search Console so Google refreshes its copy sooner.
5. Your website is slow or awkward on a phone
Most people will find you on their phone, and Google judges your website primarily on its mobile version. Large uncompressed images, too many plugins, and layouts that don’t adapt to small screens all count against you.
The fix: run your homepage through Google’s free PageSpeed Insights. Compress and resize images before uploading them, remove plugins you don’t use, and use good caching. Then open your website on your own phone and try to book or enquire. If it’s frustrating for you, it’s frustrating for your customers too.
6. Google doesn’t trust you yet
When lots of businesses offer the same thing, Google leans towards the ones with the most signs of being real, established and well regarded. For local businesses, that starts with your Google Business Profile.
The fix:
- Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile with the right category, services, hours and photos.
- Ask happy clients for Google reviews. Make it easy by sending them a direct link.
- Keep your business name, phone number and address exactly the same everywhere they appear online.
- Earn links from relevant places, like local directories, industry associations, networking groups and suppliers you work with.
How long does it take to show up?
Once nothing is blocking your website, Google usually picks up new pages within a few days to a few weeks. Climbing the rankings for competitive searches is a longer game, often several months of steady, consistent work. Anyone promising page one by next week is selling something you don’t want.
The important thing is to fix the foundations first. There’s no point writing new content if Google has been told to ignore your website.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If you’ve worked through this list and still can’t see what’s wrong, or you’d rather not dig through settings at all, I offer a complimentary website audit. I’ll review your website’s Google visibility, speed, design and enquiry path, and send you a clear list of what to fix first. And if you’d like ongoing help, take a look at my SEO services.
