My page doesn't show up in Google: here's how to find out why
Your website or a new page is online, but you can't find it in Google. This can have many causes: Google hasn't visited the page yet, something on your site is blocking Google, or Google has decided not to include the page (yet). In this article you'll read step by step how to find out what's going on. We use example.com as an example.
First, something to know: inclusion in Google is never guaranteed, and it's normal that not every page of a site appears in Google. What matters is your important pages. A new site can take days to weeks.
Step 1: search with site:
Type site:example.com into Google. You'll then see pages of your domain that Google knows about. With site:example.com/contact you search for one page or a part of your site. The number is an estimate and not always complete. If you see nothing, or your page is missing, go to step 2.
Step 2: check Google Search Console
Search Console is Google's free service where you can see how Google views your site. If you haven't added your site to it yet, first read Verifying Google Search Console with a TXT record: how to avoid mistakes.
Open Indexing, Pages in the menu. This report is called Page indexing. You'll see how many pages are indexed and how many aren't, and per reason how many pages aren't included. Click on a reason to see example addresses. The most important reasons:
| Reason in the report | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| URL marked 'noindex' | The page itself asks not to be included. | Remove the noindex if this happened by accident (see below). |
| URL blocked by robots.txt | Google isn't allowed to fetch the page. | Adjust robots.txt if the page belongs in Google. |
| Not found (404) | The page doesn't exist (anymore). | Usually fine. If links point to it, redirect the old address. |
| Soft 404 | The page returns "found", but looks like an error page or is almost empty. | Make the page useful, or have it return a real 404. |
| Server error (5xx) | Your server returned an error when Google visited. | If this persists, check your site's error logs or contact us. |
| Page with redirect; Alternative page with proper canonical tag | The address redirects to another address. | Normal: the target address gets included. |
| Discovered - currently not indexed | Google knows the address, but hasn't fetched the page yet. | Normal for a new site. Make sure there are links from your other pages and a sitemap. |
| Crawled - currently not indexed | Google read the page, but didn't include it (yet). | Not a technical error. Check whether the page truly adds something unique and useful. |
If you've fixed something, click Validate fix. Google will then check the addresses again; according to Google this usually takes up to about two weeks. Don't click repeatedly.
Step 3: investigate one page with URL inspection
Paste the full address of the page into the search bar at the top of Search Console. You'll see whether the URL is in Google, when Google last fetched the page, whether robots.txt and a noindex allow it, and which address Google has chosen as the "real" (canonical) address. This is Google's current status, not a live measurement.
With Test live URL Google fetches the page right now. This way you can immediately see if a fix works. After that you can Request indexing. Keep in mind:
- There's a daily maximum per property. For many pages at once, use a sitemap, see Checking your sitemap.
- Requesting the same page more often doesn't make it faster.
- It's not a guarantee: fetching can take days to weeks, and after that Google still decides whether the page gets included.
The most common cause
A site that was hidden from search engines during building, and where that setting was left on:
- WordPress: go to Settings, Reading. The checkbox Discourage search engines from indexing this site should be unchecked.
- AI Builder: open the SEO section. Under Discoverability, Site discoverable in Google should be on, and per page under More for this page the This page discoverable in Google switch. Then publish again.
- Other website builders: look for a setting like "hide from search engines".
You can read about the difference between robots.txt and noindex in Keeping a page out of Google: robots.txt or noindex?
The other way around: a deleted page still appears in Google
A page you've deleted will disappear from Google on its own if the address returns a real 404 (not found) or 410 (gone). This only happens once Google visits the page again. If it needs to be faster, for example because it accidentally contained personal data, use Removals in Search Console. This hides the page temporarily, for about six months. So besides that, always make sure there's a 404 or 410, a password, or a noindex.