SEO and performance
Why can’t Google find your website?
Not appearing in Google can mean a page is not indexed, or that it is indexed but ranks below other results for your query. Establish which problem you have before changing the site.
Inspect a specific URL first
Choose an important service page rather than just the domain. Search Console URL Inspection shows what Google knows about that URL and offers a live test. A site: search can be indicative but is not a complete index inventory. Record the exact URL, Google-selected canonical and reported reason. If the page is indexed, investigate queries and content rather than repeatedly requesting indexing.
Check accidental access restrictions
The page needs an appropriate response and access without login. Check both HTML noindex metadata and the HTTP X-Robots-Tag header. A robots.txt Disallow restricts crawling and is not a dependable removal mechanism; Google must be able to crawl a page to see its noindex instruction. Do not expose staging sites, accounts or private documents for SEO. Remove unintended restrictions deliberately on public service pages.
Review canonicals, languages and redirects
The canonical should identify the intended valid page, not an empty home page or old domain. It is a signal Google considers alongside others. Make HTTP/HTTPS, www and trailing-slash handling consistent. Each language needs its own URL and reciprocal hreflang annotations. Switching language on an article should lead to its counterpart, not always to the home page.
Make pages discoverable internally
Link to services and guides through ordinary links from related pages. Use descriptive anchor text such as “e-commerce launch tests”. Include working canonical URLs intended for indexing in the sitemap. Submitting a sitemap or requesting indexing does not oblige Google to include a page. For JavaScript-dependent content, also check Google’s rendered version.
For indexed pages, examine search intent
Filter Search Console performance data by page and review actual queries, impressions and clicks. Is the visitor seeking a service, cost, comparison or tutorial? Answer that need with scope, suitability, requirements and a way to contact you. Use genuine project examples and concrete explanations. Avoid dozens of near-identical pages that only change a town or keyword.
Measure changes and acknowledge limits
Record the change date and URLs checked. Repeat the technical review, then monitor Search Console over a meaningful period. Crawling and reports do not update instantly; competition and query type also affect rankings. An HTML audit can identify technical signals but cannot verify Google’s index or promise a position. Also measure genuine enquiries from organic search.
Quick checklist
- Indexing separated from ranking
- Status, noindex and robots.txt checked
- Canonicals, languages and links consistent
- Changes measured in Search Console and enquiries
Apply this to your needs
Sources and further instructions
Apply this to your project.
Send your website URL or describe your needs. We can establish the problem and an appropriate scope first.