Either Google hasn't indexed your site, or it has but doesn't rank it for what you searched. The first is often one setting you can fix today. The second takes longer.
Do a site: search
Search Google for site:yourbusiness.co.nz, with your own domain and no space after the colon. If nothing comes up, Google hasn't indexed the site; work through the next two sections. If your pages come up, it's a ranking problem, covered further down.
Check the site isn't telling Google to stay away
On WordPress, go to Settings, then Reading, and look under "Search engine visibility".
On Wix, Squarespace and other builders, check each page's SEO settings. On any site, open yourbusiness.co.nz/robots.txt and look for Disallow: /, which blocks the whole site.
Set up Google Search Console
Search Console is Google's free tool for site owners.
- Add your site as a property, verified with a DNS record or a tag on your home page.
- Open the Page indexing report. It lists pages that aren't indexed and why, such as "URL marked 'noindex'" or "Blocked by robots.txt".
- Inspect your home page with the URL Inspection box, and click Request indexing once it's fixed.
- Submit your sitemap under Sitemaps.
Google says a new site can take a few weeks to be noticed, and sites with no links from other sites get missed.
If it's indexed but doesn't rank
Search Console's Performance report shows the searches you appear for. Use the words customers use: "electrician Tauranga", not only "residential electrical services". Map results come from your Google Business Profile, not your website; our setup guide covers it. Nobody can promise you a ranking.
If the site was there and disappeared, something changed:
| What changed | Where to look |
|---|---|
A redesign went live with noindex still on |
The settings above, first |
| The site moved without redirects from old addresses | Moving to a new host |
| The site was hacked | Search Console's Security issues report, and website hacked |
| Google applied a manual action | The Manual actions report. Fix the problem, then request reconsideration |
When to get help
If Search Console shows errors you can't make sense of, or the site vanished after a move or a hack, hand it to someone who has fixed it before. Start with a free website check.