How to get your website to show up on Google
To get your website to show up on Google, Google first has to find it, then add it to its index, then choose it for a search. Most people get stuck because they don't know which of the three is failing. The steps below check each one, in order.
Short answer
- Search
site:yourdomain.comon Google. No results means Google hasn't indexed your site yet. - Add your site to Google Search Console and send your sitemap. Both are free.
- Being indexed is not the same as showing up. To show up for a search, you need a page that answers it.
- Expect days to weeks. Paying Google doesn't make it faster.
Updated 16 October 2026 · By Michael Nefedov, noetio
Don't know where to start? Start here
Google usually adds sites by itself. In its own words:
“Google automatically looks for sites to add to our index; you usually don't even need to do anything except post your site on the web.”
So if your site isn't there, something is in the way, or Google hasn't got to it yet. Steps 1 to 5 find out which and take about an hour. Steps 6 and 7 are what makes you show up for real searches.
Step 1: check if Google already knows your site
Type site:yourdomain.com into Google, with your own domain. Google's SEO starter guide: “If you see results pointing to your site, you're in the index.”
You see your pages
Google knows your site. Your problem is ranking: go to step 7.
You see nothing
Google hasn't indexed it yet. Go through steps 2 to 5.
Step 2: add your site to Google Search Console
Search Console is Google's free tool that shows how Google sees your site: which pages are indexed, which have errors, and which searches show you. You add your site as one of two property types (Google) and prove it's yours (Google):
| Property type | Covers | How you verify |
|---|---|---|
| Domain (yourdomain.com) | The whole domain: all subdomains, http and https | A DNS record at your domain provider |
| URL prefix (https://www.yourdomain.com) | Only URLs that start with that address | An HTML tag or file on your site, Google Analytics or Tag Manager |
Pick Domain if you can edit your DNS. It covers everything with one check. Then add the site to Bing Webmaster Tools too: it can import your site from Search Console, already verified.
Step 3: send Google your sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists the pages you want in Google. Many website builders make one for you: try opening yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Send it in Search Console under Sitemaps, or add this line to your robots.txt (Google): Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
It helps, but it's not an order. Google: “Submitting a sitemap is merely a hint: it doesn't guarantee that Google will download the sitemap or use the sitemap for crawling URLs on the site.”
Step 4: ask Google to index your main pages
In Search Console, paste a page's address into the URL Inspection bar at the top, then click Request indexing. Do it for your homepage and the 3 to 5 pages that matter most. Two things Google says about it (source):
Once is enough
There's a quota, and asking again for the same page won't get it crawled faster.
No guarantee
A request doesn't promise the page will be shown, now or later.
Step 5: fix what stops Google
Google lists 5 reasons a site is missing (source). Here they are in Google's words, with how to check and fix each:
| Google's reason | How to check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Your site isn't linked to by other sites on the web.” | Search your brand name. Count the other sites that mention you. | Get listed where your business already belongs (step 6). Never pay for links. |
| “You've just launched a new site and Google hasn't had time to crawl it yet.” | Search Console: URL Inspection says “URL is unknown to Google”. | Send the sitemap, request indexing for your main pages, then wait. |
| “The design of the site makes it difficult for Google to crawl its content effectively.” | Is your main text real text, or part of an image or video? | Put the words people search for in text on the page. |
| “Google received an error when trying to crawl your site.” | Open the site in an incognito window. Does it ask for a login? | Remove the login or the block. Look for a noindex tag and for rules in robots.txt. |
| “Google missed it.” | Everything above is fine and the site is still missing. | Wait a while and get links from other sites. |
One trap: a page with <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tells Google not to show it. WordPress adds a noindex tag to every page when “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is ticked, so make sure it isn't. And Google can only see that tag if robots.txt doesn't block the page (Google).
Step 6: get linked from other sites
Links are how Google finds you. “Google primarily finds pages through links from other pages it already crawled. In many cases, these are other websites that are linking to your pages” (Google). Start with places your business already belongs:
- 1Your own profiles: LinkedIn, X, YouTube, GitHub, Product Hunt.
- 2Partners, suppliers and customers who list who they work with.
- 3Directories and associations in your industry or your city.
- 4Answers on forums and communities where your buyers ask questions.
Don't buy links. Google says paying for links “could be considered a violation” of its spam policies.
Step 7: make a page for each thing people search
Indexed is not the same as found. For each search, Google shows the pages that match it best. If buyers search “invoice software for freelancers” and your homepage says “Simple money tools”, nothing on your site matches. Google's advice: “Think about the words that a user might search for to find a piece of your content” (source).
One question, one page
Each page answers one thing your buyers search for.
Their words in the title
Use the words people type, at the start of the title and the main heading.
The answer at the top
The first 2 sentences answer the question. Details come after.
Local business? If you serve customers at a place or in an area, create a free Google Business Profile. Google: “When you add and verify your Business Profile, customers can find your business on Search and Maps.”
Want to show up in ChatGPT and Google's AI answers too? For Google it's mostly the same work. See SEO vs GEO for what's different.
How long it takes
Ranking takes longer than indexing. Google says some changes “might take effect in a few hours, others could take several months”, and suggests waiting a few weeks before you judge the result (source). And no money speeds it up: “Google doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more frequently, or rank it higher” (source).
Your first hour
- 1Search site:yourdomain.com and note what you see.
- 2Add the site to Search Console as a Domain property.
- 3Send your sitemap in the Sitemaps report.
- 4Request indexing for your homepage and 3 to 5 key pages.
- 5Open your site in an incognito window: no login, no block.
- 6Import the site into Bing Webmaster Tools.
After that, steps 6 and 7 are ongoing work: links and one page per search. That is the part SEO automation can take off your hands.
Questions
Yes. Google adds sites to its search results for free, and Search Console is free. Google says it doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more often or to rank it higher. Google Ads are paid, but they are ads, not search results.
Usually a few days to a few weeks. Google says it can take a few weeks to notice a new site, and that crawling a page you asked for can take from a few days to a few weeks. Asking again for the same page doesn't make it faster.
Google names 5 reasons: no other sites link to yours, the site is too new, the design makes the content hard to crawl, Google got an error such as a login page or a block, or Google simply missed it. Search Console's URL Inspection tool tells you which one it is for a page.
No. Google finds most sites by itself, mainly through links from pages it already knows. A sitemap and Request indexing in Search Console only help Google find your pages sooner. Neither one guarantees that a page is shown.
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