How To Make Your New Website Appear On Google
Introduction
You’ve just published your new website. You’re so proud of it. You did everything right and want the world to see it.
Yet, you can’t seem to find it on Google. No matter what you type in the search bar, your website doesn’t show up.
In this blog post, you’ll learn why Google isn’t indexing your website and what you can do about it.
Disclaimer
I don’t want to waste your time, so let’s address this first.
This blog post is not about SEO. It’s not about making your website appear on the first Google page. It’s not about ranking higher for specific keywords.
This article is focused on making Google know that your website exists at all! If Google is not indexing your website, nobody will ever be able to find you.
I'll also assume that your webpage actually works and you do not violate any spam policy.
Now that we’ve addressed what this blog post is and isn’t about let’s jump right into it.
Website vs. Web Page
Before diving into the actual problems, we need to clarify the distinction between a website and a web page in the context of web searches.
Search results display specific pages and not entire websites. That’s a big difference.
Google will use the content on the specific page to determine whether or not the page is relevant to what the user is searching for.
It might be that Google knows about your website but not a specific page you’ve just published.
For the sake of simplicity, this blog post will only focus on the entire website not being indexed by Google.
As for individual pages not being indexed, that will be addressed in another post.
How To Check If Your Website Is On Google
The first thing you need to do is to check whether Google is indexing your website.
Before that, let’s debunk a common misconception. Not appearing on the first page of search results does not mean your website is not indexed.
Your SEO might not be strong enough to appear on the first page, but that doesn’t mean Google doesn’t know about you.
To check whether Google is indexing your website, write the following on the search bar: site:domain
Example: If I had to check my website, I’d have to write site:dacorte.dev
If there is at least one result, good news! Google knows about your website. You don’t need to read any further.
If there are no results, then Google doesn’t know your website exists. But don’t worry, I’ll help you solve this problem.
Let’s look at some specific tactics you can use and mistakes you must avoid.
Tactics To Get Your Website Indexed ASAP
Blocking The Process: Robots.txt And Noindex Tags
Before diving into specific tactics to get your website indexed, let’s ensure you’re not blocking the whole process.
You might be mistakenly blocking Google from either crawling or indexing your website. I’ll put a definition of those two terms, but you can skip it as it’s not required to get the problem fixed.
Crawling: Crawling is the process by which search engines systematically browse and scan the content of web pages, collecting information about each page’s content, structure, and links.
Indexing: Indexing is the subsequent step where the information gathered during crawling is organised and stored in a database.
If you want a deeper dive into the topic, I wrote a whole article about it.
Blocking Google From Crawling Your Website
The first thing we need to look at is whether you are blocking Google from crawling your website. We will look at this first, as crawling is a prerequisite for indexing.
Almost every website has a robots.txt file, which can usually be accessed by searching for site/robots.txt.
While it’s not mandatory, it’s considered good practice and can have some important benefits.
A robots.txt file is a set of instructions used by websites to tell web crawlers (like Google’s) which pages should and shouldn’t be crawled.
If your robots.txt file looks something like this:
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow:
You’re basically blocking Google from crawling your website.
While the content of your robots.txt file will depend on which pages you want to be crawled, if you want Google to be able to crawl your website, it should look something like this:
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow:
Or
User-agent: *
Allow:
Blocking Google From Indexing Your Website
If you’ve reached this point, it means your website can be crawled. That’s good news! However, you might still be stopping Google from indexing it.
If your page has a “noindex” meta tag, Google won’t index it. To solve this, simply remove noindex tags from pages that shouldn’t have them.
This tag is typically found in your webpage’s HTML <head> section.
If you’re using a no-code website builder, you can check whether your page can be indexed in its settings.
Submit A Sitemap
A sitemap is, as the name suggests, a map of your site. It’s an XML file that provides information about the pages of your website and the relationships between them.
While it’s not required to submit a sitemap, I highly encourage you to do so. It’s especially convenient if your site is small and has few inbound links (AKA “backlinks”).
If you’re using Framer, you don’t have to worry about creating a sitemap, as it will automatically generate one.
To access it, simply run a search for: URL/sitemap.xml. (Example: https://www.dacorte.dev/sitemap.xml)
If you’re using another website hosting service, read its documentation to find out whether it provides one.
If it doesn’t, simply use a free online tool to generate one.
Now that you have a sitemap, head to Google Search Console, sign up and submit your sitemap under indexing → sitemaps.
Pro Tip: Apart from helping you ensure your website is being indexed, Google Search Console will provide helpful metrics about your website and its performance.
Submit An Indexing Request
Now that you’ve submitted a sitemap don’t leave Google Search Console, as you’ll also need it to submit an indexing request.
Supposing your website is well structured and every page is reachable from another one. In that case, you only need to submit an indexing request for your homepage, and you’ll be alright.
Get Some Backlinks
A backlink is a link on another website pointing at yours.
While getting backlinks it’s easier said than done, getting even a couple would be highly beneficial since Google discovers new websites from existing ones.
Pro Tip: Backlinks have also been confirmed to be among the most important ranking factors.
Time Frame Expectations
I will not give you false expectations. Crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
You may be lucky and get your website indexed in a day or two. However, that might not be the case for everybody.
If you’ve done everything in this guide, it’s just a matter of time.
The only thing you can do is to periodically check your Google Search Console account to check whether there is any news.
FAQs
Q1 - How To Check If Google Is Indexing A Specific Page?
To check if Google is indexing a specific page, use the “site:” operator in Google search. Enter “site:yourdomain/path-to-page” in the search bar, replacing it with your actual page URL. If the page is indexed, you’ll see it in the results.
Q2 - Does Internal Linking Help The Crawling Process?
Yes, internal linking is essential for search engine crawling. It helps discover new content, distributes page authority, and defines website hierarchy, contributing to better search rankings and user experience.
Q3- What Is An Orphan Page?
An orphan page is a web page that has no backlinks from any other pages within the same website. It lacks inbound links, making it isolated and challenging for search engines to discover and index.
Q4 - Do I Need A Custom Domain For My Website?
Yes, a custom domain is recommended for a professional and trustworthy online presence. It enhances your brand and is more memorable than a free domain. If you don’t have one, consider transitioning to a custom domain as soon as possible.
Q5 - What Is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a free tool by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google search results. It provides valuable insights into your site’s performance, indexing status, and helps you address potential issues.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read the whole article. I hope you found it helpful.
If you need any assistance getting your website indexed, please feel free to reach out with any questions.
If you’ve found this article helpful, I kindly invite you to share it with a friend who might benefit from it!
Introduction
You’ve just published your new website. You’re so proud of it. You did everything right and want the world to see it.
Yet, you can’t seem to find it on Google. No matter what you type in the search bar, your website doesn’t show up.
In this blog post, you’ll learn why Google isn’t indexing your website and what you can do about it.
Disclaimer
I don’t want to waste your time, so let’s address this first.
This blog post is not about SEO. It’s not about making your website appear on the first Google page. It’s not about ranking higher for specific keywords.
This article is focused on making Google know that your website exists at all! If Google is not indexing your website, nobody will ever be able to find you.
I'll also assume that your webpage actually works and you do not violate any spam policy.
Now that we’ve addressed what this blog post is and isn’t about let’s jump right into it.
Website vs. Web Page
Before diving into the actual problems, we need to clarify the distinction between a website and a web page in the context of web searches.
Search results display specific pages and not entire websites. That’s a big difference.
Google will use the content on the specific page to determine whether or not the page is relevant to what the user is searching for.
It might be that Google knows about your website but not a specific page you’ve just published.
For the sake of simplicity, this blog post will only focus on the entire website not being indexed by Google.
As for individual pages not being indexed, that will be addressed in another post.
How To Check If Your Website Is On Google
The first thing you need to do is to check whether Google is indexing your website.
Before that, let’s debunk a common misconception. Not appearing on the first page of search results does not mean your website is not indexed.
Your SEO might not be strong enough to appear on the first page, but that doesn’t mean Google doesn’t know about you.
To check whether Google is indexing your website, write the following on the search bar: site:domain
Example: If I had to check my website, I’d have to write site:dacorte.dev
If there is at least one result, good news! Google knows about your website. You don’t need to read any further.
If there are no results, then Google doesn’t know your website exists. But don’t worry, I’ll help you solve this problem.
Let’s look at some specific tactics you can use and mistakes you must avoid.
Tactics To Get Your Website Indexed ASAP
Blocking The Process: Robots.txt And Noindex Tags
Before diving into specific tactics to get your website indexed, let’s ensure you’re not blocking the whole process.
You might be mistakenly blocking Google from either crawling or indexing your website. I’ll put a definition of those two terms, but you can skip it as it’s not required to get the problem fixed.
Crawling: Crawling is the process by which search engines systematically browse and scan the content of web pages, collecting information about each page’s content, structure, and links.
Indexing: Indexing is the subsequent step where the information gathered during crawling is organised and stored in a database.
If you want a deeper dive into the topic, I wrote a whole article about it.
Blocking Google From Crawling Your Website
The first thing we need to look at is whether you are blocking Google from crawling your website. We will look at this first, as crawling is a prerequisite for indexing.
Almost every website has a robots.txt file, which can usually be accessed by searching for site/robots.txt.
While it’s not mandatory, it’s considered good practice and can have some important benefits.
A robots.txt file is a set of instructions used by websites to tell web crawlers (like Google’s) which pages should and shouldn’t be crawled.
If your robots.txt file looks something like this:
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow:
You’re basically blocking Google from crawling your website.
While the content of your robots.txt file will depend on which pages you want to be crawled, if you want Google to be able to crawl your website, it should look something like this:
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow:
Or
User-agent: *
Allow:
Blocking Google From Indexing Your Website
If you’ve reached this point, it means your website can be crawled. That’s good news! However, you might still be stopping Google from indexing it.
If your page has a “noindex” meta tag, Google won’t index it. To solve this, simply remove noindex tags from pages that shouldn’t have them.
This tag is typically found in your webpage’s HTML <head> section.
If you’re using a no-code website builder, you can check whether your page can be indexed in its settings.
Submit A Sitemap
A sitemap is, as the name suggests, a map of your site. It’s an XML file that provides information about the pages of your website and the relationships between them.
While it’s not required to submit a sitemap, I highly encourage you to do so. It’s especially convenient if your site is small and has few inbound links (AKA “backlinks”).
If you’re using Framer, you don’t have to worry about creating a sitemap, as it will automatically generate one.
To access it, simply run a search for: URL/sitemap.xml. (Example: https://www.dacorte.dev/sitemap.xml)
If you’re using another website hosting service, read its documentation to find out whether it provides one.
If it doesn’t, simply use a free online tool to generate one.
Now that you have a sitemap, head to Google Search Console, sign up and submit your sitemap under indexing → sitemaps.
Pro Tip: Apart from helping you ensure your website is being indexed, Google Search Console will provide helpful metrics about your website and its performance.
Submit An Indexing Request
Now that you’ve submitted a sitemap don’t leave Google Search Console, as you’ll also need it to submit an indexing request.
Supposing your website is well structured and every page is reachable from another one. In that case, you only need to submit an indexing request for your homepage, and you’ll be alright.
Get Some Backlinks
A backlink is a link on another website pointing at yours.
While getting backlinks it’s easier said than done, getting even a couple would be highly beneficial since Google discovers new websites from existing ones.
Pro Tip: Backlinks have also been confirmed to be among the most important ranking factors.
Time Frame Expectations
I will not give you false expectations. Crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
You may be lucky and get your website indexed in a day or two. However, that might not be the case for everybody.
If you’ve done everything in this guide, it’s just a matter of time.
The only thing you can do is to periodically check your Google Search Console account to check whether there is any news.
FAQs
Q1 - How To Check If Google Is Indexing A Specific Page?
To check if Google is indexing a specific page, use the “site:” operator in Google search. Enter “site:yourdomain/path-to-page” in the search bar, replacing it with your actual page URL. If the page is indexed, you’ll see it in the results.
Q2 - Does Internal Linking Help The Crawling Process?
Yes, internal linking is essential for search engine crawling. It helps discover new content, distributes page authority, and defines website hierarchy, contributing to better search rankings and user experience.
Q3- What Is An Orphan Page?
An orphan page is a web page that has no backlinks from any other pages within the same website. It lacks inbound links, making it isolated and challenging for search engines to discover and index.
Q4 - Do I Need A Custom Domain For My Website?
Yes, a custom domain is recommended for a professional and trustworthy online presence. It enhances your brand and is more memorable than a free domain. If you don’t have one, consider transitioning to a custom domain as soon as possible.
Q5 - What Is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a free tool by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google search results. It provides valuable insights into your site’s performance, indexing status, and helps you address potential issues.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read the whole article. I hope you found it helpful.
If you need any assistance getting your website indexed, please feel free to reach out with any questions.
If you’ve found this article helpful, I kindly invite you to share it with a friend who might benefit from it!
Luca Da Corte is a freelance Framer Expert and SEO specialist. When he’s not working on some exciting projects, he curates a blog where he shares insights, resources, and experiences on everything regarding websites.
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