Why isn't my business showing up on Google? 7 things to check first
Seven plain-English checks that explain why Google isn't showing your business — and what to fix first.
The short answer
Most small businesses are missing from Google for one of seven reasons: the site is blocked from being indexed, pages have no real text, titles don't name the service or city, there is no service page, the Google Business Profile is unclaimed, business details differ across the web, or the site is brand new.
If you search your own business name and nothing useful comes back, something specific is wrong — and it is almost always one of seven things. Work down this list in order and stop at the first one that applies to you.
1. Google has been told not to look
Some website builders keep a 'hide from search engines' switch on while you are designing, and it quietly stays on after launch. Check your site settings for anything about search engine visibility or indexing, and turn it on.
- Google Search Essentials — Google's own list of what a page needs to appear in search.
2. Your pages have almost no readable words
Beautiful slideshows, images with words baked into them and text hidden behind scripts give Google nothing to read. Every page needs real sentences that say what you do, who it is for and where you do it.
3. Your page titles don't name your service or your city
A title of 'Home' or your business name alone tells Google nothing. 'Wedding photographer in Boise, Idaho' tells it everything. Titles are the single fastest fix on this list.
4. You have no page for the thing people search for
If someone searches 'branding photographer Boise' and your only mention of branding sessions is one line on your home page, there is nothing for Google to show. Each main service deserves its own page.
5. Your Google Business Profile isn't claimed
For local searches and Google Maps, the profile matters as much as the website. Claim it, fill in every field, add photos and ask for reviews.
6. Your details don't match across the web
An old address on a directory, a different phone number on Facebook, a former business name on a vendor list — each mismatch makes Google less confident it is looking at one real business.
7. The site is simply too new
A new site usually takes a few weeks to a few months to settle into search results. If everything above is done, the honest answer is to keep publishing and check again next month.
The fastest way to know which one it is
Bloom checks all seven of these on your actual site and tells you, in plain English, which ones are working and which ones aren't — then walks you through the fixes one at a time.
Want this done for your site, one fix at a time?
Bloom checks your website, Google profile and social bios, then walks you through the fixes in plain English.
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