How to Get Google to Index Your Website (And Check If It Already Has)

Your website could be perfectly designed, fast, and full of great content — and still be completely invisible on Google. The reason? Google hasn't indexed it yet, or something is actively blocking it from being indexed.

Indexing is the process where Google discovers your pages, reads them, and adds them to its search database. If a page isn't indexed, it literally cannot appear in search results — no matter how good it is.

Here's how to check your indexation status, and what to do if there's a problem.

Step 1: Check If Your Pages Are Indexed

The fastest way is a simple Google search. In the search bar, type:

site:yourdomain.com

This shows every page Google has indexed from your domain. If you have 20 pages on your site but only 3 show up — or none at all — you have an indexing problem.

For a more precise check, use Google Search Console (free). Under the "Pages" report, you'll see exactly which pages are indexed, which aren't, and why they're excluded.

Step 2: Find Out Why Pages Aren't Being Indexed

The most common reasons pages miss from Google's index:

1. A "noindex" tag is blocking the page
This is a line of code that explicitly tells Google: "Don't include this page in search results." It's meant for pages like thank-you pages, internal admin tools, or staging environments — but it often accidentally ends up on live pages. Right-click your page, select "View Page Source," and search for "noindex." If you see <meta name="robots" content="noindex">, that's your problem.

2. Your robots.txt file is blocking Google
Your robots.txt file tells Google which parts of your site it's allowed to crawl. If this file is misconfigured, it can accidentally block your entire site. Check it by going to yourdomain.com/robots.txt. A line like Disallow: / under User-agent: * means you've blocked everything.

3. Your site is too new
Google needs time to discover new websites. If you launched recently, it may simply not have found your pages yet. This is normal — but you can speed it up.

4. No sitemap has been submitted
A sitemap tells Google what pages exist on your site. Without one, Google has to find your pages by following links — which is slower and less reliable.

5. Your pages have no internal links pointing to them
If a page has no links pointing to it — from your menu, other pages, or external sites — Google may never discover it. Every page should be reachable through at least one internal link.

Step 3: Fix the Problem

Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console
If you don't have a sitemap, generate one (most CMS platforms do this automatically — WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify all have built-in or plugin options). Then go to Google Search Console → Sitemaps → enter your sitemap URL → Submit.

Request indexing for specific pages
In Google Search Console, enter any URL in the top search bar, then click "Request Indexing." This tells Google to crawl that page as soon as possible. It's not instant, but usually works within a few days.

Remove noindex tags from pages you want indexed
If you found noindex tags on pages that should be visible, remove them. In WordPress, check your SEO plugin settings (Yoast, Rank Math, etc.) — there's often a toggle per page. In other platforms, check the page settings or ask your developer.

Fix your robots.txt
If robots.txt is blocking important pages, correct the file. A standard, permissive robots.txt looks like this:

User-agent: *
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

How Long Does It Take to Get Indexed?

After submitting your sitemap and requesting indexing, most pages appear in Google within a few days to a few weeks. New domains with no authority may take longer — 4–8 weeks is normal. There's no way to force immediate indexing, but the steps above are the fastest path.

Indexation is one of the technical checks any good SEO audit should cover. If your pages aren't indexed, nothing else you do for SEO will matter. Fix this first.

Check if Google can actually see your site.
GrowthLeak scans for indexation blockers, robots.txt issues, missing sitemaps, and noindex tags — alongside SEO and speed problems — in 60 seconds.

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