Getting your website on Google means getting its pages into Google’s index, the large database that search results come from. For an electrician, roofer or cleaner with a new site, publishing it is usually enough, as Google finds most sites by itself. So check first. Type site:yourdomain.co.uk into Google, using your own domain.
If nothing shows, or your job pages are missing, this guide takes you through the fix. It’s written for a trade business with a small site, not a Search Console course.
Do this today
- Search site:yourdomain.co.uk on Google and see what comes up.
- Open your site in a private browser window. Check it loads with no login.
- Add your site to Search Console and verify it.
- Submit your sitemap once.
- Inspect your homepage and your main job page in URL Inspection.
Is your website already on Google?
Your website is already on Google if a site: search returns its pages. Google treats any result pointing to your site as proof it’s in the index. The list isn’t always complete, so treat it as a yes or no rather than a page count. To check one page, search its full address.
What you see tells you where to go next:
- Your pages show. You’re on Google. If customers still can’t find you for your trade and town, that’s a ranking problem. Start with how to rank higher on Google Maps for trades and how to check where you rank on Google.
- Your homepage shows but your job pages don’t. Go to asking Google to index a page.
- Nothing shows. Carry on with the steps below.
- Your site shows but your listing is missing from the map. That’s a separate problem. See business not showing on Google Maps.
Set up Google Search Console
Search Console is Google’s own tool for seeing how it treats your site. You add your site as a property, then prove it’s yours.
- Open Search Console and sign in with your Google account.
- Open the property selector and choose Add property.
- Pick Domain or URL prefix. A Domain property covers every version of your site but needs a DNS record. A URL prefix property covers only addresses starting exactly as you type them, so copy it from your browser, https:// included. It offers more ways to verify.
- Choose a verification method, follow the steps and click Verify.
In our view, pick URL prefix if you’re doing this yourself. It keeps you out of your domain settings.
On Wix, the SEO Setup Checklist helps you connect Search Console. It needs a Premium plan and your own domain. If someone else already owns the property, ask them for access rather than starting again. Data should start appearing within a few days.
Submit your sitemap
A sitemap is a file listing the pages on your site, so Google knows where they are. Your website platform has probably made one already. WordPress puts it at /wp-sitemap.xml. Wix uses /sitemap.xml. If you use an SEO plugin, check its settings, as the address can differ.
- Add the sitemap address to your domain in your browser and check it loads.
- Open the Sitemaps report in Search Console.
- Paste the address into the Add a new sitemap box and click Submit.
- Check the status says Success. If it says Couldn’t fetch, fix the address and submit again.
Submitting doesn’t upload anything. It tells Google where the file lives, and Google treats that as a hint. Small sites with good internal links may not need a sitemap at all. Google says a new site with few links from other websites may need one. In our view, that describes most new trade sites.
Some older guides tell you to “ping” your sitemap to Google. Google dropped that in 2023. Search Console is the route now, and you only need to resubmit after big changes.
Ask Google to index a page
URL Inspection is the Search Console tool that shows whether Google has one page. Paste the page’s full address into it and read the status at the top.
- URL is on Google. The page is eligible to show. That isn’t a guarantee it will.
- URL is not on Google. The page won’t show in results. The report gives the reason.
To ask Google to index it, click Request indexing. Google runs a quick check, then adds the page to its queue. If the page fails that quick check, it isn’t added to the queue. Fix the cause the report gives, then ask again.
There’s a daily limit. Repeat requests for the same page won’t speed it up. In our view, save requests for your homepage and main job pages. Let the sitemap handle the rest.
You may not need to ask at all. Eight SearchHawk guides published on 30 October 2026 showed “URL is on Google” the same day, with no request sent. That’s one site on one day, not a time to expect.
Why your website isn’t showing on Google
Your website usually isn’t showing on Google because it’s too new, nothing links to it or something is blocking it. Google lists most of these reasons itself. The Page indexing report in Search Console shows which ones apply.
- It’s still set to hidden. In WordPress, untick Discourage search engines from indexing this site under Settings then Reading. It also turns off the built-in sitemap. On Wix, turn on Let search engines index your site. In our view, this is the first thing to check after a new build.
- A noindex tag or robots.txt rule. These tell Google to stay out. Remove them from pages you want found.
- It needs a login or returns an error. If it won’t open in a private window, Google can’t read it either. A server error needs your host.
- Nothing links to it. Google can miss a site that nothing links to. Ask real contacts, such as suppliers and trade bodies, to link to you. Don’t pay for links, as that can break Google’s spam policies.
- It’s mostly pictures. Google wants text, not just images or video. A gallery of jobs with no words gives it little to read.
- Crawled, currently not indexed. Google read the page and left it out for now. There’s no need to resubmit. In our view, make the page more useful: the job, the town, your own photos.
- Discovered, currently not indexed. Google found the page but hasn’t read it yet, because it put the crawl off to avoid overloading the site. Give it time.
- Duplicate. Google has picked a similar page and won’t show this one.
Don’t expect every address on your site to be indexed. Google’s advice is to make sure the key pages are. For a trade, that’s your homepage and a page for each job and town, which is how we plan websites for trades.
How long does it take?
How long it takes has no fixed answer, and Google gives different ranges for different cases:
- A new site. “It can take a few weeks for Google to notice a new site”.
- A crawl you’ve requested. A few days to a few weeks.
- A page sent through URL Inspection. Typically a day or so, up to a week or two, and much longer in some cases.
- Changes in general. From a few hours to several months.
None of these is a promise. Google doesn’t guarantee it will crawl, index or show any page.
Questions about getting your website on Google
How do I submit my website to Google?
You submit your website to Google by adding it to Search Console and submitting your sitemap. Many sites get found without either.
Do I have to pay to get my website on Google?
No, you don’t have to pay to get your website on Google. Google takes no payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher. Paid ads are a separate thing.
How do I get my business on Google?
You get your business on Google with a Business Profile, which is separate from your website. It controls how your business appears across Search and Maps. Here’s how to set up a Google Business Profile for your trade.
Why is my website not on Google after I submitted it?
Your website may not be on Google yet because submitting is only a request. Check the Page indexing report for a reason, then give it time. Sending the same page again won’t help.
My website is on Google. What’s next?
Being on Google isn’t the same as being found. No one can guarantee a top spot, so be wary of anyone who says they can. Work through our local SEO checklist for a trade business next.
Can you do this for me?
Yes. We set new sites up for Google from day one as part of our websites for trades. Our SEO for tradesmen work covers the on-page and technical side.