If you have been wondering how to get a website on Google, you are asking one of the most important questions for any small business with an online presence. Getting your website on Google is not automatic and many business owners are surprised to discover their site is invisible in search results despite having been live for months. This guide covers exactly how to get a website on Google in 2026 and what you need to do to stay there.
Why Your Website Might Not Be on Google
Before covering how to get a website on Google it helps to understand why sites are sometimes missing from search results entirely.
Google discovers websites through a process called crawling. Googlebot, Google’s automated crawler, follows links across the internet and indexes the pages it finds. A brand new website with no links pointing to it and no sitemap submitted to Google can take weeks or even months to be discovered naturally.
Even when a site is indexed, appearing in search results for relevant searches requires active optimisation. Simply being indexed by Google is not the same as ranking for the terms your potential customers search.
Step One: Submit Your Site to Google Search Console
The first and most important step in how to get a website on Google is submitting it to Google Search Console. Google Search Console is a free tool that allows you to tell Google your website exists and request that it crawls and indexes your pages.
Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with a Google account. Add your website as a property and verify that you own it. Verification is usually done by adding a small piece of code to your website or by adding a DNS record to your domain.
Once verified, Google Search Console shows you which pages Google has indexed, which keywords are generating impressions and any technical issues preventing your site from ranking. It is the most important free tool in understanding how to get a website on Google and keep it there.
Step Two: Submit Your Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website and tells Google which ones to crawl and index. Submitting a sitemap is one of the most effective steps in how to get a website on Google quickly because it removes any ambiguity about which pages exist and should be indexed.
If your website is built on WordPress, an SEO plugin like Rank Math or Yoast SEO generates a sitemap automatically. The sitemap URL is typically found at yourdomain.co.uk/sitemap.xml or yourdomain.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml.
In Google Search Console go to the Sitemaps section, enter your sitemap URL and submit it. Google will then crawl your sitemap and begin indexing the pages listed within it.
Step Three: Request Indexing for Key Pages
Even after submitting a sitemap, Google may take time to crawl and index every page. For important pages you want indexed quickly, you can use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to request indexing directly.
Enter the URL of the page you want indexed, check whether Google has already crawled it and if not click Request Indexing. This tells Google to prioritise crawling that specific page. This is particularly useful for new blog posts or updated service pages where you want Google to pick up the changes quickly.
Step Four: Get Your Google Business Profile Set Up
Understanding how to get a website on Google for local searches requires going beyond just the website itself. Google Business Profile is the single most important tool for appearing in local search results and the Google Maps pack.
Setting up and verifying a Google Business Profile tells Google your business is real, operating and serving a specific geographic area. It significantly improves your chances of appearing in searches like web designer near me or roofer Norfolk.
Your Google Business Profile links directly to your website and acts as a powerful signal to Google about your business’s local relevance. Any business with a local service area should set up a Google Business Profile as part of the process of how to get a website on Google for local searches.
Step Five: Build Some Initial Links
Google uses links from other websites as a signal of credibility and relevance. A website with no links pointing to it is harder for Google to trust and rank than one with at least a handful of quality links.
As part of how to get a website on Google, focus on getting a few genuine links from relevant sources. Local business directories, industry associations, local press coverage and supplier websites are all legitimate sources of links that help Google understand your site is credible.
Avoid paid link schemes or low quality directory submissions. Google is very good at identifying unnatural link patterns and a few genuine relevant links are worth significantly more than hundreds of low quality ones.
Step Six: Create Relevant Content
Content is one of the most powerful tools in how to get a website on Google for the right searches. Every page on your website is an opportunity to target a specific keyword that your potential customers search.
A detailing company that only has a homepage and a contact page is competing against businesses that have dedicated pages for ceramic coatings, ppf, Paint corrections and Valeting, each targeting a specific search term. Creating relevant content that addresses the specific things your customers search for is one of the most effective long-term strategies in how to get a website on Google consistently.
Blog posts in particular are powerful for how to get a website on Google. Each post is another page Google can rank for a relevant search, and consistent publishing signals to Google that the site is active and worth crawling regularly.
Step Seven: Make Sure Your Website Is Technically Sound
Technical issues can prevent Google from crawling and indexing your website correctly. Common technical problems that affect how to get a website on Google include slow loading speeds, pages blocked from crawling in the robots.txt file, duplicate content, missing meta titles and descriptions and sites that do not work correctly on mobile devices.
Google Search Console flags many of these issues automatically. Checking the Coverage and Page Experience reports regularly is an important part of maintaining your site’s visibility in Google search results.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Website on Google?
After following these steps, how long does it actually take to get a website on Google? Initial indexing typically happens within a few days to a few weeks of submitting to Google Search Console and requesting indexing.
Appearing in search results for competitive keywords takes significantly longer. Consistent SEO work over three to six months is typically required before meaningful organic traffic begins to arrive from Google.
How byoliver Helps Small Businesses Get on Google
Every website byoliver builds is set up from day one to be found on Google. Google Search Console is connected during the build, a sitemap is submitted, page titles and descriptions are optimised for target keywords and structured data schema is added to help Google understand the content.
The monthly byoliver retainer includes ongoing SEO work that keeps the site climbing in Google search results over time. New blog content is published regularly, rankings are monitored monthly and any technical issues flagged by Google Search Console are resolved quickly.
byoliver provides professionally built WordPress websites for small businesses across Norfolk and the UK from £79 per month with no upfront costs. Getting your website on Google is built into every project from the very first day.
For more information about Google Search Console visit search.google.com/search-console where you can set up your free account and begin the process of getting your website on Google.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Get a Website on Google
How do I get my website on Google for free?
Submit your site to Google Search Console, verify ownership, submit your sitemap and request indexing for your key pages. All of these steps are completely free.
How long does it take to get a website on Google?
Initial indexing typically takes a few days to a few weeks. Appearing in search results for competitive keywords takes three to six months of consistent SEO work.
Why is my website not showing on Google?
Common reasons include the site not being submitted to Google Search Console, no sitemap submitted, technical issues blocking crawling or the site being too new to have built any authority.
Does byoliver help get websites on Google?
Yes. Every byoliver website is connected to Google Search Console during the build, with a sitemap submitted and ongoing monthly SEO included as standard from £79 per month.
Do I need to pay Google to get my website on Google?
No. Appearing in Google’s organic search results is completely free. Google Ads allows you to pay for visibility but organic search rankings cost nothing beyond the SEO work required to achieve them.
How does Google Business Profile help get a website on Google?
Google Business Profile significantly improves visibility in local searches and the Google Maps pack. It links directly to your website and acts as a strong local relevance signal for Google.
