How to · Guide gratuit
Why Google doesn't show your website.
You have a website, but when you search for yourself on Google, nothing. Before blaming the competition, check one thing: does Google even KNOW your site exists? Here's how to find out in 10 seconds, and how to fix it for free.
- The test: type site:yourdomain.com into Google. Nothing shows up = you're not indexed.
- Open a Search Console account. Free, it's Google's official dashboard.
- Submit your sitemap.xml. The map of your site, so Google finds every page.
- Check the two blockers: a robots.txt that forbids everything, or a forgotten noindex tag.
- Request indexing for your important pages, one at a time, in Search Console.
- Hook up Bing too (one-click import): that's what ChatGPT reads. Then run the test again in two weeks.
01The 10-second test
Go to Google and type site:yourdomain.com (with your real domain, no space after the colon). Google then shows you every page of YOUR site that it knows about.
- Your pages show up? You're indexed. Your problem is elsewhere: that's ranking, not indexing.
- Nothing shows up? Google doesn't know your site. The rest of this guide is for you.
02Search Console: your official dashboard
Google Search Console is free, and it's THE direct line between your site and Google. You sign up, you prove the site is yours (Google walks you through it, takes a few minutes), and from then on you can see which pages are indexed, which searches bring you up, how many clicks you get.
Every small business with a website should have this. Not for the complicated stats: just to know whether Google sees you, and to get warned when something breaks.
03The sitemap: the map of your site
The sitemap.xml is a file listing all your pages. Most sites have one at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml (try it in your browser). In Search Console, under « Sitemaps », you paste that address once, and Google comes back to read it on its own.
Without a sitemap, Google eventually finds your pages by following links. With one, it finds them all, faster.
04The two things that can block everything
Two small lines of code can make a site completely invisible, and it happens more often than you'd think:
- A robots.txt that forbids everything. The file yourdomain.com/robots.txt tells search engines what they may read. If it contains « Disallow: / », it tells them to read NOTHING.
- A forgotten noindex tag. While a site is being built, people often add a tag telling Google to ignore the page. The classic: the site launches and the tag is still there. The site can stay invisible for months like that, with nobody understanding why.
If your site was ever rebuilt or launched by someone else, the site: test is worth running every time. A forgotten noindex tag is one of the most common mistakes on the web.
05Requesting indexing, page by page
In Search Console, paste a page's address into the bar at the top (« URL Inspection »), then click « Request indexing ». Do it for your important pages: home, services, contact.
Then be patient: a few days to a few weeks. Google doesn't index on command, but the request moves you up the line.
06Bing: two minutes, and ChatGPT reads you
Everybody thinks about Google, almost nobody thinks about Bing. Mistake: when someone asks ChatGPT « who's the best electrician in Blainville? », ChatGPT leans on Bing to search. Not in Bing means not in the answers.
The good news: it takes two minutes. Open Bing Webmaster Tools (free) and choose the option to import your Google Search Console: it brings over your site, your pages and your sitemap in one click. That's it. No upkeep afterward.
More and more people shop by asking an AI. Being indexed in Bing is your way into those answers, and it's a one-time fix.
07The full checklist
- The site:yourdomain.com test done
- Search Console account open, ownership verified
- Sitemap submitted under Sitemaps
- robots.txt checked: no Disallow blocking everything
- No noindex tag on your public pages
- Indexing requested for the important pages
- Bing Webmaster Tools connected (Search Console import in one click)
- Run the site:yourdomain.com test again in two weeks
Published May 12, 2026