TL;DR: Search site:yourdomain.co.ke first. If nothing appears, your site is not indexed, usually because it is new, blocked by robots.txt, carrying a noindex tag, canonicalised elsewhere or under a manual action. If pages do appear, the site is indexed and the real problem is ranking, which is a different fix entirely.
That single search separates the two problems people confuse constantly: “not indexed” and “not ranking”.
This guide diagnoses both, in order.
Key Takeaways
- Not indexed and not ranking are different problems with different solutions.
- Noindex tags left after a redesign are the most common self-inflicted cause.
- New sites take time. Days to weeks is normal before consistent indexing.
- Manual actions are rare but visible in Google Search Console.
Step 1: Is the Site Indexed at All?
Run these three checks.
| Check | How | Result |
| Site search | Search site:yourdomain.co.ke in Google | No results means not indexed; results mean a ranking issue |
| Search Console coverage | Open the page indexing report | Shows indexed pages and exclusion reasons |
| URL Inspection | Inspect a key page in Search Console | States whether the URL is on Google and why not |
If some pages appear but your key page does not, the problem is page-level, not site-level. Skip to step 5.
Step 2: Is the Site Blocked by robots.txt?
Visit yourdomain.co.ke/robots.txt.
Look for:
- Disallow: / which blocks the entire site
- Rules blocking important sections
- Rules blocking CSS or JavaScript needed for rendering
- Leftover staging rules deployed to the live site
A Disallow: / line on a live site is the single most common cause of complete invisibility after a launch.
Step 3: Is There a noindex Tag?
Check the page source for a robots meta tag containing noindex, or an X-Robots-Tag header.
Common causes in Kenya:
- WordPress “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” left enabled after launch
- A staging plugin still active
- A theme or SEO plugin setting applied site-wide
- Developer directives never removed
Google documents indexing controls in Search Essentials.
Step 4: Is the Site New?
New domains and new pages are not indexed instantly. Google must discover, crawl, render and assess them.
Reasonable expectations:
- Days to a few weeks for initial indexing of a new site
- Faster if the site is linked from existing indexed pages
- Slower for large sites with weak internal linking
What helps: submit an XML sitemap in Search Console, link new pages from existing pages, and publish something genuinely useful rather than a placeholder.
Step 5: Is the Page Canonicalised Elsewhere?
If Search Console reports “Duplicate, Google chose different canonical” or “Alternate page with proper canonical tag”:
- Check the page’s canonical tag points to itself, unless it genuinely is a duplicate
- Look for parameter versions competing with the clean URL
- Confirm www and non-www, HTTP and HTTPS all resolve to one version
- Check that pagination and filters are not creating near-duplicates
Step 6: Is There a Manual Action?
Open the Manual Actions report in Search Console. Manual actions are rare but explicit, and are usually the result of:
- Paid or manipulative links, often from a previous provider
- Thin content with little added value
- Cloaking or sneaky redirects
- Hacked content
Fix the underlying violation, document what you changed, then submit a reconsideration request. Review Google’s spam policies first.
Step 7: Has the Site Been Hacked?
Signs include unexpected pages in a site: search, strange Japanese or pharmaceutical keywords, redirects that only affect mobile visitors, or a security warning in Search Console.
If hacked: take a backup, clean the site, patch the vulnerability, change all passwords, then request a review.
Step 8: Is It Actually a Ranking Problem?
If pages are indexed but you cannot find them by searching your services, the issue is competitiveness or relevance, not indexing.
| Symptom | Likely cause |
| Appears for brand name only | Weak topical relevance for service terms |
| Appears on page three or beyond | Competition, thin content, weak authority |
| Impressions but almost no clicks | Poor titles and descriptions, or intent mismatch |
| Was visible, now dropped | Site change, migration without redirects, or algorithm update |
| Visible only far from your area | Local relevance and proximity factors |
Indexed but invisible for the searches that matter? Donvic separates indexing problems from relevance problems and fixes each properly. See Donvic’s SEO service.
Step 9: Did Something Change Recently?
Work backwards from the date visibility dropped:
- A redesign or migration without redirects
- A platform or hosting change
- A plugin update altering SEO settings
- Content deleted or consolidated
- A domain change or added subdomain
- An algorithm update, checked against Google Search Status announcements
Step 10: Check the Basics People Miss
- Domain not expired
- DNS resolving correctly
- Server returning 200, not 5xx errors
- Site not password-protected
- No noindex in the CDN or firewall layer
- Correct property verified in Search Console, including HTTP and HTTPS variants
Diagnostic Order Summary
- site: search
- robots.txt
- noindex tags
- Site age and sitemap submission
- Canonicals and duplicates
- Manual actions
- Security and hacking
- Ranking versus indexing
- Recent changes
- Infrastructure basics
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my website not showing on Google?
Either it is not indexed, because it is new, blocked by robots.txt, carrying a noindex tag, canonicalised elsewhere or under a manual action, or it is indexed but ranking too low to find. Run a site: search to tell which.
How long does it take for a new website to appear on Google?
Usually days to a few weeks for initial indexing, provided the site is crawlable and a sitemap has been submitted. Linking the site from existing indexed pages speeds up discovery.
How do I check if my website is indexed by Google?
Search site: followed by your domain. For detail, open the page indexing report in Google Search Console and use URL Inspection on specific pages to see their status and any exclusion reason.
Why did my website disappear from Google?
Common causes are a noindex tag or robots block added during a redesign, a migration without redirects, deleted content, a manual action, a hack or a server issue. Check what changed around the date visibility dropped.
What is a manual action in Google Search Console?
A manual action is a penalty applied by a human reviewer for violating Google’s spam policies, such as manipulative links or thin content. It appears in the Manual Actions report and requires fixing the cause, then a reconsideration request.
Conclusion
When a website is not showing on Google, diagnose before you optimise. One site: search tells you whether you have an indexing problem or a ranking problem, and the two need completely different work.
Request a technical SEO audit. We will identify exactly why pages are missing and what it takes to get them back. Contact Donvic Marketing or call 0741 312 101.
