You have a website. You've added your services, products, About page, contact information and maybe even published some blog posts.
But there's a simple question every website owner should be able to answer:
Does Google know those pages exist?
Having a page published on your website doesn't automatically mean Google has discovered it or added it to its search index.
And if Google doesn't know a page exists, that page has very little chance of appearing when someone searches for what you offer.
What Does It Mean to Be Indexed by Google?
Let's keep this simple.
Google uses automated programs, commonly called crawlers, to discover webpages across the internet.
Think of Google crawling your website like someone going through your website and discovering the different pages you've created.
Google may find your:
- Homepage
- Service pages
- Product pages
- Location pages
- About page
- Blog posts
- Other important pages
After Google discovers and processes a page, it may add that page to its index.
You can think of Google's index as its enormous library of webpages.
When someone performs a Google search, Google isn't searching the entire internet from scratch at that moment. It's looking through the information it has already discovered and indexed to determine which pages may be relevant to that search.
If your page isn't indexed, it generally can't appear in Google's regular search results.
Don't Just Check Your Homepage
This is important. You don't only want Google to know your homepage exists.
Imagine you own an HVAC company and your website has separate pages for:
- AC Repair
- AC Installation
- Heating Repair
- Commercial HVAC Services
Those individual pages give you opportunities to be discovered for different searches.
Someone searching for AC repair may need a different page than someone searching for commercial HVAC services.
The same principle applies to consultants, agencies, SaaS companies, ecommerce stores, insurance agencies, beauty professionals and other businesses.
You want Google to be able to discover and index the important pages of your website that you want people to find through search.
Not every page needs to be indexed. Thank-you pages, account pages, checkout pages and certain other pages may intentionally be excluded.
But your important service, product, category, location and informational pages are another story.
A Quick Way to Check Google
There's a simple Google search you can use to get a quick idea of which pages Google knows about.
Go to Google and type: site:yourdomain.com
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual website address.
- For example:
site:centerforbehavioralchange.com
Google may then show pages from that website that it has indexed.
Look through the results. Do you recognize your important pages?
If you have 30 important pages on your website but you're only seeing a handful, that's something worth investigating.
One caution: Google's site: search isn't a complete diagnostic tool and may not show every indexed page. Use it as a quick check, not your final answer.
Want a More Accurate Answer? Use Google Search Console
This is where Google Search Console comes in.
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that lets website owners see how Google sees their website.
You don't need to be an SEO professional to get value from it.
Search Console can help you see things such as:
- Which pages Google has indexed
- Which pages aren't being indexed
- Why Google may be having trouble with certain pages
- What searches are causing your website to appear in Google
- How many times people see your website in search results
- How many people click through to your website
You can also inspect an individual URL to see if Google has indexed that particular page.
That's why I consider Search Console one of the first tools a business owner should connect to their website.
What Page of Google Is My Website On?
Finding your website on Google and finding out what page your website is on in Google search results are two different things.
The site:yourdomain.com search can help you see if Google knows your pages exist, but it doesn't tell you where those pages rank when potential customers search for your products, services or information.
For that, go to Google Search Console > Performance > Search Results.
You'll see the actual searches that caused pages from your website to appear in Google. You can also see the average position for each search.
For example, your website might appear in position 8 for one search, position 27 for another and position 52 for something else.
That's because your website doesn't have one Google ranking.
Individual pages can rank in different positions for many different searches.
And don't get too caught up in the word page. Google reports positions, not simply “page 1, page 2 or page 3.” A position around 6 is very different from a position around 56.
How to Check Where Your Website Ranks on Google
Google Search Console is where I would start because it shows you searches for which Google is actually displaying your website.
But if you want to research keywords and quickly see estimated search volume, I also like Keywords Everywhere.
It's an inexpensive browser extension that's easy to use and can show estimated monthly search volume, competition and other keyword information while you're researching in Google.
This can help you answer two different questions:
- Google Search Console: What searches is my website already appearing for?
- Keywords Everywhere: How many people may be searching for those phrases, and what related searches might be worth researching?
That combination is useful because a ranking by itself doesn't tell you much.
Ranking #4 for something almost nobody searches for may bring you very little traffic. Ranking #20 for a highly relevant search with substantial volume could represent a much bigger opportunity.
But volume isn't everything either. The search still needs to match what your page is actually about and what the person searching is trying to accomplish.
That is where search intent comes into play.
What Is a Sitemap?
If Google hasn't discovered all of your important pages, one thing you'll want to check is your sitemap.
A sitemap is essentially a file that gives search engines a list of important pages on your website.
Think of it as giving Google a map and saying: "These are the pages on my website that I'd like you to know about."
Most major website platforms can automatically generate a sitemap for you. You can then submit that sitemap through Google Search Console.
Submitting a sitemap helps Google discover your URLs, especially if your website is new or some pages aren't easily discovered through links on your site.
It doesn't guarantee that Google will index every page or that those pages will rank, but it makes it easier for Google to discover the pages you want it to crawl.
Crawling, Indexing and Ranking Are Different
This distinction is worth understanding.
- Crawling: Google discovers and visits your webpage.
- Indexing: Google processes the page and adds it to its searchable index.
- Ranking: Google decides where, or if, that indexed page should appear for a particular search.
So getting indexed doesn't mean you'll suddenly rank #1.
It means you've cleared one of the first hurdles: Google knows the page exists and can potentially show it in search results.
After that, things like your content, on-page SEO, search intent, website authority, competition and many other factors can influence where the page appears.
Start With This Simple Check
Before worrying about rankings, backlinks or complicated SEO strategies, find out if Google can actually find your important webpages.
Start by searching: site:yourdomain.com
Look through what appears.
Then set up Google Search Console if you haven't already. Check your indexing information and submit your sitemap.
Because before you can worry about getting a webpage to rank higher in Google, Google first needs to know that webpage exists.
Want Help Applying This to Your Business?
Mastering P.O.P. is $249/month for ongoing, hands on digital marketing and SEO support.
We work on your actual business together, from your website and SEO to content, email marketing, lead generation, AI, automations, and conversions.
You'll have 365 day access to me through our private community, where you can ask questions, get feedback, and get help while you're actually doing the work. We also meet live on Zoom each week to review, troubleshoot, and work through your marketing together.
Think about what one new customer is worth to your business. If one customer is worth $249 or more, the bigger expense may be the leads and sales you're already losing because your marketing isn't working the way it should.
You don't need another course. You need someone helping you apply the right marketing to your business.
Not Ready for Hands On Help?
Get practical digital marketing and SEO tips delivered to your inbox.
