Why Your Guildford Business Isn't Showing Up on Google

When a Guildford business doesn't show up on Google, it's usually one of four problems with the website. Google can't index it, it's too slow, it never says where you are, or it has too little on it to rank. You can test for all four yourself in about ten minutes, and the tests are below in the order I'd run them.

This is about the normal search results. The map with three businesses at the top is a separate system, driven by your Google Business Profile, and I've covered it in how to show up on Google Maps. You need both.

Can Google find and read my website?

Before a page can rank, Google has to have it in its index.

The test. Search site:yourdomain.co.uk on Google. You should see your pages listed. If you see one page, none, or some missing, you've found your problem. For the full picture, add your site to Google Search Console, which is free and lists every page Google has and hasn't indexed, with the reason.

The usual causes are a "discourage search engines" box ticked during a redesign and never unticked, a broken sitemap, or pages that only appear after a script runs. Google explains the basics in its SEO starter guide.

Is my website too slow to rank?

Google measures how quickly pages load for real visitors, and says its ranking systems reward pages that give a good page experience. A slow site doesn't get a penalty. It loses close calls to faster competitors, mostly on phones, which is where local searches happen.

The test. Run your homepage through PageSpeed Insights and look at the mobile tab. Above 80 is fine. Below 50 is probably part of your answer.

Slow pages cost twice if you're paying for ads, because you pay for the click and then lose the visitor.

Does my website say where I am?

Google connects a search like "accountant Guildford" with pages that talk about accounting in Guildford. A lot of local websites never say it in words. The homepage says "Tailored solutions, delivered with passion" over a stock photo, and Guildford only appears in the footer address.

The test. Search your own site for the name of your town. If it only appears on the contact page and in the footer, that's the gap.

The fix is writing, not code. Say what you do and where, the way a person would. "I'm an accountant in Guildford, working with sole traders across Surrey." Don't go the other way and put "Guildford" in every sentence. Google's spam policies treat keyword stuffing as spam, and it reads badly to people too.

Is there enough on my website to rank?

If the whole site is five thin pages that could belong to any business in your trade, Google has no reason to prefer you. Google says it wants helpful, reliable, people-first content, which in practice means a page for each main service, real answers to what customers ask, prices where you can give them, and photos of your own work.

The test. Search for one specific thing you offer, like "gum contouring Guildford" rather than "dentist Guildford". If you offer it but have no page about it, that search goes to whoever wrote one.

How long do fixes take to show up?

Start with the technical checks, because they're the quick wins. Be wary of anyone promising page one in a fortnight. Real progress shows up in Search Console over months. More on what's real and what isn't in SEO is not magic.

What does it cost to fix?

It depends which problem you found.

• Indexing and speed are technical and usually quick. Send your site for a free website check and I'll record a short video showing which of the four apply.
• Location and content take longer, because it's writing, but pages you add now keep working for years.
• Sometimes the site isn't worth patching. A new four-page site from me is £300, with the words written for you and Google set up.

I'm in Woking and work across the county, including Guildford. If you've run the tests and want a second opinion, tell me what you found.