Beyond Google, optimizing your presence on Bing and DuckDuckGo often follows the same core SEO principles: high-quality content, clean website architecture, and consistent citations or listings.
Bing Places for Business, for example, allows you to verify and manage your listings similarly to Google Business Profile, ensuring that potential customers searching on Microsoft-powered platforms can still find you. DuckDuckGo places an emphasis on privacy and user experience, but its ranking signals remain closely aligned with the broader SEO landscape – meaning authoritative backlinks, relevant keywords, and comprehensive metadata will also help you gain traction there.
Local SEO is another universal strategy that transcends individual search engines. Accurately listing your name, address, and phone number (NAP) across online directories is just as critical for Bing and DuckDuckGo as it is for Google.
Providing localized content—such as region-specific blog posts or city-based service pages—shows search engines that you’re committed to serving your immediate community. When combined with user-focused web development (think mobile responsiveness and quick load times), these local SEO tactics help broaden your digital footprint, making it easier for diverse audiences to discover your business.
Each year the percentage of customers who start their journeys online gets larger, that stat is over 80% as of 2024.
Unlike physical storefronts, businesses are often at the mercy of search engines when it comes to attracting new users. There are plenty of reasons why your website might not be showing up in search results.
With a bit of elbow grease, you can tackle some low-hanging fruit. Start by exploring these 3 reasons why your website isn’t being found on Google—and how local SEO-friendly web development solutions can help turn things around.
1. Your site is not being indexed
The most simple and important part of this process is to make sure that your site is actually being indexed by Google. And, in order to even be properly indexed, your website needs to have its sitemap submitted to Google Search Console.
It’s not an instant process, how long of a wait will depend on a few factors, including how well your content is optimized and organized.
In order for Google to rank your site, it has to go through these three steps—crawling, indexing, and ranking—all of which can be optimized with tailored web solutions for growing businesses and responsive website design for small businesses:
- Site Discovery: By processing XML sitemaps and following its links, Google discovers new and updated pages and queues them for crawling.
- Website Crawling: Google then crawls each of those discovered pages and passes all of that information to the indexing process.
- Indexing Process: The indexing processes handle website content analysis, render the pages and decide whether or not to index them.
2. No Google Business page
Google Business Profiles aren’t just a way to list your address; they function as a mini-website within Google’s ecosystem, complete with a section for reviews, photos, and updates.
Encouraging customers to leave feedback and posting announcements or special offers helps to signal to Google that your business is active and trustworthy. In addition, keeping your operating hours, contact information, and service categories up to date ensures potential customers can easily find and reach you.
This level of detail can significantly impact your credibility and visibility, especially in local searches.
Integrating your Google Business Profile strategy with a well-executed small business web design in Saratoga County creates a cohesive digital presence that appeals to both search engines and real-world visitors.
By consistently presenting accurate information—from your website to your Google Business listing—you establish a reliable brand identity, making it simpler for search algorithms to verify and rank your content. Plus, a clean, localized design reflects your connection to the community, reinforcing trust and encouraging users to choose your services over national or online-only alternatives.
Not only is having Google Business profile great for improving your visibility on Google, but it also lets you respond to customer reviews, answer their questions, enable DMs, and access other helpful business tools.
3. Broken website indexing
This happens when blocking the Googlebot crawler in your robots.txt and/or (if it’s a WordPress site, our specialty) the “discourage search engines from indexing this site” is checked.
At the very least, your robots.txt file should look something like this:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /On the other end of this spectrum, it’s worth noting that even if that checkbox is checked it’s still up to Google to honor the request.
Do you need help getting your website found on Google? 3tone Digital has you covered! Our digital marketing specialist, Reina, is passionate about SEO and ready to help.
Whether you need local SEO-friendly web development solutions or a full-service website design in Saratoga County, send us a message today!
Frequently asked questions about SEO
Start by creating a free Google Business Profile at business.google.com, entering accurate details about your company (name, address, phone number). Verify your profile via postcard, phone, or email so Google recognizes it. Additionally, optimize your website with relevant keywords and ensure consistent information across platforms for better visibility.
Focus on search engine optimization (SEO) by publishing quality content, using relevant keywords, and earning backlinks from reputable sites. Maintain a well-optimized Google Business Profile with up-to-date info, photos, and reviews. For immediate top placement, consider running Google Ads, where costs vary based on competition.
Listing your business on Google is completely free through Google Business Profile. However, if you want to appear at the top quickly using Google Ads, you pay on a cost-per-click basis, often ranging from around $1–$2 per click or higher, depending on your industry and keyword competition.
Besides creating a Google Business Profile, submit your website’s sitemap to search engines like Google and Bing to help them crawl and index your pages. Use SEO best practices—such as optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, and headers—to boost relevance and make your site more discoverable across all major search engines.
After setting up your Google Business Profile, complete the verification process promptly. Provide consistent, accurate information about your business across the web, including your name, address, and phone number (NAP). Regular updates—like adding new photos, responding to reviews, and posting announcements—can further signal credibility to Google.
Common reasons include an unverified Google Business Profile, inconsistent or incomplete information, or a recently created profile that hasn’t been indexed. Make sure your details are correct and that you haven’t violated Google guidelines (for example, using misleading addresses or duplicate profiles). Also, give Google time to process any changes.
Keep your Google Business Profile updated with compelling photos, correct operating hours, and prompt review responses. Implement local SEO strategies by including location-specific keywords on your website and in your profile. Consistency, accurate information, and regular engagement improve your local search rankings, making you more visible.
Provide valuable, keyword-focused content on your website and maintain a fully optimized Google Business Profile with positive reviews and relevant images. Encourage satisfied customers to share feedback online, as consistent reviews and active community engagement can boost your ranking and help potential customers find you more easily.
Verification of your Google Business Profile can take a few days to a couple of weeks, especially if you choose postcard verification. Once verified, your business may appear on Google soon after, but improving your position in search results can take longer—often weeks to months—depending on competition and SEO efforts.
Within your Google Business Profile account, choose a verification method such as postcard, phone, email, or video verification. Follow the instructions carefully, and avoid making major changes to your business details (like address) during this process. Once verified, your profile gains credibility and becomes eligible to appear in local search results.
Use a mix of SEO tactics and paid advertising. SEO involves researching the right keywords, creating high-quality content, and building trust through backlinks and user engagement. For instant visibility, launch Google Ads campaigns targeting specific searches, but remember this requires an ongoing budget to maintain top ad positions.
Ranking first organically requires diligent SEO: optimize site structure, create relevant content, and accumulate positive reviews. Ensure your Google Business Profile is fully populated and regularly updated. If you need immediate exposure, bid on relevant keywords in Google Ads, but expect costs to rise in competitive markets.
Focus on improving SEO signals: publish fresh, user-focused content, speed up your website, and earn backlinks from reputable sources. Keep your Google Business Profile active with updated info and images, and respond to customer reviews. Over time, these efforts help move your listing higher in organic and local searches.
