You search for your own practice and it is nowhere to be seen. Or it shows up for the firm's name, but never for "accountant near me" or "accountant in Stockport".
The reasons are usually ordinary and fixable. This checklist works through them in the order we check them. Start at the top, because there is little point polishing service pages if Google cannot see your site at all.
First, work out which problem you actually have
"Not appearing on Google" can mean three quite different things:
- Google does not know your site exists. Searching your firm's name brings up nothing from your website.
- Google knows your site but does not rank it. Your name search works, but you are absent for searches like "accountant in Bolton".
- You are missing from the map. Competitors appear in the map results with stars and directions, and you do not.
Each has a different cause, so be clear which one you have before changing anything.
Check one: is your site indexed at all?
Google finds pages by crawling the web, then decides whether to store them in its index, and only then whether to show them for a search. Its guide to how Google Search works is frank that not every page makes it through each stage, and that it does not accept payment to crawl or rank a site.
A quick first test is to search site:yourfirm.co.uk, using your own domain. Google's page on the site: search operator explains that this shows indexed pages from your domain, though the list is not always complete.
- No results at all: Google has probably not indexed your site. Move straight to Search Console below.
- Some pages but not others: the missing pages may be blocked, duplicated, or judged too thin. Keep going through the checklist.
- Plenty of pages: your issue is ranking, so skip ahead to service pages and location signals.
Check two: set up Google Search Console
If you only do one thing after reading this, make it this. Search Console is Google's free tool for site owners, and the place Google tells you directly what it makes of your site.
Search Console's own setup steps walk you through adding your site. A domain property is usually the simplest choice for a small practice, because it covers every version of your address, with or without "www".
Once verified, two parts matter most:
- The Page indexing report. It shows which pages Google can find and index, and lists reasons for the ones it has not, such as "Crawled, currently not indexed" or "Discovered, currently not indexed".
- The URL Inspection tool. Paste in the address of your home page or a service page and it tells you whether that page is on Google, when it was last crawled, and whether anything is blocking it. You can also request indexing here.
Google notes that indexing typically takes a day or so after a request but can take much longer, and that a request is no promise the page will be included. So fix the cause first, then ask Google to look again.
Check three: technical problems that hide your site
When a site is missing entirely, the cause is often a setting rather than the content. The usual suspects:
- A leftover "noindex" tag. Many website builders and developers switch on a "discourage search engines" setting while a site is being built, and nobody switches it off at launch. A noindex rule tells Google not to show the page, and Google's guidance on blocking indexing with noindex explains how it works. URL Inspection will show "Indexing allowed? No" if this is your problem.
- A robots.txt rule blocking Google. This file can stop Google crawling parts of your site, or all of it. Again, URL Inspection reports this as "Crawl allowed? No".
- No sitemap. A sitemap is a list of your pages that you submit in Search Console. Most website platforms create one for you, so it is usually just a case of submitting it.
- Server or hosting problems. Google's guide to how Search works lists server problems as a common crawling issue.
- Several versions of the same site. If www and non-www versions load separately, or an old domain still runs alongside the new one, redirect everything to a single address.
If you are unsure how to check these, your web designer should be able to answer in a few minutes.
Check four: your Google Business Profile
For local searches, the map results often appear above the ordinary listings. They come from Google Business Profile, not your website, so a healthy site can still be missing from the map.
Google's own help on improving your local ranking says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. It also says verified businesses with complete, accurate information are more likely to show up, and that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Common reasons an accountancy practice is missing from the map:
- The profile has not been claimed or verified.
- The address, name or service area does not follow Google's guidelines for representing your business. Virtual office addresses, for example, are not eligible, and adding keywords to your business name can get a profile suspended.
- Categories, hours and the description are left blank.
- There are duplicate profiles, perhaps from an old office or a previous partner.
We have written a full, step by step Google Business Profile guide for accountants, so we will not repeat it here. If the map is your problem, start there.
Check five: thin or vague service pages
If your site is indexed but does not rank, look honestly at what is on it. Many practice websites have a home page, an "about us" page and a single "services" page of bullet points. That gives Google very little to work with.
Google's guidance on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content asks whether a page provides original, substantial information and whether a visitor leaves feeling they have learned enough. A one-line mention of "Self Assessment" rarely passes that test.
What helps:
- A page for each main service you want to be found for, such as bookkeeping, Self Assessment, company accounts or payroll.
- Writing for the client. Explain who the service is for, what you need from them and how the process works.
- Real detail only you can give. The questions clients ask, the software you work with, how you handle deadlines.
- Clear page titles that say what the page is about, such as "Self Assessment tax returns for sole traders in Bury", rather than "Services".
You do not need thousands of words. Each page needs to answer the question someone was asking when they searched.
Check six: weak location signals
To appear for "accountant in Manchester", Google needs to be confident that you are an accountant and that you serve Manchester. Surprisingly often, a practice website never says where it is beyond a postcode in the footer.
Simple fixes:
- Mention your town and the areas you serve naturally in your page copy, page titles and contact page.
- Use exactly the same business name, address and phone number on your website, your Google Business Profile and any directories you are listed in.
- Include a proper contact page with your address (if clients visit) and a local phone number.
There is no need for dozens of near-identical town pages. Pages that only swap the town name tend to be thin and rarely help.
Check seven: reviews and links
Once the basics are right, prominence is what tends to separate you from the practice down the road. Google's local ranking help says prominence is partly based on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help.
For an accountancy practice, that usually means:
- Asking happy clients for a Google review at a natural moment, such as after their return has been filed. Reply to reviews without discussing anyone's affairs.
- Earning genuine links and mentions. Your professional body's directory, local business groups, your chamber of commerce, the software providers you work with, and local organisations you support are all sensible places to start.
- Avoiding shortcuts. Bought reviews and paid link schemes break Google's rules and can do lasting harm.
This takes the longest, but it is also the hardest part for competitors to copy.
A quick word about AI search
Some people now ask ChatGPT and similar tools to recommend an accountant. The same foundations help there too. To see where you stand, try our free AI visibility checker.
When to ask for help
Most of this checklist can be worked through in an afternoon with a cup of tea. It gets harder when an indexed site still is not ranking, or a technical issue is buried in your website platform. Our page on SEO for accountants explains what an ongoing plan covers.
Want a second pair of eyes? We offer a free website review for accountancy practices. We will check whether Google can see your site, how your service pages read and what is likely holding you back, then tell you plainly what we would fix first. Ask for your free website review.