Brand query not showing my site in Google, Bing/DuckDuckGo show it on page 1

Understanding and Resolving Google Indexing Discrepancies: A Case Study

Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and SEO, website visibility on search engines plays a pivotal role in attracting organic traffic. However, it’s not uncommon to encounter situations where your site’s presence varies significantly across different search engines. This article explores a real-world scenario involving indexing issues with Google, contrasting it with Bing and DuckDuckGo, and provides insights into potential causes and solutions.

Case Overview

A website owner recently reported that their site, hglobal.co, is not appearing in Google search results when searching for the brand name or related keywords. Conversely, the same site ranks on the first page of Bing and DuckDuckGo searches. The owner has been monitoring the site’s indexing status for approximately three weeks, during which only four pages—including the homepage—have been successfully indexed on Google.

Key Observations

• Google Search Visibility: No presence when searching for the brand name or associated keywords.
• Other Search Engines: Immediate visibility on Bing and DuckDuckGo, with the site appearing on the first page.
• Indexing Duration: Approximately three weeks and limited to a handful of pages.
• Brand Recognition: The brand name is somewhat common, leading to expectations of at least minimal visibility on Google.

Potential Causes and Troubleshooting Steps

1. Indexing Delays or Penalties

2. Google’s indexing process can sometimes be delayed due to server issues, website configuration problems, or algorithmic assessments.

3. Check Google Search Console for any manual actions, security issues, or crawling errors that could hinder indexing.

4. Robots.txt and Meta Tags

5. Ensure that the robots.txt file isn’t blocking Googlebot from crawling your site.

6. Verify that meta tags like <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> are not present on pages you wish to rank.

7. Site Structure and Content Quality

8. Confirm that your website has a clear structure, high-quality and original content, and proper internal linking.

9. Avoid thin or duplicate content that might impact indexing.

10. Sitemap Submission

11. Submit an XML sitemap through Google Search Console to facilitate crawling and indexing.

12. Check the sitemap for errors or outdated URLs.

13. Brand Name Competition and Search Intent

14. Since the brand name is common, Google might be interpreting your site’s relevance differently, especially if competing sites have higher authority.