Search Engines Not Indexing Your WordPress Site?

If your website isn’t showing up on Google or Bing, there’s a good chance one hidden setting in WordPress is blocking it. Here’s how to check — and fix it fast.

1. Check the “Search Engine Visibility” Setting

In WordPress, there’s a built-in option that tells search engines not to index your site. It’s easy to miss.

Where to find it:

Dashboard > Settings > Reading > Search Engine Visibility

Look for this checkbox:

☐ Discourage search engines from indexing this site

If it’s checked, WordPress adds a noindex directive to your site’s pages — essentially asking search engines to ignore them.

Most search engines respect this setting — which is great for staging sites, but bad for live ones.

2. How to Fix It

Step-by-step:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
   
2. Go to Settings > Reading
   
3. Scroll to the bottom.
   
4. Uncheck the box next to “Discourage search engines from indexing this site.”
   
5. Click Save Changes.
   

That’s it — you’ve now told search engines they’re welcome to crawl your site.

3. Still Not Showing Up?

Unchecking the box is just the first step. If your site still isn’t indexed, here’s what to check next:

• Robots.txt — Make sure it’s not blocking key pages.
  
• Meta tags — Confirm individual pages or posts don’t have noindex tags.
  
• Google Search Console — Submit your sitemap and check for crawl errors.
  
• Be patient — Indexing can take time, especially for new sites.
  

Pro Tip: For Staging Sites Only

If you’re working on a development or staging version of your site, keep that box checked. You don’t want it appearing in search results prematurely.