Three groups of reasons
I sort the reasons into three groups. This is a scheme from my practice, not from a source.
- People find it hard to reach the site. The page is closed to search engines, answers with an error, or looks unclear in the results.
- People do not understand what you offer, or do not trust it. It is unclear what you do and for whom. There are no prices, terms or examples of work.
- People cannot reach you. The form does not work, the phone number is not tappable, the site is awkward on a phone.
From the outside the first group shows most. The third is partly visible. The second one you and your clients know.
Even a page in the Google index does not necessarily appear in the results. From the Search Console help: “Just because a page is indexed doesn't guarantee that it will show up in your search results”. What people see depends on who is searching (Search Console help, the page carries no date).
The site is in Google, but no one writes: what is visible from outside
The times in the tables are my estimate.
| People find it hard to reach the site | Visible in a Klarense check | How to check by hand | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The page is closed to indexing (noindex: a ban on showing it in search) | Yes, on the checked pages | Look for it with site:. Not in the results? Check it in URL Inspection (you need access to Search Console). About 5 minutes | Whoever builds the site |
| The page is closed in robots.txt (the file with rules for search robots) | Partly: we read the file, but we do not open the addresses it closes | Open your-site/robots.txt. About 2 minutes | Whoever builds the site |
| Pages answer with an error (4xx, 5xx), there are broken links | Yes, up to 30 links from the checked pages | Walk through the menu and the main buttons. About 5 minutes | Whoever builds the site |
| Empty or identical title and description (the page title and description for search) | Yes | Read them in the results with site:. About 2 minutes | You, or whoever builds the site |
- Noindex is set by a tag in the page code or by a response header. If the page is closed in robots.txt, the robot will never see the noindex (Google help, updated 10 December 2025).
- Robots.txt controls crawling, not showing: “it is not a mechanism for keeping a web page out of Google”. An address closed there can still appear, without a description (Google help, updated 10 December 2025).
- Errors. An address that answers 4xx is dropped from the index, and so is one with a permanent server error (Google help, updated 4 February 2026).
- Title and description. Google may show a title of its own (help, updated 10 December 2025). It builds the description from the text, and identical descriptions do not help (help, updated 20 April 2026). An empty description looks like a missed opportunity rather than a punishment.
I do not count a sitemap as a reason. Google writes that a small site whose pages link to each other may not need one. Small means roughly up to 500 pages. For a new site with almost no external links, Google does recommend one (help, updated 10 December 2025).
| People do not understand or do not trust | Visible in a Klarense check | How to check by hand | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The first screen does not make clear what you offer and to whom. No prices, terms, examples of work, reviews | No | Ask someone outside your field to retell, from the home page, what you do. About 5 minutes | You |
| The site has no HTTPS (a secure connection) | Yes | Does the address in the browser start with https://? About 1 minute | Whoever builds the site |
| People cannot reach you | Visible in a Klarense check | How to check by hand | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The form does not send, or the email never arrives | Partly: we see the form fields and the link to the policy, not the sending or the delivery | Send a test enquiry from your own phone and then find that letter in the mailbox it should reach. About 5 minutes | You first, then whoever builds the site |
| The phone number and the email are not tappable | Yes | Tap the number and the email on a phone. About 1 minute | Whoever builds the site |
| Awkward on a phone | Partly: we look at the mobile version, the contacts and a few more signs | Find, on a phone, how to get in touch. About 3 minutes | Whoever builds the site |
| The chat or the phone line does not work | No | Write into the chat and call from another number. About 5 minutes | Whoever connected the chat or the telephony |
An example on a fictional site, the ceramics studio “Glina”. In the report both findings, the one about noindex and the one about the empty description, carry the “Measured” label: both are visible right in the page code. The report uses “Decide yourself” where there is too little data and the call is yours.
An example on a fictional site
The whole site is hidden from Google
Evidence: 127.0.0.1:4562/ — <meta name="robots" content="noindex">. Whether it is indexed right now we cannot see: only Search Console shows that. Step: If this was not intended, remove one line: <meta name="robots" content="noindex">
Check your own site: 1–2 minutes, no sign-up
From my own work: when people cannot reach you
Before I worked in testing I was a marketer running a website. It turned out the contact form did not work. Messages from people never arrived.
Later I worked as a manual tester. It took us two hours to learn that the chat on the site was broken: the call centre had stopped receiving messages.
The way to check a form yourself is simple: send a test enquiry as if you were a client, then look for that letter in the mailbox it is supposed to reach, including the spam folder.
What you can do in 10 minutes
This is my practice; the times are my estimate.
- Open your-site/robots.txt. Is there a line that closes the whole site? Not sure? Show the file to whoever builds the site. Who: you. About 2 minutes.
- Type site: and your address into Google. The operator does not show every page (Google help, updated 18 December 2025). The page you need is missing? Check it in URL Inspection in Search Console, if you have access. Who: you. About 3 minutes.
- Read the title and the description of the home page in the results. Is it clear what you do and for whom? Who: you. About 1 minute.
- Open the site on a phone over mobile internet. Find how to get in touch and tap the number. Who: you. About 2 minutes.
- Send a test enquiry and find the letter. Fill in the form as a client would, then check the mailbox it should reach, the spam folder included. Who: you. About 2 minutes.
What neither this article nor the check will show
What we do not check. Klarense looks only at public pages, up to 30 per run. Neither the article nor the check will show:
- what is actually in the Google index, and why;
- your Google Analytics and Search Console data;
- advertising, sales, your offer, prices and reviews;
- whether the chat and the phone line work;
- whether letters from the form are delivered: we do not submit forms;
- how fast the site opens for your visitors.
Only you see this. What to open:
- Search Console. Open URL Inspection for the home page and the service pages. Per the help, the Page indexing section says why a page is not in the index (Search Console help).
- Google Analytics. Look at where visitors come from and which pages they open.
If visitors do arrive and no one writes, look in the second and third groups.
Author: Serghei Fortuna, founder of Klarense, test engineer (8 years of practice). How this article was prepared: from the Google and Search Console help pages collected on 16–19 October 2026; positions, traffic and enquiries were not measured. Updated: 19 October 2026. About me: /en/about.
Useful
Related questions
Why is my site in Google but no enquiries arrive?
Being in the Google index does not yet mean being shown in search. If people do find the site, the reason may be the offer or the contacts. That shows in your own analytics and enquiries, not from outside.
How do I find out whether my page is in Google?
Type site: and your address into Google. The operator does not show every page. URL Inspection in Search Console gives a more precise answer.
Does a small site need a sitemap?
Per Google, a site of roughly up to 500 pages with good links between them may not need one. For a new site with almost no external links, Google does recommend it.
Will Klarense show me why I get no enquiries?
No. Klarense looks at public pages and sees part of the reasons from the groups “they cannot find you” and “they cannot reach you”. The offer, prices, advertising, analytics and letter delivery it does not see.
What do the “Measured”, “Likely” and “Decide yourself” labels mean?
They are an honest label of confidence. “Measured”: we saw it ourselves, here is the evidence (a broken link). “Likely”: it looks like a problem, but needs checking. “Decide yourself”: there is little data and the call is yours. This is how you tell what is proven from what is assumed.
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