Let’s be real—building a website is a big deal. You’ve poured hours into it. The colors are just right, the photos are gorgeous, the copy hits just the way you want it to. You finally hit publish and think—YES, this is it.

But then… silence. No new clients. No traffic. Just crickets. And the most frustrating part? You don’t even know if anyone can find your site in the first place.

Here’s the truth—even some web designers miss this—a beautiful website doesn’t automatically mean visibility. In fact, 96% of web pages get zero traffic from Google. Zero.

So if you’ve ever wondered, “Is my website even being seen?” this list is for you.

1. Understand Why Visibility Matters

Pretty doesn’t always equal powerful. I learned that lesson the hard way with my first business—my site looked amazing, but no one ever saw it.

A more recent example? I worked with ColorFixxMN, a seasonal color analysis business here in Minnesota. Her site had been live for a year and was getting… nothing. No organic traffic from Google.

Once we rebuilt her site with SEO in mind, everything shifted. Within two months, she had over 50 people click into her website directly from Google—on her anchor keyword. That’s 50 potential clients who would’ve never found her otherwise.

Think of your site like a boutique in the middle of the woods. Gorgeous shelves, perfectly styled displays—but if no one knows it exists, it doesn’t matter.

2. Check your SEO Monitoring Tools for Free

If you want to know whether your site is visible, you need to set up the basics:

• Google Search Console → shows you what people type into Google to find you.
  
• Google Analytics → tracks where your traffic is coming from.
  
• Semrush or Ubersuggest → quick health check (I love the Chrome extension for easy scans).
  

Even if you don’t plan to log in every day, you need these tools connected. Otherwise, you won’t have the data you need to make decisions later.

Pro tip: My SEO Monitoring Tools Guide walks you through how to set these up step by step.

3. Learn the Difference between Impressions and Clicks

This one is huge.

• Impressions = people saw your site listed in Google results.
  
• Clicks = people actually clicked through to your site.
  

With ColorFixx, she went from zero impressions to ranking on page one for “color analysis MN.” Suddenly, she wasn’t invisible anymore—her link was being seen and clicked.

Think of impressions as window shoppers. Clicks are the people who actually walk into your store.

4. Understand How AI is Changing SEO

Here’s where things get real. AI is changing how people use Google.

• Google’s AI Overviews now answer questions directly at the top of search results.
  
• That means fewer clicks—especially on informational blog posts.
  
• Data shows AI Overviews reduce click-through rates by 34.5% for top-ranking pages. Even if you’re #1, people may not click.
  

But it’s not all doom. The new wave of SEO—sometimes called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—is about positioning your content so it gets picked up and cited in those AI summaries.

Bottom line: SEO isn’t dead, it’s just evolving.

5. Watch out for Common Roadblocks

These are the most common mistakes that keep websites invisible:

• No keyword strategy → you’re writing, but not for what people search.
  
• Missing meta titles/descriptions → like putting a book on a shelf with no title.
  
• Thin content → fluff instead of depth.
  
• No backlinks → without recommendations, Google doesn’t trust you.
  

This is exactly what kept my first business (a planner shop) buried on page 10.

6. Take Quick SEO Wins Today

SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. Start here:

• Submit your sitemap to Google.
  
• Update one page with a keyword and meta description.
  
• Start a simple spreadsheet to track impressions and clicks.
  

Small, consistent steps will move the needle faster than you think.

7. Follow my SEO Monitoring System (so you don’t waste time guessing)

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s the good news: you don’t have to figure it out alone.

I created a free SEO Monitoring Checklist that gives you the exact steps to start tracking and improving your site visibility. It’s the roadmap I wish I had when I was just starting out.

Grab it today and finally see whether your site is being found on Google.