Why Facebook Sometimes Shows Up Before Your Website on Google

If you’ve ever searched for your own business on Google and thought, “Why is my Facebook page showing up before my actual website?”, you’re not alone.

This is a very common concern we hear from clients, especially after a website has been down, rebuilt, or recently relaunched. The good news? In most cases, this is completely normal and temporary.

Let’s break down what’s really happening behind the scenes.

What Happens When a Website Goes Offline

When a website is unavailable for a period of time, Google doesn’t just stop showing the business altogether. Instead, it looks for other trusted sources to represent that brand in search results.

These usually include:

• Facebook pages

• Google Business Profiles

• Other established third-party listings

Platforms like Facebook have massive domain authority and long-standing trust with Google. So if a website disappears, even temporarily, Google leans on those platforms to fill the gap.

Why the Website Doesn’t Instantly Take Over Again

Once the website is back online, many business owners expect Google to immediately switch rankings back to normal. But that’s not how Google works.

Google is intentionally cautious. It needs time to:

• Re-crawl the website

• Confirm the site is stable and active

• Reconnect the website to the business’s brand signals

• Rebuild trust after the downtime

This process doesn’t happen overnight. Google wants consistency before it changes rankings again.

Why Facebook Often Stays on Top (At First)

Facebook tends to remain visible because:

• It never went offline

• It already has strong authority

• It’s clearly tied to the business name

• Google has continued trusting it during the website’s downtime

Until Google is fully confident in the website again, Facebook may temporarily hold that top position for branded searches.

The Good Signs to Look For

If this is happening, it usually means:

• Google recognizes the business name

• The brand itself is searchable

• The Google Business Profile is working correctly

• The website is being re-evaluated, not ignored

This is a recovery phase, not an SEO failure.

What Helps the Website Reclaim the Top Spot Faster

To help Google reconnect the dots, we focus on:

• Making sure all brand listings point back to the website

• Ensuring business name, location, and contact info are consistent everywhere

• Strengthening “brand authority” on the website itself (homepage, About page, Contact page)

• Requesting re-indexing through Google Search Console

When these signals align, Google naturally shifts priority back to the website.

How Long Does This Take?

While every situation is different, we typically see:

• Initial improvement within a few weeks

• Full brand search correction within 4–8 weeks

Once Google regains confidence, the website almost always moves back above Facebook for branded searches.

The Bottom Line

If Facebook is showing up before your website on Google, it doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong.

SEO is cumulative. Google rewards consistency, stability, and clear brand signals over time. Sometimes recovery is simply part of the journey, especially after downtime or a rebuild.

And if something ever looks off in your search results, there’s usually a logical explanation behind it. That’s where having the right strategy (and patience) matters most.