SharePoint Online Search will not find some Sites that I have created

[James_Kurth]

Hi everyone, I've ripped out all of my hair and now I'm digging into my skull.  I need your wisdom.

I am an Office 365 Global Admin and SP Admin.  I create SharePoint sites for my company to organize their projects.  Many times after creating the SP Site, I can easily search it in the Search box and find it, as well as on a SharePoint page I am adding the site to a Sites object in the page; however, this is not the case with every site I create as an owner.  Despite creating the sites the same exact way, some sites will just not show up in search results.  
Example: I have a Team Site I created in 2019 (4 years ago). There are tons of files and lists in it and it is used daily with an Access database linked to the lists in it.  I have the search settings to allow content on the site to be searchable for offline availability.  I have performed Reindexing the site numerous times.  The Admin Center lists the site and the settings are identical to other sites that will show up when searching.  I have no special characters in my site names, I have gone through all of the MS Help pages about search settings.  I am the site owner and nobody in my org can search for that site.  The only way to access it from SharePoint online in the web browser is to manually enter in the URL of the site itself.   Search results come up blank.  I have reindexed this site as well as the Documents folder at least 3 times this year alone (not to mention previous 4 years doing it) and NOTHING comes up.  Yet, I can create a SP site with the same configuration without any files in it, and it will show up on search results within 40 minutes.  

I see others online have this issue too but nowhere can I find a fix or a solution.  Anyone know how to fix this?

[#2]

Hi @James_Kurth 

I understand that you're facing issues with some SharePoint Online sites not appearing in search results despite being created and configured correctly. This can be a frustrating problem, but there are several possible reasons and solutions you can explore. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. Check Search Settings: Since you mentioned that you have already gone through the search settings, it's good to double-check them again. Ensure that the "Allow this site to appear in search results" option is enabled for the sites that are not showing up in search results. To check this, go to the site settings, then "Search and offline availability."

2. Verify Crawl Status: Make sure the site has been crawled successfully. Go to the SharePoint Admin Center, then to "Search" > "Crawl Log" to check if there are any crawl errors for the sites that are not appearing in search results.

3. Reindex the Site Collection: Although you mentioned that you have already tried reindexing the site, it's worth trying again. You can initiate a reindexing of the entire site collection by going to the SharePoint Admin Center, then to "Search" > "Manage Search Schema." Under the "Site Collection" tab, find your site collection, select it, and click on "Reindex Site."

4. Managed Properties: Ensure that the managed properties associated with the site content are properly set up. Sometimes, issues with managed properties can lead to search problems. Check if the relevant managed properties are being crawled and mapped correctly to the site content.

5. Permissions and Security Trimming: Check the permissions on the site and make sure that the users who need to see the site in search results have the appropriate access. Also, check if security trimming is correctly applied, as it may hide results from users who don't have permission to access them.

6. Search Result Source: Verify the search result source being used for displaying results. Ensure that the result source includes the specific sites you want to appear in search results.

7. Check Search Index Health: If you suspect issues with SharePoint Online search indexing, it's a good idea to check the health of the search index. You can do this in the SharePoint Admin Center under "Search" > "Index Health."

8. Search Scope: Check the search scope settings to ensure the sites are included in the search scope. Sometimes, certain scopes may exclude specific sites from search results.

9. Managed Navigation: If you are using managed navigation on your site, it's possible that the navigation settings might impact search results. Check the navigation settings to ensure they are not causing the problem.

If after trying these steps, the issue still persists, I would recommend reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance. They will have access to more advanced tools and logs to diagnose and resolve the problem.

Remember that SharePoint Online and Office 365 are continuously evolving platforms, and there might be updates or changes to the search functionality that could impact your configuration. Keeping your Office 365 environment up-to-date with the latest patches and updates is also essential to ensure smooth functioning.

[#3]

Hi @James_Kurth 

could that site have been added to the "Remove Search Results" List in the SharePoint Admin center?

https://<yourtenant>-admin.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/searchadmin/searchresultremoval.aspx

Best Regards,
Sven