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Google Search Console

How to Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

 

A sitemap is an essential tool for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as it helps search engines understand the structure of your website and index its pages efficiently. Google Search Console allows web admins to submit sitemaps, ensuring their content is discovered and ranked effectively. This guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console.

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Step 1: Create a Sitemap

A sitemap is an XML file that lists all the essential pages on your website. You can create one using various methods:

Using a CMS Plugin

  • If you use WordPress, install an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, which automatically generates a sitemap.

  • The site map is usually created automatically for Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace.

Using Online Tools

 

Manually Creating a Sitemap

If you have a small website, you can create an XML sitemap manually using a text editor and save it as sitemap.xml.

Where to Place Your Sitemap

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Step 2: Verify Your Website with Google Search Console

Before submitting your sitemap, you must verify your website's ownership in Google Search Console.

  1. Go to Google Search Console.

  2. Click "Start now" and sign in with your Google account.

  3. Choose the type of property:

    • Domain Property (requires DNS verification)

    • URL Prefix (allows multiple verification methods)

  4. Follow the instructions for verification. The most common methods include:

    • Uploading an HTML file to your website

    • Adding a Meta Tag to your website's <head> section

    • Using Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager

    • Verifying via DNS record (recommended for domain properties)

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Step 3: Locate the Sitemap Submission Tool

Once your website is verified:

  1. In Google Search Console, select your website property.

  2. Click on "Sitemaps" in the left-hand menu.

  3. Under "Add a new sitemap," enter the URL of your sitemap (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml).

  4. Click "Submit".

 

Step 4: Check Sitemap Submission Status

After submission, Google will process your sitemap. Here's how to check its status:

  • Under the "Submitted sitemaps" section, you'll see:

    • Success (sitemap was read successfully)

    • Pending (Google is still processing it)

    • Errors (indicates issues in your sitemap)

If there are errors, click on them to view details and troubleshoot issues.

 

Step 5: Monitor Your Website's Indexing

After submission, regularly monitor your website's performance:

  • Go to "Coverage" in Google Search Console to check which pages are indexed.

  • Use the "URL Inspection Tool" to check how Google sees individual pages.

  • Regularly update your sitemap and resubmit if new pages are added or removed.

 

Common Sitemap Errors and Fixes

  1. Site map Couldn't Be Read – Ensure the file format is correct and accessible.

  2. URL Not Allowed – Make sure the URLs included are part of the verified domain.

  3. Incorrect Formatting – Use a sitemap validator like Google's Rich Results Test.

  4. Too Large Sitemap – Break it into multiple smaller sitemaps if it exceeds 50,000 URLs or 50MB.

 

Final Thoughts

Submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console is crucial for SEO, ensuring your website is crawled and indexed correctly. Regularly update and monitor your sitemap to keep your site's SEO in top shape.

 

Following these steps can improve your website's visibility in search results and drive more organic traffic. Happy optimizing!

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