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What is SiteMaps?
The Google Sitemaps program is a tool that helps you ‘describe' your website by communicating directly with Google's search engine crawlers. You can provide detailed information about your site content and architecture so that it can be indexed more effectively. Google can then show you how they see your site and tell you about any trouble they've had crawling it. As SEO becomes more and more complex, and Google Algorithms more strict, SiteMaps provides legitimate webmasters a way to guarantee their site will be crawled.
What You'll Need To get your website listed, you'll need:
Set Up SiteMaps Account in 10 Easy Steps |
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Go to the Sitemaps homepage. If you already have a Google account, click “Sign in to your Google Account,” then, skip forward to “Step 5” of this tutorial.
If you don't have a Google account, click “Create a Google Account”
On the next page, enter your email address and password to sign up for a Google account. Don't forget to re-enter your password! If you've already got a Google account, click “sign in here” at the top of the page.
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On the same page, enter your name, location, and complete the word verification. Read through the terms of service, and then click “I accept. Create my account.”
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If you had to create a Google account, you'll then be prompted to go to the inbox of the email address you provided. Open the email from Google and click the link provided. A browser will then open up confirming that you verified your email. Click “Click here to continue.” Enter your Google account info and click “Sign In.” |
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Once you're in your Sitemaps account a new page will open up. To get started, click “add a sitemap now!” Click to choose either a general web sitemap or a mobile sitemap (most websites will be ‘General Web Sitemap'). Click “Next” and follow the instructions in Step 1. Create a Sitemap” to create a sitemap for your website following the instructions for your chosen format.
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On the same page, under “Step 2. Put your Sitemap online” click “Where do I put my Sitemap?” Follow the instructions that open up in the new window.
On the same page, enter the URL of your newly uploaded sitemap. Click “Add Web Sitemap.”
Beyond Sitemaps Sitemaps provides you with useful info about the way Google sees your website, but it doesn't provide you with statistical analysis about where your customers are coming from and the effectiveness of your website's pages and advertising. For this kind of info, you might want to use a website analytics program like HitsLink. Click here to find out more. |
