How to Use Google Sitemaps

Need to learn how to use Google Sitemaps for your website? Google requires that you submit a sitemap in XML format to help them index your website pages. Follow these steps to use Google Sitemaps so you can get your website ranked on Google more quickly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet
• Your own website
• FTP program access

1. Create your XML sitemap file. Some web development programs such as XSitePro will build the Google XML sitemap file for you. If you are not using such a program, you can build an XML file online for free (see Resources).

2. Fill in and submit the short form. Enter your website name. Set the “Change frequency” option to how often you update your website. Click on the “Start” button.

3. 
    
   Create an XML Sitemap Online to Submit to Google

   The next screen will ask you to please wait, then your results will come up on the top of the screen saying that the “Generated sitemap is ready.” Beneath that, it states that there are 2 steps left.

4. Download the sitemap file that you just created online to your computer by clicking on the “Download the sitemap file here” link.

5. Upload the sitemap file to the “public_html/” folder of your website using FTP software (such as CuteFTP) or through your web file manager tools online through your web hosting company.

6. Go to your Google Webmaster account (see Resources) and login to add your sitemap URL. If you don’t have one, you must create a new account.

7. Add your website the Dashboard in Google Webmaster tools, by entering your website address and clicking on the “Add Site” button.

8. The next screen asks you to click on the link to verify your site. Then you can choose from two different ways to verify your site through the drop-down menu. You can either add a meta tag to your homepage or you can upload a page to your website.

9. Follow the directions on the screen according to the verification method you choose.

10. When finished, go back to your Dashboard within Google Webmaster Tools to verify the site by clicking on the “Verify” button. The Google robots will check that you performed Step 9 correctly. You can check that it worked within your Dashboard.

Tips & Warnings

• If you get an error message on creating the XML file, try re-entering your website name in a different way (either with or without the beginning "www.") and resubmitting the form.
• Be sure to check the Dashboard of Google Webmaster Tools. Next to your website name, the Sitemap and the Verified columns should read “1” and be checked off respectively. If not, click on any “Warnings” link that appear in order to correct it.

Resources

• Google Webmaster Tools FAQ
• Create a Google Sitemap Online
• Login to Google Webmaster Tools to Add Your Sitemap

[XSitePro]

on 1/11/2009 Be sure to make your sitemap the use the same URL as your site in Google webmaster tools.
If you use the www. prefix on your site, but leave it out on your sitemap, Google will flag an error.

XSitePro provides 3 different types of sitemap, and each one can be edited to follow the theme of your website. The 3 types are:

1. Hierarchical site map
2. Alphabetical site map
3. Navigation menu driven site map