How do Search Engines Find my XML Sitemap?
- Details
- Written by Bill Steele
- Category: Internet Marketing
- Published: October 02 2013
Creating an XML sitemap is the first step to letting search engines easily find all of the content on your website - but search engines can't read your XML sitemap if they can't find it. You need to submit your website's XML sitemap to search engines so they can find and read it.
How to Submit Your XML Sitemap to Google
If you want to submit your sitemap to Google, you need to set up a Google Webmaster Tools account. If you already have a Google account (i.e. Google AdWords, Gmail), sign in with your Google credentials to get started. If you don't have a Google account, you can get one for free - just follow the account creation instructions.
How to Submit Your XML Sitemap to Bing and Yahoo
At the time of this writing, you can submit your XML sitemap to both Bing.com and Yahoo.com using Bing Webmaster Tools. You can access Bing Webmaster Tools by logging in with your Microsoft account. If you don't have an existing Microsoft account, you can create a new account for free - just follow their sign-up instructions.
Once you are logged in to the Webmaster Tools accounts, follow the instructions for adding a new website and submitting an XML site map.
Keeping Your XML Sitemap Updated
Your Webmaster Tools accounts will automatically check your XML sitemap on a regular basis to see if any new content been added to your website, so make sure that you update it whenever you add new pages to your website.