Of a truth, Search engines have grown beyond manual site submission before a site could get crawled and indexed. But like they say “old styles never die”.
Submitting your sites manually on Google isn’t bad at all, but note that without you submitting Google and other search engines will definitely come to crawl and index your site contents.
Despite knowing that, I personally still do my manual submissions because I believe it heasten Google’s crawling time colsser.
But Webmaster tool is not only to alert Google to come crawl and index, there are also other issues your sites may be facing which may have lead Search engines removing your links or contents from search engine result (SER). So from Webmaster tool you know what’s happening to your website.
This is one of the reasons I always advice the use of Webmaster tool.
Come to think of it, if there wasn’t an effectiveness of the platform, Google would have brought it down by now. But Webmaster tool is an important platform every online business owners must setup for their online businesses.
This page will be showing how to setup webmaster tool account, including submitting sitemaps and sites url.
Let’s get to the point.
First, make sure that you already have a Google account (Gmail) to login on Google Webmaster Tool. Learn how to login Google account here.
Login Google Webmaster Tool Account
Step 1: Go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/ (you can as well click on the link to open the page directly.
Step 2: Click on “Sign In” – you should see it at the top of the page. Or click on “SEARCH CONSOLE” to also take you to to the same page.
Step 3: Begin inputting your domain in the right-side of the form.
I prefer using the part marked on RED because if alows me submit all version of my website.
For example, this website you are in right now. I submitted a complete 4-version of the domain like this;
- https://www.emyshub.com,
- https:emyshub.com,
- https://www.emyshub.com, and
- https://emyshub.com
Google always advice that domains are submitted that way. To enable it crawl and index effectively.
There are several ways you can verify ownership of your site on Google.
(a) To upload HTML file in the root of your site file. This process is more effective and recommended by Google. But only possible if you have access to your hosting CPanel to upload the file by yourself. Or you can chat your host and send the file so that can assist you in the upload.
(b) HTML tag – this is almost like the HTML file to upload. This one you can simply copy the code and uploaod on your Theme or Template header. But you have to copy and paste the code in betweet code .
The disadvantage about HTML tag is that the code will be no more the day you choose not to use the theme or template you pasted the code. But for WordPress users, you can install a “Headers and footers Plugin” to place the code – which will always remain untill you delete the plugin.
(c) Using Google Analytic and Google Tag Manager is also good. But you need to have set them up; verifying nd linking with your website before you can use it. Note, the same lines of code will be given to you to copy and paste in your website Header.
(d) Proving your Domain name provider so that you will be given a cName to include. But why I do not like this method is because if in future to change my website host compnay – I will automatially lose the information.
So the “HTML file upload” and “HTML tag” are best to use among the methods.
Let’s continue…
So you are expected to enter each one and click on “CONTINUE” to complete the process before proceeding to submit another.
Once you have verified one of the version, there won’t be any verification request for others. But you have to submit all of the versions.
Then click “DONE” to remain on the submission page to enable you to complete the submissions of the others.
But if you click on “GO TO PROPERTY” it will take you to the webmaster dashboard to continue with other tasks.
I prefer finishing the submission first before going to the main dashboard.
Step 4: Select which domain version to use.
Click on the down-arrow in the left side of the page and select your preferred domain version. That is what your domain is been accessed with. For example, I use the https://www.emyshub.com.
Then go through the introduction process, Google will show you around the webmaster dashboard to let you get familiarized with every feature in it.
At this point, we have submitted the website. But still not where it ends though. You also have to submit your site sitemaps.
Once that is completed, we can then start submitting our website contents whenever we make a new publications. Although the reason for submitting sitemaps is to enable Google know quickly when there is a new link (content) or new changes made on your site – so the Google crawling bot can access them.
Click here to go to “How to submit your sitemap on Google Webmaster tool”.
Do you have any question?
Please share your thoughts or confusion in the comment box below.