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Video: How to Add a Sitemap to Google Search Console

Adding a sitemap to Google Search Console helps the Googlebot crawl your website, so the website’s pages can be indexed in Google Search. A sitemap file can contain up to 50,000 URLs (webpage addresses) and cannot be larger than 50 MB.

Video Transcript

The following transcript is available for screen readers to dictate the "How to Add a Sitemap to Google Search Console" tutorial.

Slide 1: Title: How to Add a Sitemap to Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools), A beginner’s tutorial

Slide 2: Getting Started
This tutorial is geared towards beginners. Watch the video all the way through, to understand the process and view the notes. Then, start over, pausing at each slide, to give yourself time to complete each step.

Slide 3: Note
Google changes its products from time-to-time. The instructions and images in this tutorial are accurate as of February 2018.

Slide 4: Search Console
This tutorial assumes you are already logged into Google’s Search Console and have already added a website. If not, watch our tutorial on “How to Add a Website to Google Search Console” first. Then, continue with this tutorial.

Slide 5: About Sitemaps
Adding a sitemap to Google Search Console helps the Googlebot crawl your website, so the website’s pages can be indexed in Google Search. A sitemap file can contain up to 50,000 URLs (webpage addresses) and cannot be larger than 50 MB.

Slide 6: Step One
[check mark] Make two decisions
Decide which pages of your website you want crawled by Google and which type of sitemap you want to use. For this demo, we will use a TXT sitemap. Other options include XML, RSS, mRSS, Atom, or using the Google Sites tool.

Slide 7: Step Two
[check mark] Create a sitemap
A TXT sitemap contains one URL per line:
http://www.example.com/
http://www.example.com/about/
http://www.example.com/contact/

Slide 8: Step Three
[check mark] Name the file
Name the file using the .txt extension. If you are using Microsoft Word, be sure to save the file using the Plain Text (.txt) option.
Example: sitemap.txt

Slide 9: Step Four
[check mark] Upload the file
Upload the sitemap file to your hosting account. If you need assistance with this, contact your hosting company and/or your web developer.

Slide 10: Step Five
[check mark] Select a property
From the Search Console home, click the hyperlink for the property.

Image: Google Search Console - available Property list.

Slide 11: Step Six
[check mark] Crawl

Click “Crawl” in the left-hand navigation.
Image: Google Search Console - Left-hand navigation.

Slide 12: Step Seven
[check mark] Sitemaps
Click “Sitemaps” in the sub-navigation list that appeared under Crawl.
Image: Google Search Console - Left-hand navigation with Crawl sub-menu visible.

Slide 13: Step Eight
[check mark] Add sitemap
Click the red “ADD/TEST SITEMAP” button and a popover box will appear.

Image: Google Search Console - Red “ADD/TEST SITEMAP” button.

Slide 14: Step Nine
[check mark] Test sitemap
Enter the filename in the box and click the “Test” button..
Image: Google Search Console - Test / Submit options.

Slide 15: Step Nine Continued
[check mark] Fix and re-upload sitemap
If any errors appear, fix the sitemap and re-upload it to the hosting account. Then, test the sitemap again.

Slide 16: Step Ten
[check mark] Submit sitemap
Click the “Submit” button.
Image: Google Search Console - Test / Submit options.

Slide 17: Step Eleven
[check mark] Refresh
Click the “Refresh the page” hyperlink.
Image: Google Search Console - Refresh the page.

Slide 18: Step Twelve
[check mark] Check the results
See if the sitemap is in the list that appears at the bottom of the page. Then, check back in a few days to see how many pages have been indexed.

Slide 19: Congratulations!
Your sitemap has been added to Google Search Console!

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http://rlwd.biz/tutorials/

This video tutorial was created by ReaLife WebDesigns.

Disclaimer:
All content presented is this video is for informational purposes only.
No endorsements are expressed or implied.
Google content displayed in this video is the property of Google.