Mac SEO Blog

This video is an update to an older video tutorial. In this video, we will show you how to properly verify your website with Google Webmaster Tools using Sitemap Automator, and then submit your Sitemap to Google and the other major search engines. If you haven’t already, please watch the first part of this tutorial which will show you how to create and publish an XML Sitemap.

Video Transcript:

So now that our Sitemaps have been published to our websites, we must notify the search engines. To do so, we’ll simply press the Notify Search Engines button. When you press this button, you will most likely see this window popup. This window is for instructions on notifying Google about your Sitemap. Notifying Google is slightly different from notifying other search engines. To notify Google, we will be creating an account for what is called Google Webmater Tools. In Google Webmaster Tools, we will be provided with some very useful information about our websites.

So to begin the process, first click on the Create account button. Your web browser will appear at the Google Webmaster Tools website. The first thing you’ll need to do is sign in with you Google account. If you don’t have an account, you can easily create one by clicking on the button for signing up for a new account.

When you are logged in the first thing you will need to do is click on the Add a site button. Then, you will need to paste your site’s URL and press the Continue button. Note that you did not copy your URL, but it was copied for you when you pressed on the Create Account button to be taken to Google Webmaster Tools.

Our next step is to verify our website. The reason we must verify is because Google Webmaster Tools will provide us with certain information about our sites. Information that only the webmaster should have, and not the general public. Because of this, we verify that we are the actual owner of the site.

First, we’ll click on the link to download the HTML verification file.

Then we’ll go back to Sitemap Automator, and select File in the menu bar, followed by Publish Verification File. Then press the Select Verification File button, and locate the verification file that you just downloaded. Highlight it and click Open.

Now we must Publish the verification file. If you publish to iDisk, click the Publish to iDisk button. If you publish to FTP, press the Publish to FTP button. Publish the file just like you did when you published the Sitemap.

When you are done publishing, go back to your web browser to where Google Webmaster Tools is open, and click on the link to confirm that the uploading of the file was successful. If you see a page like this, then you have done it correctly. If you get an error, then you have not done it correctly and you must try it again.

If you have published it correctly, click the Verify button.

You have now successfully verified your site. We have just a couple more steps left at this point. If you see this page, click the Continue button.

Make sure you get to your site’s Dashboard in Google Webmaster Tools. Click on Site Configuration, and then select Sitemaps. Then click on Submit a Sitemap and then type in sitemap.xml just like I am doing.

At this point, you have just submitted your Sitemap to Google.

Now just go back to Sitemap Automator and click on the Notify Search Engines button and your Sitemap will have been submitted to Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.

Remember to subscribe and visit our site for the next steps in our Sitemap Automator Instructional series.