Google has done much over the years to improve their support of website optimization by folks like you and I. Today its easier than ever before to submit your sitemap and have your website files indexed. Indexing your files simply means your website files are now identified by the search bots and will be categorized into the mother lode of website file data compiled around the globe by Google bots which produce Google search results.
With the help of Google Search Console, webmasters can track their website's performance in search results, find out which queries are bringing the most traffic to their website, and identify and fix any issues that might be affecting their website's visibility in search.
The benefits of using Google Search Console are many. Firstly, it allows webmasters to monitor their website's performance in Google Search results. This includes data on queries that are bringing the most visitors to their website, click-through rates, impressions, and the average position of their website in search results. This data is invaluable for webmasters who want to optimize their website and increase its visibility in Google Search.
Secondly, Google Search Console can be used to identify any issues that might be affecting a website’s visibility in search. This includes crawling errors, mobile usability issues, and other technical issues that could be hindering a website’s performance in search. Being able to identify and fix technical issues quickly and effectively can help improve a website’s visibility in search and ensure that it is being seen by as many people as possible.
Thirdly, Google Search Console can be used to monitor a website’s backlinks. This feature can help webmasters identify websites linking to their website and can be used to monitor a website’s link profile. This is important for improving a website’s SEO performance, as a strong link profile is essential for improving a website’s ranking in search results.
Overall, Google Search Console can be an invaluable tool for new and experienced webmasters. It provides data on a website’s performance in search, can be used to identify and fix any issues that might be affecting a website’s visibility in search, can be used to monitor a website’s backlinks, and can be used to submit a website to Google for indexing. All of these features can help webmasters improve their website’s visibility in search and ensure that it is being seen by as many people as possible.
Three elements to keep in mind when reviewing and optimizing your website are creating/modifying and installing the canonical script, uploading the robots.txt file, and double-checking your sitemap.
#1 HOW TO MAKE AND USE CANONICAL URL
A canonical URL is a type of URL that is used to indicate which version of a webpage is considered to be the main, or authoritative version. It is used to help search engines and other web services to properly index and display a page in search results.
There are three immediate benefits to using canonical URLs. First, they help search engines to properly index a page, which can affect its ranking in search results. For example, if a page has multiple URLs, search engines can become confused as to which version of the page is the most relevant. In this case, a canonical URL can be used to indicate which version should be indexed and displayed in search results.
Second, canonical URLs help to prevent duplicate content from appearing in search results. For example, if a page is accessible via multiple URLs, search engines may think that the content is duplicated and that it is coming from multiple sources. This can affect the page’s ranking in search results. By using a canonical URL, you can indicate to search engines that the content is not duplicated, and that it should be indexed and displayed in search results.
Thirdly, canonical URLs can help to reduce the amount of time it takes for search engines to crawl a website. When a page is accessible via multiple URLs, search engines may spend more time crawling the different versions of the page. By using a canonical URL, you can indicate which version of the page should be crawled and indexed, which can help to reduce the amount of time it takes for the page to be indexed and displayed in search results.
Using canonical URLs help reduce the amount of time it takes for search engines to crawl a website. This is an example of a canonical URL for one page. Place this code in the HEAD section of the website page.
#2 HOW TO MAKE A ROBOTS TXT FILE
The robots.txt file is an important tool as it can be used to control the behavior of search engine bots and other forms of web crawlers.
A robots.txt file is a special type of text file that is used to tell search engine robots how to interact with a website. It is used to specify which parts of a website should be indexed and which should not. It can also be used to set rules for bots, such as how often they should visit the site and which pages they should not visit.
A robots.txt file is used to keep web crawlers from accessing certain areas of the site, such as login pages or secure databases.
Additionally, it will help you make sure your content is correctly indexed and that search engine results are relevant.
A couple of handy resources on creating your robots.txt file.
Google Developers have a decent section on writing a robots.txt file.
Moz also has an excellent tutorial on robot.txt files.
SearchEngineWatch has some great examples.
Keep your robots.txt file up to date in order to protect your content, control how search engine bots crawl your website, and improve the accuracy of search engine results about your website.
#3 HOW TO MAKE A SITE MAP FILE
A sitemap on your website is an important step in making sure that all of your pages are indexed and accessible to search engines. A sitemap is essentially a list of all of your website's URLs, organized in a hierarchy. This allows search engine crawlers to easily find and index all of your webpages.
Having a sitemap is especially important if you have a website with a large number of pages. Search engine crawlers may not be able to find all of your pages if you don’t have a sitemap, which can decrease your search engine rankings and limit the amount of organic traffic you receive.
Creating a sitemap requires some technical knowledge, but it's relatively straightforward. You can create a sitemap using a variety of methods, including a simple XML file or a specialized sitemap generator. Once you have your sitemap created, you should submit it to Google Search Console so that search engine crawlers can find it.
You can also list all the files of your website in a text editor program. One page, url, per line. Save this file as “sitemap.txt” and upload it to the root directory. For example, https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.txt.
Next, go to the Google Search Console and submit your file.
SUMMARY
As you move forward with your website and add new content, be sure to beep the sitemap and robots.txt file updated to reflect your current architecture and file privacy concerns. While the canonical URLS may not be necessary on all your new pages, keep your existing canonical tags updated, for example when you rename a file or move the file location. Overall, having these three elements on your website will contribute positively to your domain authority.