Search Presence via Google Webmaster Tools
I love when a search engine gives SEO tips. I recently received an email from Google telling how to “maximize your site performance on Google Search”… and when Google speaks, we listen! Implement the following items to improve the search presence of your website via Google Webmaster Tools.
- Add all your website versions – Make sure you add both “www” and “non-www” versions (and HTTPS, if applicable) for your site.
- Select your preferred version – Choose whether you want your site to appear with or without “www” in Google Search.
- Select target country – Set your geographic preference if your site targets users in a specific country.
- Share access – If you want other people to access your reports, you can add different access levels.
- Submit a sitemap file – This helps Google better understand how to crawl your site.
Here is how to accomplish a few of these steps quickly:
Step 2 , choosing the preferred domain, can be performed by clicking the gear icon and choosing the ‘Site Settings’ option (you must have both www and non-www sites added to GWT first.)
Step 3 can be found under Search Traffic > International Targeting. NOTE: Choose this option only for companies that provide services that are exclusively ‘local’. This option should not be checked for a business that may sell products or provide services to other countries, such as Canada or Mexico, or Overseas.
Step 5 is done by accessing the Crawl > Sitemaps menu item on the left of the Google Webmaster Tools page and clicking ‘Add/Test Sitemap’ button. You must have a sitemap XML file already created and live on the website before submitting its URL to Google. NOTE: If a sitemap ‘index’ file exists, submit only that index file, as Google will auto-discover the child sitemaps.
If you would like help with getting any of these steps implemented for your website, contact us now and we will help to improve the visibility of your website online.