Set Your Website to be Indexed by Search Engines

When you launch your website, you will want to make sure that your website can be reached by users on search engines. In order for your website to be indexed, you will want to make sure the proper search settings are turned on, and submit your sitemap to search engines.

Note: These instructions refer to websites on the Websites 360® platform. For other website platforms, please submit a support ticket.

Step 1: Double-check your search settings

On your Websites 360® dashboard, click the "gear" icon at the top of the page, then select SEO to navigate to the SEO settings page.

Scroll down to the section labeled Search Settings, and make sure that the setting Allow search engines to index website is turned on (the switch will be "blue" when turned on). This setting is required in order for your website to be indexed and findable by search engines.

The other three options are not required, but it's recommended that you leave them turned on:

• Append business name/site title to title tag: This places your site title in front of the Title Tag for every page on your site. For this reason, it is recommended that you use your business name as the site title.
• Include pages not visible in navigation in sitemap.xml: If you have any pages that are not included in your site's navigation, such as a "privacy policy" page, this will ensure that it is added to your sitemap and eligible to appear in search results.
• Allow external canonical URLs: Enabling this option will allow you to set the canonical URL to an external link in the page-level SEO & Sharing settings.

Step 2: Submit your sitemap to search engines

Once your website is published, it may take up to a few weeks before your website is indexed. However, you can have your website indexed more quickly by using a webmaster tool, such as Google Search Console. In addition to submitting your sitemap directly to their search engine, Google Search Console has free tools allow you to:

• Track how your website is performing in search.
• Discover which keywords your website is showing up for.
• Analyze your traffic data for each search engine.
• Find out about other websites that link back to yours.
• Get alerts for any broken links on your website.

Follow this link to learn how to verify and submit your website's sitemap using Google Search Console.