What are Site Maps?
Site Maps are ways for the web page to inform and invite search engines to crawl on their site contents. Before, Site Maps are submitted to search engines by filling out forms. Now, thorugh XML Sitemaps, Site Maps can be submitted directly or by waiting for search engines to find it.
Where to submit your Site Maps?
You can submit your to top search engines listed below:
1. Google - top search engine (64.8% market share as of August 2011)
- Go to www.google.com/webmasters/
- Verify your site through any of the given method
- Go to Dashboard>Add a site>Continue
- Added Site Dashboard>Site Configuration>Sitemaps
- Click Submit a Sitemap
- Enter the code below after in the box and click Submit Sitemap
- If limited to 26 posts and below: (any)
- atom.xml?orderby=updated
- atom.xml
- rss.xml?orderby=updated
- For 1 to 500 posts atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=500
- For 501 to 1000 posts atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=501&max-results=500
- For 1001 to 1500 posts atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1001&max-results=500
2. Bing - From Microsoft, formerly MSN and Live (yahoo has now merged with Bing)
a. Go to https://ssl.bing.com/webmaster/SubmitSitePage.aspx
- Log in with your windows live ID
- Click Add Site
- Input your site URL
- Click Submit
- Verify through any of the two options
- Go to Crawl>Add Feed
- Enter the code below after in the box and click Submit Sitemap
- If limited to 26 posts and below: (any)
- atom.xml?orderby=updated
- atom.xml
- rss.xml?orderby=updated
- For 1 to 500 posts atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=500
- For 501 to 1000 posts atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=501&max-results=500
- For 1001 to 1500 posts atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1001&max-results=500
c. Go to http://www.bing.com/webmaster/ping.aspx?sitemap=www.YourWebAddress.com/atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=500 (replace with you site address)
- You should be redirected to a white screen that says "Thanks for submitting your sitemap."
3. Ask.com - (3% market share as of August 2011)
- http://submissions.ask.com/ping?sitemap=http://www.YourWebSite.com/sitemap.xml (replace with your site address)
- You shoud receive a verification "Your Sitemap submission was successful"
NOTE: I just don't know how to verify that it is actually being indexed.
4. AOL - (1.4% market share as of August 2011)
- Submit through http://www.dmoz.org/
- You have to narrow down the category before you can submit an URL
NOTE: Some are claiming that AOL and Google are the same.
Other sites to submit a sitemap:
For business blogs:
1. Moreover.com - a premier provider of real-time news and business information on the Web
Sites that generate and submit site to google:
1. http://www.webmasterserve.com/seo-tools/xml-sitemaps/index.php - not sure if this works
Sites that notify or submit your sitemap to search engines:
1. http://www.ongsono.com/submit_sitemap.htm - works except for Yahoo!
What is a Robots.txt file
Robots.txt file restricts search engine robots that crawl the web. They first check the Robots.txt file and skips those which are included in it.
For example my blog has 2,109 URLS restricted by blogger which I cannot edit.
NOTE: In case you want swtiched your blog from blogger to word press, it is still advisable to submit of your old sitemap to help search engines find your new blog.
