Are you looking at how to submit your WordPress website to search engines and start ranking? This is your post.
Having a WordPress website is a great start for establishing an online presence. However, to maximize visibility and attract visitors, your site needs to be indexed by search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Search engines are the largest source of organic traffic for most websites, driving around 93% of all web traffic. Google, the largest search engine, dominates the market and is usually adept at automatically detecting and listing new websites.
Despite this, new websites may sometimes not get listed on search engines immediately. Given that search engines are the primary traffic source for most websites, getting listed promptly is crucial.
Submitting your website to search engines is an essential step to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive more traffic. Although search engines index websites automatically, submitting your site ensures complete and accurate data is included.
Different search engines have different submission processes. This guide will explain how to submit your website to search engines and start ranking.
Why Should You Submit Your Website To Search Engines?
While search engines can find your site without manual submission, taking the initiative to submit can accelerate your growth and provide you with tools to better manage and optimize your online presence.
This process can offer several key benefits, especially if you’re just starting with a new business or blog. Here are some reasons why it’s a good idea:
1. Faster Discovery
Search engine bots might eventually find your site on their own, but submitting your site manually can speed up the process. This is particularly important for new sites without many inbound links.
2. Early Traffic Boost
Search engines are a primary source of free traffic. By getting indexed quickly, you can start attracting visitors sooner, helping you to grow your audience and potentially generate revenue more quickly.
3. Free Marketing
Unlike paid advertising, organic search traffic doesn’t cost you anything. Submitting your site helps ensure that your pages appear in search results, leading to free, ongoing traffic.
4. Access to Webmaster Tools
When you submit your site to search engines like Google and Bing, you gain access to their webmaster tools. These tools provide valuable insights into your site’s performance, indexing status, and potential issues, which can help you optimize your site for better search rankings.
5. SEO Benefits
Early submission allows you to start working on your search engine optimization (SEO) strategies right away. This includes monitoring how your site is indexed, identifying keywords that work for your audience, and making necessary adjustments to improve your rankings over time.
6. Competitive Edge
Being proactive about submission can give you a competitive edge. The sooner your site is indexed, the sooner you can start building your presence and authority in search engine results, ahead of competitors who might rely solely on organic discovery.
How to Submit Your WordPress Website to Search Engines and Start Ranking
This detailed guide will help you through the process of submitting your WordPress website to search engines and optimizing it for higher rankings, ensuring that your site is easily discoverable by your target audience.
We will be exploring how to submit your website to four different search engines, including Google and Bing, giving you the flexibility to choose which ones you want to use.
Let’s get started:
#1. Google
Google controls 92.49% of the global search engine market. Submitting your website to Google can significantly boost your brand awareness and increase traffic.
The process of submitting your website to Google is straightforward. This ensures that your site is indexed and appears in Google search results. Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to submit your website to Google, the most popular search engine:
Step 1: Check if Your Site is Already Indexed
Before you submit your site to Google, it’s crucial to determine whether it is already indexed. To do this, type `site:yourwebsite.com` into Google’s search bar. If your website’s pages appear in the search results, it means Google has already indexed your site. If no results are found, you will need to proceed with submitting your site for indexing.
Step 2: Register Your Website with Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to manage and monitor your website’s presence in Google search results. To submit your site to Google, you must first register and verify it with GSC.
1. Access Google Search Console
Visit the Google Search Console website and sign in using your Google account.
2. Add Your Website
Click on the ‘Add Property’ button. Enter the URL of your website when prompted.
3. Verify Ownership
Google Search Console offers several methods to verify your website ownership. You can choose from:
– HTML File Upload
Download a verification file provided by Google and upload it to the root directory of your website.
– Domain Name Provider
Sign in to your domain name provider and add a TXT record to your DNS configuration.
– HTML Tag
Add a meta tag provided by Google to the `<head>` section of your homepage.
– Google Analytics (GA) Tracking Code
Use the tracking code from an existing GA account if your website is already set up with Google Analytics.
– Google Tag Manager (GTM) Container Snippet
Use the container snippet from Google Tag Manager if you have GTM set up on your site.
After choosing and completing one of these verification methods, Google will verify your ownership of the site. Once verified, your site will be registered with Google Search Console, and you can proceed with submitting it for indexing and monitoring its performance in search results.
Step 3: Submit Your Sitemap
A sitemap is an essential XML file that lists all the significant pages on your website.
XML sitemaps help Google index your site faster by storing web pages more efficiently. Here are some of the advantages of using an XML sitemap to submit your website to Google:
✔Tracking new content
It allows you to tell Google about new content on your website.
✔Easy navigation
It provides a map of your website to search engine crawlers, demonstrating its structure.
✔SEO
It helps to optimize your website by resulting in more regular changes and informing Google that you do not have duplicate content. To submit your sitemap;
1. Create a Sitemap:
If you are using WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math can automatically generate a sitemap for you.
Your sitemap URL typically looks like this: `yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml`.
2. Submit Your Sitemap in Google Search Console:
To upload XML sitemaps to Google Search Console, start by creating a sitemap for your website. You can choose one of the following methods:
▪️Manually
Create an XML file with the relevant HTML code. Use a sitemap validator to ensure the sitemap is valid.
▪️Automatically
Use an online generator by entering your URL, which will then generate a sitemap URL.
▪️Plugin
Install the Yoast SEO plugin to create a sitemap for your WordPress site.
Each method will generate a sitemap URL, typically in this format:
“`
http://example.com/sitemap_index.xml
“`
Once you have your XML sitemap, follow these steps to submit it to Google Search Console:
1. Go to the GSC page and log into your account.
2. Select the property type:
– Domain– Enter your domain name to get information from all URLs. This option requires DNS verification.
– URL prefix – For a specific page, with multiple verification methods available.
For this example, we’ll use the Domain option.
3. Verify your domain
You can verify your domain by adding the TXT record from Google Search Console to your DNS server.
4. On the Google Search Console home page, pick Sitemaps from the left sidebar menu.
Next, enter your sitemap URL in the Add a new sitemap area. Click the SUBMIT button to complete the procedure.
Step 4: Use the URL Inspection Tool for Individual URLs
To expedite the indexing of specific pages, use the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console.
1. Access the URL Inspection Tool:
– Select ‘URL Inspection’ from the sidebar.
– Enter the URL you want to be indexed and press ‘Enter’.
– If the page is indexable, you will see an option to ‘Request Indexing’. Click it to submit the URL.
Monitoring Your Submission
After submitting your sitemap or individual URLs, you can monitor their status in the Google Search Console. Google will process your sitemap and index your site accordingly, though this process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
#2. Bing
Bing, powered by Microsoft, holds a significant share of the search engine market and can help drive additional traffic to your site. As the second most popular search engine worldwide, submitting your website to Bing is an essential step in enhancing your online visibility beyond Google. Moreover, search engines like Yahoo and DuckDuckGo also rely on Bing’s search index to discover new sites.
How to Submit Your Website to Bing
Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to submit your website to Bing using Bing Webmaster Tools and start ranking.
Step 1: Open a Bing Webmaster Tools Account
Navigate to Bing Webmaster Tools and sign in using your Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account. If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one.
Step 2: Add and Verify Your Website
Once logged in, you have two options to add your site:
*Import from Google Search Console
If your site is already verified with Google Search Console, you can import it directly into Bing Webmaster Tools, simplifying the verification process.
*Manually Add Your Site
Click the “Add a Site” button and enter your website’s URL. You will then need to verify ownership of your site.
Step 3: Verify Your Site
You can verify your site using one of the following methods:
– XML File
Download a BingSiteAuth.xml file and upload it to your site’s root directory.
– HTML Meta Tag
Add a meta tag to the homepage of your site.
– CNAME Record
Add a CNAME record to your DNS settings.
Choose the method that works best for you and follow the provided instructions.
Step 4: Submit Your Sitemap
Submitting a sitemap helps Bing discover and index your pages more efficiently. To submit your sitemap:
☑Go to your Bing Webmaster Tools dashboard.
☑Find the “Sitemaps” section in the left-hand menu.
☑Enter the URL of your sitemap (e.g., https://example.com/sitemap.xml) and click “Submit.”
Step 5: Submit URLs for Indexing
For immediate indexing of specific pages:
1. In Bing Webmaster Tools, navigate to “Configure My Site” > “Submit URLs.”
2. Enter the URLs you wish to index, one per line.
3. Click “Submit.”
#3. DuckDuckGo
You can submit your WordPress website to DuckDuckGo which is a search engine and start ranking.
DuckDuckGo does not have a direct submission process for websites. Unlike Bing or Google, where you can submit your sitemap directly, DuckDuckGo indexes websites automatically using over 400 sources, including Bing.
Submitting your website to DuckDuckGo differs from submitting it to search engines like Google or Bing. DuckDuckGo values privacy and doesn’t track users, which influences its approach to indexing websites. Here’s how to ensure your website gets picked up by DuckDuckGo.
Steps to Get Indexed by DuckDuckGo
1. Ensure Your Site is Indexed by Bing
Since DuckDuckGo pulls data from Bing, getting your site indexed by Bing is a critical step. Use Bing Webmaster Tools to submit your sitemap and track your indexing status.
2. Optimize for Quality Content and SEO
– High-Quality Content
Ensure your website offers clear, informative, and valuable content.
– Responsive Design
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.
– Internal Links and Backlinks
Include internal links and get backlinks from reputable sites.
Checking Indexing Status
To see if your site is indexed by DuckDuckGo, perform a search using `site:yourwebsite.com`. If your site appears in the results, it’s indexed. Following good SEO practices and ensuring Bing indexing will help your site get picked up by DuckDuckGo.
#4. Yandex
Yandex is the leading search engine in Russia, holding a 60% share of the search market. If your target audience is primarily in Russia or prefers Russian over English, submitting your website to Yandex can be highly beneficial.
Yandex Webmaster offers numerous features to help identify and resolve specific issues on your site.
Submitting a Website to Yandex
Here are the steps to submit your website to Yandex:
1. Go to Yandex Webmaster Tools and log in or create an account.
2. Click on the plus sign button to add your website.
3. Add your URL and click the Add button.
4. Verify your site by following these guidelines:
– Meta tag
Add a meta tag to your site’s HTML code. This requires access to your website’s core files via FTP.
– Root directory
Add an HTML file provided by Yandex to your site’s root directory. This requires access to your site’s File Manager.
– DNS
Add a TXT record to your domain’s DNS.
5. Once your site is verified, go to Indexing -> Sitemap files.
Insert your XML Sitemap under the Add Sitemap file section and click the Add button.
To submit individual URLs to Yandex, follow these steps:
1. Go to Indexing -> Check URL status to add a page’s URL from your domain.
2. Insert your URL and click the Check button.
The status of your URL will be shown under the Checked and Page and Results section. There is also a Track button to follow the indexing status.
Yandex will send a notification via email if there are issues with your site that need to be fixed.
Additional WordPress SEO
In addition to submitting your site, consider these ways to boost your search engine rankings:
– Use an SEO Plugin
Plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math can optimize your content.
– Conduct Keyword Research
Incorporate relevant keywords into your content.
– Optimize Titles and Meta Descriptions
Create compelling titles and meta descriptions.
– Opt for Friendly URLs
Choose concise, descriptive URLs.
– Utilize Google Analytics
Implement it to monitor your site’s performance.
Remember, maintaining high-quality content, mobile compatibility, and a positive user experience is also crucial for effective SEO. Once you’ve optimized your WordPress site, submitting it is just the first step toward increased visibility!
Conclusion
Submitting your WordPress site for search engines and ensuring it’s well-indexed is crucial to start ranking and driving organic traffic. By following these guidelines, you’ll enhance your site’s visibility and maintain or improve your search engine rankings. SEO is an ongoing process, so monitor your performance and adjust your strategy as needed to achieve sustained success.