Getting a new website indexed and ranked in search engines like Google can be a challenging task. With so much competition online, it takes time and effort to climb to the top of the rankings. One of the key steps in any search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is submitting your website to search engines.
Properly submitting your site tells the search engines about your content and prompts them to crawl, index, and rank your pages. This article will provide a step-by-step guide to submitting your website to search engines in 2023.
Why Submit Your Website to Search Engines?
Submitting your site to search engines accomplishes a few key objectives:
Discovery
Submitting provides search engines with awareness of your website. This is the first step to getting indexed and being discoverable by searchers.
Indexing
Crawl requests initiated through submission prompt search engines to explore your site’s structure and content. This leads to pages getting added to their indexes.
Rankings
Getting indexed is the precursor to rankings. Search engines cannot rank pages they don’t know about. Proper submission helps facilitate the process.
Simply put, if you want your site’s pages to be findable and rank able in search engines, proper submission is crucial.
Choosing the Right Search Engines
The major search engines you’ll want to target include:
As the dominant leader, getting into Google is a must. They represent over 92% of global searches.
Bing
While smaller than Google, Bing still claims a significant share of searches. Make sure your site is findable here.
Yahoo
Once a major player, Yahoo now syndicates results from Bing. But they still operate Yahoo Search.
DuckDuckGo
While not as essential, DuckDuckGo has grown in popularity for privacy-focused searching. Worth considering.
Focus on nailing the submission process for Google above all. But also ensure your website gets into the other major engines.
Step 1 – Site Optimization Preparation
Before submitting, it’s important to ensure your site is properly optimized and ready to be crawled. This involves several key tasks:
Technical Audit
- Check for crawl errors like broken links or blocking robots.txt files
- Ensure site speed and mobile optimization
- Enable indexing of important pages
Content Audit
- Produce keyword-rich, high-quality content pages
- Include target keywords in titles, URLs, headings, & body copy
- Create XML site maps and submit in Search Console
Link Building
- Build inbound links from relevant sites to signal authority and popularity
Handling these items will get your website ready for submission and indexing.
Step 2 – Select Submission Methods
There are a few available options when it comes to submitting your URLs to search engines:
Search Console
Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools allow you to submit URLs for indexing. This is the recommended starting point.
Sitemaps
An XML sitemap outlines your site’s pages and can be submitted via Search Console and Bing Tools.
Direct URL Submission
Most search engines offer forms to submit individual URLs. Good for new or important pages.
Indexing API
Google, Bing, and Yahoo provide APIs to programmatically submit URLs at scale. For large sites.
Backlink Building
Earning backlinks signals importance and prompts search engines to crawl those pages.
Use a combination of these tactics when first submitting a new site. Search Console, sitemaps, and backlinks offer a solid foundation.
Step 3 – Submit Site to Google Search Console
Registering your website with Google Search Console should be one of the first submission steps. Search Console provides:
- Indexing dashboard to request crawling
- Link to submit XML sitemap
- Crawl error diagnostics
- Performance monitoring
To get started, simply:
- Go to the Google Search Console homepage
- Click “Add Property” and input your URL
- Verify ownership through HTML file or DNS records
- Submit sitemap and request indexing of important pages
- Monitor status of crawling and indexing
Use Search Console as your ongoing source of truth for Google submission needs.
Step 4 – Submit XML Sitemap to Google
As mentioned, one of the key submission steps is creating and uploading an XML sitemap. This file outlines all pages on your site for search engine crawlers.
To properly generate and submit a sitemap:
- Use a free tool like XML-Sitemaps.com to crawl your site and generate a sitemap file
- Upload this sitemap.xml file in Google Search Console (under “Sitemaps” section)
- Confirm Google is able to crawl and read the sitemap file
- Re-generate and resubmit sitemap regularly as site content is added or changed
Submitting a sitemap helps Google efficiently crawl your most important pages.
Step 5 – Request Indexing of New Pages
Even after initial submission, it’s common for new pages added to continually be submitted to search engines. When creating and publishing new content pages:
- In Search Console, use the “Index Coverage Report” to find pages not yet indexed
- For key pages, use the “Request Indexing” tool to ask Google to crawl
- Submit URLs directly through Google’s URL submission form
- Build links to new pages to signal importance
Regularly request indexing for new pages that you need search engines to quickly find and rank.
Step 6 – Resubmit Previously Indexed URLs
Over time, pages may get dropped from search results or rank lower. Reasons can include:
- Pages get buried under new site content
- Algorithms deem pages less relevant
- Technical issues cause pages to get de-indexed
In these cases, resubmitting URLs prompts search engines to recrawl and re-evaluate relevance. Ways to resubmit include:
- Marking pages as “important” in XML sitemap file
- Using Search Console’s “Request Indexing” feature
- Building fresh links pointing back to pages
Monitor indexed pages and resubmit URLs that need a fresh crawl boost.
Step 7 – Address Indexing Issues
During the submission process, some pages may fail to properly index. This is often due to:
Site Errors
- 4xx client errors like 404s or 500 server issues
- Structured data errors
- Page speed penalties
Blocking
- Blocking from robots.txt files
- Meta noindex tag on pages
- Password protection or payment gates
Restrictions
- Pages blocked as duplicate content
- Thin affiliate pages with little unique content
Address discovered crawl errors and indexing restrictions to allow important pages to be included.
Ongoing Submit Process
Submitting your website is not a one-time task. To keep pages properly indexed:
- Continuously generate new content pages
- Request indexing for new pages
- Resubmit old pages that need a rankings boost
- Address technical problems as they occur
- Build an ongoing link building campaign
Stay on top of your site’s submit needs for optimal discoverability and search rankings.
Conclusion
Getting a new website indexed in search engines takes time and effort. Properly submitting your URLs is a crucial first step in the process. Use a combination of Search Console, sitemaps, URL submission, and link building to ensure search engines discover your content. Monitor indexing status and troubleshoot issues as they arise. With an informed submit strategy, your website can gain the search visibility it needs to attract an audience and compete.
FAQs
What are the benefits of submitting a website to search engines?
The main benefits are getting your pages indexed, making them discoverable to searchers, and making them eligible to rank in results. This allows you to attract visitors through SEO.
How long does it take for new websites to get indexed?
It can take weeks or months for a new site to fully get crawled and indexed. Use sitemaps and indexing requests to speed up the process.
Should I submit individual URLs or just a sitemap?
Use a combination. Sitemaps help engines discover pages. Individual URL submissions highlight priority pages.
How often should I re-submit my website?
Continuously add new pages, but also re-submit old important pages quarterly or as rankings decline.
What are common indexing issues to troubleshoot?
Fix crawl errors, remove blocking, address duplicate content, speed up site, and optimize content relevance.
