View Google Search Console

Google and other search engines will typically find your site in a couple of weeks. If your site is not showing up in Google search, one of the ways to let Google know about your site is by submitting your website sitemap. This guide will walk you through how to claim ownership of your Stanford Sites website in Google Search Console, then submit the website to Google for indexing. 

Add your site in Google Search Console

1. First make sure you aren't blocking search engines in your site settings.
2. If your site is not blocking search engines, you can submit your sitemap to Google.
   1. Make sure you have entered a Google Analytics account in your site settings. This is how you will prove that you own the site.
   2. Go to Google Search Console and click Start.
   3. Make sure you are logged onto Google Search Console using the same account that you used for Google Analytics.

   4. Under Search Properties, click Add Property.
       

      

   5. Select URL Prefix. Do not select Domain.
       

      

      You should see a message that confirms your ownership of the site has been confirmed.

Submit a sitemap

To tell Google about the contents of your site, you can take the additional step of adding a sitemap. 

1. Click on Sitemaps in the sidebar menu
2. To add a sitemap, add sitemap.xml in the space provided
3. Click Submit

Other things you can do with Google Search Console

• Google Search Console can be used to temporarily remove a page or pages from search results.
• Google Search Console can be used to see what terms people use to search.

Please note: Once you have hooked up your site to Google Search Console, you will get periodic emails stating that some pages are not indexed. This is nearly always positive. Google will inform you that is removing pages that have been deleted or unpublished.