Do you too want to index your website to get featured on the search engines? If yes then this article will not only help you to understand how things work but give you In-depth as well as sorted information regarding website indexing, crawling, vital tools such as Sitemap and Robot.txt file.
Make sure you sail till the end for better understanding.
First, we look at what web indexing and crawling are, then we head to our title, importance of SiteMap as well as the importance of Robots.txt file and how you can create or add it to your website.
Web indexing:- Web indexing is simply the method of collecting data of numerous web pages throughout the Web.
It might not be untrue to say that Indexing is the theme of search engines.
Crawling:- Crawling is a procedure that search engine follows to discover throughout the web to index.
For your information, every search engine has search bots known as crawlers who crawls through the web as we stated, wandering for new pages and content to index with the assistance of the link that starred on each page they discover.
What is SiteMap.Xml? Importance of SiteMap.xml and how to create it?
If you have a vast website with numerous pages or say a brand new website with lesser external links, then Sitemap.xml could be proven a worthy companion for you.
SiteMap.xml ensures that the web crawler indexes your website’s crucial fraction that you want to be indexed for instance tag pages, unrelated prior blog posts, etc.
Sitemap.xml the term can puzzle you, but it is simply just a list of page links, though it is not compulsory, its characteristics make it worthy and valuable for your website.
If we have to sum up SiteMap.XML in a single sentence for you, then it would be,”
SiteMap.Xml is like a blueprint of the components of your website which you assume is significant”.
Lastly, you can also send SiteMap.xml straight to the search engines, however, when crawlers visit your website, they automatically discover it, if you have the Robot.txt file mapping them.
How to create SiteMap.Xml?
Several plugins will assist you in building a sitemap, If you’re a WordPress user and the perfect example of that All in one SEO and YOAST, are very popular SEO tools that will help you in creating Sitemap.
You can also follow Google instructions if you’re a tech buff and want to make it your own or you can take the help of free online generators.
Click on the given link to directly redirect to the Google instruction page.
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/sitemaps/build-sitemap
What is the Robot.txt file and how can you create and add it to your website?
Robot.txt file is authorizing crawlers to crawl your website, how to or in what order Such as which page you prefer to be crawled by the crawlers or which page you don’t wish to or say keeping away specific crawlers from your website to crawl.
Robot.txt file is the primary file that was attended by travelers usually, therefore it is advised to keep SiteMap.XML there so that the crawlers can discover it easier and eventually makes it faster and easier to index your website page.
How to develop and Add a Robots.txt file?
As we stated above several plugins under WordPress will sort this query of yours and ly wanted to do create and Add robots. a text file manually, we have placed some URLs that will land you to the guide through which you develop as well as Add Robots.txt file to your website.
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/robots/create-robots-txt
Now that you have learned about sitemap.xml and robots.txt files and the importance of sitemap and robots, XML text, and how to create it, it is time to conclude this article.
How To Add Your XML Sitemap To Your Robots.txt File
Here are three simple steps to adding the location of your XML sitemap to your robots.txt file:
Step #1: Locate Your Sitemap URL
If your website has been developed by a third-party developer, you need to first check if they provided your site with an XML sitemap.
By default, the URL of your sitemap will be /sitemap.xml. For example, the XML sitemap for https://befound.pt is
https://befound.pt/sitemap.xml
So type this URL in your browser with your domain in place of ‘befound.pt’.
Some websites have more than one XML sitemap, which requires a sitemap for sitemaps (known as a sitemap index). For example, if you’re using the Yoast SEO plugin with WordPress, a sitemap index will automatically be added to /sitemap_index.xml.
https://befound.pt/sitemap_index.xml
You may also be able to locate your sitemap via Google search by using search operators as shown in examples below:
site:befound.pt filetype:XML
OR
filetype:xml site:befound.pt inurl:sitemap
But this will only work if your site is already crawled and indexed by Google.
If you have access to your website’s File Manager, you can search for your XML sitemap file.
If you do not find a sitemap on your website, you can create one yourself. There are lots of tools to help with this, including XML Sitemap generator which is free for up to 500 pages. But you will need to manually remove any pages you don’t want to be included. Alternatively, follow the protocol explained at Sitemaps.org.
Closure
In this article, you have learned numerous essential things which is crucial to your websites such as what is indexing, crawling, Sitemap.xml and Robots.txt file and important importance access well the importance of Robots.txt file, how you can create it and add to your Website.
You can also get in touch with a digital marketing agency if you are still feeling puzzled or have more queries.
We hope that the information we have provided in this article. Will assist you in making your SEO more effective and help you rank your website on search engines.
Hopefully, you’re now clear on how to create a robots.txt file with a sitemap location. Do it, it will help your website! if you have any query comment down or mail us
Also Read: What are link-building mistakes?
