How to submit your XML sitemap to Google & Yahoo

One of the major reasons for creating an XML sitemap is to help with SEO (Search Engine Optimization, and the best way to do this is to submit the sitemap to the search engines. The biggest two to focus on are of course Google and Yahoo, as they are the two that will send you easily the majority of your traffic.

So it is important that you get your XML sitemap submitted as soon as possible, to get the spiders crawling it and allowing you to enjoy the benefits as soon as you can. Which is why we have developed this guide to show you how.

Submit your XML Sitemap to Google

Make sure you do this first. Google is easily the biggest search engine on the Internet today, far bigger than all the other search engines combines. As such it will be sending you far and away the most traffic. So you want to ensure that it is done properly and promptly.

Creating the XML sitemap is the hardest part here, which is pretty easy when you use online tools that will do it instantly. Once you have done that submitting it to Google is a breeze. You simply upload the sitemap to the highest level you want the Google spiders browsing (which in most cases will be the root file).

You then go to Google webmaster tools which will give you the option of adding your site (create an account if you don't already have one, they are free). Add your site to their directory. Once you have done that it will give you the option of adding the sitemap. Click the ADD button. You then simply enter in the URL of where you have the sitemap kept and it will automatically register it with Google.

And that is all there is to submitting an XML sitemap to the biggest search engine in the world.

Submit your XML Sitemap to Yahoo.

Yahoo is the other major search engine that it is worth your time and effort submitting to (MSN don't accept XML sitemaps). Whilst not of the same size as Google it can still drive some high volume traffic your way, so it is worth submitting to.

Thankfully submitting your XML sitemap to Yahoo could not be any simpler. Simply go to https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit and click on the button marked 'submit site feed'. Don't worry it is not just for site feeds.

Once there just enter the URL of your XML sitemap where it prompts you. In case you are worrying look below and you will see that it says that this method is also to be used for sitemaps, not just for feeds.

And that's it! Those two are far and away the most important two search engines for you to submit your sitemap to, and it only takes a matter of a couple of minutes to do both. So don't delay, submit your sitemaps now and start reaping the benefits.

What Is An XML Sitemap?

Anyone who has set up a web page and looked into any sort of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) at all will have heard people say that it is important to get an XML Sitemap. What is far rarer is having someone explain to you what one actually is. It's all well and good knowing you need one, but what on Earth is it that you need?

Value of an XML sitemap in SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vital tool in the armory of anyone who is looking to get the best possible return on their website – whether that is making money or simply getting as many people reading the page as possible. SEO is big business and hugely important to the success of any site.