A sitemap is an XML file which lists the pages of your website to tell Google and other search engines about the organization of your website content. Search engine web crawlers like Googlebot read this file to more intelligently crawl your website.
Sitemap submission is an important aspect of SEO-optmizing your website as it makes it easier for search engines to find and read it.
NB: From December 2023, Google has discontinued the automatic submission feature for sitemaps. As a result, the automatic sitemap submission under Products > Integrations in the editor has been changed to sitemap verification, where you have to add a Google Search Console verification tag. We will show you how to verify your website in this article.
How to submit a sitemap
You can submit a sitemap on Google by verifying your domain and then adding a meta tag to your Mono website under Products > Integrations. Or, if you have a Google Tag installed via Google Tag Manager, you only need to verify your domain. We show you both methods below.
Please note that you must have a Google account, and be logged into it, to follow these steps.
Method one: If you have a Google Tag (from Google Tag Manager) installed on your Mono website
If you have a Google Tag Manager installed in your Mono website, you can use this method.
1. Go to Google Search Console
Visit Google Search Console on Welcome to Google Search Console to start the process.
2. Enter your site's full URL into the URL Prefix
Click on URL Prefix to select it, and then enter your full URL in to the text field. For Mono's website for example, it is https://www.monosolutions.com/
Click CONTINUE
3. You have now been verified
You have now been verified. Remember that the verification is tied to your Google Tag. Therefor, do not remove it from your site if you wish to keep your sitemap.
Version Two: If your site DOESN'T have a Google Tag (Google Tag Manager) installed
1. Go to Google Search Console
Visit Google Search Console on Welcome to Google Search Console to start the process.
2. Enter your full URL into the URL Prefix
Click on URL Prefix to select it, and then enter your full URL in to the text field. For Mono's website for example, it is https://www.monosolutions.com/
Click CONTINUE
3. Copy the meta tag under the "HTML Tag" section
Scroll down to the section called "HTML tag" and copy the code in the box. Keep this tab open. You will need it to verify your website at a later stage.
3. Insert the meta tag in Mono Editor under Products > Integrations > sitemap verification
Open your website in the Mono Editor. Navigate to Products > Integrations > sitemap verification and insert the meta tag in the Google HTML Meta tag field.
Click save.
4. Publish your website
Make sure to publish your website. Otherwise the next step will not work.
5. Verify your website
Once you have published your website, go back to Google Search Console process. Click VERIFY.
6. Your site is now verified
You have now been verified. Remember that the verification is tied to the meta tag, so make sure to not remove it from your site.
Click "Go to Property" to see your sitemap
In the popup, click "Go to Property" to visit your Google Search Console page. To view your sitemap, simply click Sitemaps in the left menu.
Indexed pages
Please note that any pages with the setting Don't index this page enabled in Page settings won't be included in the sitemap submission for both submission types. From the Page settings menu you can also add sitemap-relevant information about each page's priority and change frequency.
Last updated: 18 March 2024