How to Submit Your Sitemap to Google

Submitting a sitemap to Google takes about 10 minutes once you've verified your site in Google Search Console. You'll add your site as a 'property,' confirm you own it with a short code I install for you, then point Google at your sitemap. Google usually starts crawling within a week or so. Here's exactly how.

Hi, it's Matt. Now that your site is live, the next step is making sure Google knows about it. Google has a free tool called Search Console that does two things: it tells Google your site exists, and it shows you how often your site appears in search results. This guide walks you through setting it up. It takes about ten minutes.

What you'll need: a Google account (the same one you'd use for Gmail). If you don't have one, create a free account at accounts.google.com first. I'd recommend using your business email address if possible, but a personal Gmail works fine too.

What this actually does

Your site already has something called a sitemap: a behind-the-scenes file that lists every page on your site. I built it into your site at launch. What we're doing now is two things: telling Google that you own the site (so they trust the information), and pointing Google at your sitemap so they can crawl every page. After that, Google checks back on its own. You don't need to resubmit unless we add brand new pages later.

A note before you start: Google updates Search Console regularly, so a button may look a little different or sit in a slightly different spot than I describe or show in the screenshots (taken September 2026). The steps themselves don't change much. If you can't find something, look for the exact label in bold below, or text me and I'll walk you through it.

Part one: Verify your site

Go to search.google.com/search-console and click Start now. Sign in with your Google account if it asks.

You'll land on a welcome screen. Click Add a website. (The Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube options below it are for social accounts. Skip them.) Already have other sites in Search Console? Open the property menu at the top of the left sidebar and click + Add property instead.

A box called Select property type opens, with "Domain" on the left and "URL prefix" on the right. Choose URL prefix. It's the simpler option and works perfectly for your site. (If Google first asks whether you're adding a website or a platform account, choose website.)

In the URL prefix box, type your site's address exactly as it shows in your browser's address bar when you visit your site, starting with https://. Most sites I build don't use "www," so yours probably looks like https://yoursite.com. If your address bar does show www, include it. Click Continue.

Why the exact address matters: Google treats https://yoursite.com and https://www.yoursite.com as two different properties. If you pick the wrong one, it will still verify, but it will stay empty and Google will reject your sitemap later. Not sure which is yours? Text me and I'll tell you.

A box called Verify ownership opens. Google recommends "HTML file" at the top. Skip that one. Under "Other verification methods," click HTML tag to open it.

You'll see a line of code that starts with:
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="...
Click Copy next to it to copy the whole line. Leave this page open.

Email the code to matt@ideajarwebdesign.com. I'll add it to your site, push it live, and reply when it's installed (usually within a few hours). If you close the page in the meantime, no problem: when you come back to Search Console, click Already started? finish verification on the welcome screen.

After I confirm it's installed, go back to that Search Console page and click Verify (inside the HTML tag section). You'll see a message confirming your ownership is verified. Click Go to property.

Why am I doing the install instead of you? Because the verification code lives in your site's code, and I'm the one who built it. This is faster than walking you through editing HTML, and it's part of what you're already paying me for.

Part two: Submit your sitemap

Now that Google trusts that you own the site, we tell it where to find your sitemap.

Still in Search Console, look at the menu on the left side of the screen. Click Sitemaps (it's under the "Indexing" section).

You'll see a box labeled Add a new sitemap. Your site's address is usually already filled in at the start, with an empty space after it.

In the empty space, type exactly: sitemap.xml
(If the box is completely empty, type your full address instead, like https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml.)

Your sitemap shows up in a list below. You'll usually see a green Success status. Sometimes it says Couldn't fetch for a day or two while Google is still processing it. That's normal at first. Either way, Google now knows about your site.

What happens next: Google says it can take a week or so to start crawling a new site, and a few weeks before your pages fully show up in search. One thing that helps: type your homepage address into the search bar at the very top of Search Console, then click Request indexing. Google recommends that as a good first step for a new site. Once you start showing up, Search Console becomes your dashboard for seeing what people search for to find you.

Common questions

What's the difference between Domain and URL prefix?

Domain covers more (www, non-www, and all subdomains) but requires adding a DNS record wherever your domain is managed, like GoDaddy. URL prefix is simpler: it covers one exact address, and it uses an HTML code that I install for you. For most small business sites, URL prefix is plenty. Just make sure you enter your address exactly as your browser shows it.

How long until I show up in Google search results?

Google's own guidance is that it can take a week or so to start crawling a new site, and anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for pages to show up. New sites often take longer than established ones. Asking Google over and over doesn't speed it up. Patience is the answer here.

My sitemap says "Couldn't fetch."

This often shows up right after you submit, even while Google is still working on it, and Google keeps retrying for a few days on its own. If it still says "Couldn't fetch" after about a week, text me at 650-246-9863 and I'll check that your sitemap address is right.

Do I need to resubmit my sitemap when I update content on my site?

No. Google rechecks your sitemap on its own schedule. The only time we'd resubmit is if I add brand new pages to your site later.

I forgot which Google account I used.

If you can't remember, sign out of all Google accounts and start fresh at search.google.com/search-console with the account you want to use going forward. You can also give more than one Google account access to your site later if needed.

Should I also set up Google Analytics?

Yes, they work together. Google Search Console shows how people find you (search terms, impressions, clicks). Google Analytics shows what they do once they're on your site (which pages they read, how long they stay). I have a separate guide for setting up Google Analytics.

What does "Discovered – currently not indexed" mean and how do I fix it?

Google found the page but hasn't crawled it yet. Google says it usually postpones a crawl like this so it doesn't overload the site, and it will come back later. This is normal for new sites, so give it a few weeks. If it's been longer, the usual suspects are pages with very little text, pages that aren't linked from anywhere else on your site, or slow page loads. To nudge a stubborn page, type its address into the search bar at the top of Search Console and click Request indexing.

My sitemap shows "Success" but my pages still aren't showing up in Google search.

Submitting only tells Google about your pages. Indexing (actually adding them to search results) is a separate decision Google makes on its own schedule, and a new site often waits a few weeks. To see what's been indexed and what's stuck, click Pages under "Indexing" in the left sidebar. That opens Google's Page indexing report.

The verification step failed even though Matt installed the meta tag. What now?

The most common causes: you're signed into the wrong Google account, the property was added with a slightly different address than your site uses (for example "https://www.yoursite.com" when your site actually loads at "https://yoursite.com," or the other way around), or the tag didn't make it into the <head> section. Forward me the error message you're seeing and I'll check.

Will verification break if I redesign or update my site later?

No, as long as the meta tag stays in your site's <head>. If you ever switch to a totally different builder (like moving from Idea Jar to Wix), the tag will get wiped and you'll need to re-verify. I'll handle that as part of any rebuild.

Does this also help me show up on Bing or other search engines?

No, this is Google-only. Bing has its own free Webmaster Tools at bing.com/webmasters that's similar but separate. It's worth doing because Bing's results also show up in Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Microsoft Copilot, and Bing is one of the search providers ChatGPT search works with. There's a separate guide for that. If you've already done Search Console, the Bing setup takes about three minutes with a one-click import.

Stuck? Reply to my email or text 650-246-9863. I'd rather help than have you stuck.