Getting your WordPress blog indexed by Google

Google’s not been giving this here StartShit Blog any love. First I thought some tactical inbound/outbound linking would sort that out, but no. You’re sleeping in the wet. I had a sneaky suspicion my lack of an XML sitemap might be at the root of the problem, so I figured out how to submit a sitemap for a WordPress hosted blog – without the ability to upload via an FTP application. Some lightweight Google sleuthing revealed how:

  1. Open a Google Webmaster Tools account and create a profile for http://yourblogname@wordpress.com.
  2. Choose the option to verify your blog ownership via the html option.
  3. Create a new blog PAGE – not post – and type the longsquiggletypefile.html into the title field.
  4. Then publish and ensure you can view the page http://yourblogname@wordpress.com/longsquiggletypefile.html
  5. Go back to your Webmaster Tools interface and click verify.
  6. Then go back to the Dashboard, select the Sitemaps option and submit yourblogname@wordpress.com/sitemap.xml.

This should give the GoogleBot the backdoor pass it needs to index your shit. (I hope it does mine).

PS: I’ve also created a page called sitemap.xml, because Google Webmaster Tools is squealing about some crawler access error shit.

They don’t make it easy being a web tycoon, I tell you.

***

As it turns out, you have a simple wysiwyg Privacy setting on WordPress. Accessible from your Dashboard, it auto-generates a robots.txt file. And it’s the equivalent of a chastity belt if you’re looking for some Google love and it reads Disallow:*. As for the /sitemap.xml file, it’s auto-generated, but not visible if your robots.txt file blocks all visitors. Peverse, innit?

Lesson for the day? Try not to approach technical problems like a techie.

7 Responses

  1. That was funny Mr Startshit. Gimp. I thought that google hated you because of your potty mouth!

  2. So did I for a while, bitch. First blog post got indexed this morning. *Woot-woot!*

  3. [...] why google isn’t indexing your WordPress Blog? Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)No TitleDeveloping Your Blog For [...]

  4. Scuse me, Sir.
    I’m an Italian Blogger wrote that post about how to index our wordpress blog,,,
    But I don’t understtand what you mean ( the words are toodialectals, or too difficults for me.
    I’d like to understand what you wrote in your postt about me… hat means “lightweight Google sleuthing” I can’t understand and I’m very curious

    • Good morning Mr BlogMaster PG

      You’re right, “lightweight Google sleuthing” is indeed a “local” dialectical way of saying “did a quick search on Google”.

      Investigators are sometimes referred to as “sleuths” – especially in American popular culture, and I basically used sleuthing as a verb to describe how I found your very useful post.

      I trust that clarifies!

      Best Regards

      StartShit

  5. I am having the same issues with my wordPress blog. I am puzzled. It simply does not want to be indexed by Google. I will try your suggestion.

  6. Startshit..

    Trust me .. there is no need of the roundabout steps given above..

    WordPress generates your sitemap automatically..
    All you need to do is select the Sitemaps option and submit
    yourblogname.wordpress.com/sitemap.xml

    cant believe it? enter the URL
    oursitename.wordpress.com/sitemap.xml
    in a browser and check it for yourself.

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