How to Get Your WordPress Website Listed on Google
If you want to learn how to get your WordPress website listed on Google, this article is for you. Being the largest search engine, having your website listed in Google will bring a lot of benefits. However, although Google is good at detecting and listing websites automatically, it will not list your website right away. The good news is that there are a couple of things you can do to get listed.
Why get your website listed on Google?
Google is the biggest search engine and the primary source of traffic and visitors for most websites. If you are serious about achieving online success, you must get your WordPress website listed on Google. If you follow SEO best practices, your website will be listed automatically. This may, however, take time and you will miss potential customers. To expedite the process, here are the top things you should do.
Check WordPress settings for search engine visibility
The first thing you need to do is make sure your WordPress site is visible to search engines. Login to your WordPress account and go to Settings>>Reading page. Scroll to the Search Engine Visibility option. Ensure there is no check mark on this option. Save changes.
Install Yoast SEO plugin
One plugin you need to install on your website is the Yoast SEO plugin. It will significantly boost your ranking. Install and activate this WordPress plugin. You will see a new item on the WordPress admin menu labeled SEO after you install Yoast. Click on the plugin’s settings page. Here you will find the Webmaster Tools tab. Use this to connect Google search console with your website.
How to connect Google search console with a WordPress website
To connect Google search console with your website using the Yoast SEO plugin, click on Add Property button in the Google search console account. Add the full URL of your website in the website field. You should include https and www in the URL. You will now be redirected to the verification page where you should verify you are the owner of the website.
After verifying, go to the WordPress admin area and go to SEO>>General page. In the Webmaster Tools tab, paste the code in Google Verification Code field. Save changes and go back to the Google search console account and click ‘Verify’. If it fails to verify, clear the cache in WordPress and try again.
Setting up XML sitemaps
Go to SEO>>General page and click on Features tab. Scroll down to XML sitemaps option and turn it on. Save changes.
Submit XML sitemaps to Google search console
This is the final step. Login to Google search console and select your website. Go to Crawl>>Sitemaps then Add/Test Sitemap button on the screen and then add the sitemap URL. Submit the main sitemap link and Google will crawl your website automatically. You can then go back to the Google search console to look at your listings.