Even today you can find in many tutorials and manuals the remark that you have to submit your website to search engines. But is it true and where can I submit my website to search engines like Google or Bing??
Table of contents
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Questions and answers
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Further info
How to register with search engines?
In order to be included in the search results at Google, Bing, Ecosia and other classic search engines, some kind of registration in that sense is not mandatory. Search engines examine the web in a fully automated way using bots and as soon as they notice a new website, they will automatically add the website as well as all other linked subpages to the index or. include the search results as long as there are no other parameters against it.
- In short: You do not have to submit or register your website in search engines.
- But: It can be helpful to do it anyway. Why and how exactly you do it you will find out further down in the article.
How do websites get into the search engine index??
Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ecosia and almost all other major search engines use so-called search engine bots. Like the so called Google Bot. The Google Bot is – to put it simply – a kind of software script that searches the entire Internet at regular intervals. If the Google Bot finds a website, Google examines this subpage and after a short time automatically includes it in the Google Index.
Exceptions are websites, which are listed by a robots.txt file should be excluded specifically. The Google Bot is held up a stop sign here, so that it is forbidden to examine the page. Accordingly, the page also does not appear in the Google index.
The meta tag "robots" has a similar effect, which can be equipped with Noindex. If a subpage has this statement included it is a signal for search engines that this page should not be included in the Google index. All classical search engines adhere to this specification.
If neither of these is the case, Google will automatically include the page in the Google index over time.
So it depends on when the Google Bot looks at the website and at what intervals. But it is not necessary to register or submit your website directly to search engines!
How can I check if my site is included in the Google index?
If you are in Google search, you can run a special search query – a site: Query – and see if your site is already included in Google:
So for example a site: Query for our domain:
Example of a search result with site: Query in Google
Example of a search result with site: Query in Bing
If you get results here, you know that your website is in the Google index – and which subpages of it.
This also works with individual URLs, i.e. sub-page paths. So look for z. B. explicitly in the Google Search for
this is how the corresponding search result is presented to you – if the page is included in Google. If you see an empty search result, this page has not yet been examined.
My site is not yet indexed on Google. How do I get in faster?
If you want to submit your website completely to search engines like Google and don’t want to wait for the Google Bot yourself, you can submit an XML Sitemap in the Google Search Console. With the XML Sitemap all pages of a website are submitted to Google, so to speak with the request to be included in the index.
Deposit an XML sitemap in the Google Search Console
For inclusion via XML Sitemap it is required that your website has an XML Sitemap.
- If you are not yet registered in Google Search Console, you can do so here. Otherwise log in to the Google Search Console.
- If you have not yet added your website as a property, add it as a new property.
- Note: You will be asked to confirm the website in a form. However, Search Console gives you help and tips on how to implement it.
- In the sidebar you will find the menu item before. Click it.
- In this interface you can now store the XML sitemap of your website. The status of all submitted XML sitemaps and the number of pages indexed by them is also displayed here.
Example of creating an XML sitemap in Google Search Console
Take into account that the inclusion in the Google index can take a few days.
Please note that creating an XML sitemap does not affect the positioning of your search results for a particular search query. The XML sitemap and its prioritization are not a ranking factor that will bring you to the top of the search results. Nevertheless: With an always up-to-date sitemap, the current and available pages and articles are reported to Google. And therefore included in the index earlier.
In any case, an XML sitemap cannot do any harm, but on the contrary can be quite helpful.
Alternative: URL check in the Google Search Console
You also have the option of directly instructing Google in Search Console to check a URL and thereby have it included in the index. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Log in to the Google Search Console.
- Click in the sidebar on the menu item .
- In the overlay you can enter any bottom, such as your home page. Then press Enter.
- After Google retrieves the data from the index, you can press this button regardless of the status: .
The corresponding subpage or. Start page is then prepared for inclusion. Once a site is indexed, the others will soon follow suit.
My page is indexed, but I am not found. What now?
An XML sitemap does not help with the so-called ranking. But with indexing. What does that mean exactly?
An XML sitemap is not required, but it speeds up the process of finding new content and adding it to the index quickly for just new websites or relaunches (complete website overhauls). If you search for something on search engines, the index is also played out within the search results page. However, neither the XML sitemap nor an indexing request in the Google Search Console influences the order of the search results – the so-called ranking.
So find your site with a site: Query before, but are not found to their search terms (keywords), then the front rankings in quotes are in the eyes of the search engine "better" suitable for the searcher as your page. In the cases, if necessary, you should improve your site, create more suitable content for readers and perform search engine optimization or. Seek advice from a competent provider in the matter.