Submitting your sitemap to Google is one of the most important yet simplest steps in local SEO. It effectively gives Google a 'map' of your website, ensuring their bots can find, crawl, and index your pages quickly rather than waiting for them to be discovered naturally.
For Australian small business owners, this is critical. Whether you’ve just launched a new site for your Brisbane-based trade business or added a new service page for your shop, a sitemap tells Google exactly where that new content is so you can start appearing in local search results sooner.
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before we begin, ensure you have the following ready:- A Google Account: Ideally the one associated with your business email.
- Google Search Console (GSC) Access: Your website must already be verified as a property in GSC.
- An XML Sitemap URL: Usually found at
yourdomain.com.au/sitemap.xml.
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Step 1: Locate Your Sitemap URL
Before you can tell Google where your sitemap is, you need to find it yourself. Most modern Content Management Systems (CMS) generate these automatically.- WordPress users: If you use plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, your sitemap is usually at
yourdomain.com.au/sitemap_index.xml. - Shopify users: Your sitemap is always located at
yourdomain.com.au/sitemap.xml. - Squarespace/Wix: These platforms also use the
/sitemap.xmlconvention.
/sitemap.xml. You should see a page of code (often with a blue or white background) listing all the links on your site. If you see a 404 error, you may need to enable the sitemap in your SEO plugin settings.
Step 2: Log into Google Search Console
Head over to Google Search Console. Sign in using the Google account that manages your website data. What you should see: You will land on the 'Overview' dashboard showing your site's performance and indexing status.Step 3: Select the Correct Property
In the top left-hand corner, you’ll see a dropdown menu containing your verified websites (properties). Ensure you have selected the correct domain for your Australian business.Tip: Make sure you select the 'URL prefix' or 'Domain' property that matches your live site (e.g., ensure you aren't looking at an old 'http' version if your site is now 'https').
Step 4: Navigate to the Sitemaps Report
On the left-hand sidebar menu, look under the 'Indexing' section. Click on the tab labelled 'Sitemaps'. What you should see: A page titled 'Sitemaps' with a section at the top called 'Add a new sitemap' and a table below it showing 'Submitted sitemaps'.Step 5: Enter Your Sitemap Extension
In the 'Add a new sitemap' field, you will see your domain name followed by an empty text box. You only need to enter the final part of the URL here.- Example: If your sitemap is
https://lmgroup.au/sitemap_index.xml, you only typesitemap_index.xmlinto the box.
Step 6: Submit the Sitemap
Click the blue 'Submit' button. What you should see: A small pop-up notification will appear saying "Sitemap submitted successfully. Google will periodically process it and look for changes. You will be notified if anything goes wrong with it in the future."Step 7: Dismiss the Confirmation
Click 'Got it' on the pop-up. The page will refresh, and you should now see your sitemap listed in the 'Submitted sitemaps' table below.Step 8: Verify the Status
Check the 'Status' column in the table.- Success (Green): Google has successfully read your sitemap.
- Couldn't fetch (Red): Google was blocked from reading the file or the URL is wrong.
- Has errors: Google found the sitemap but some links inside it are broken.
Note: It is perfectly normal for the status to say 'Success' but show '0' discovered pages initially. It can take 24 to 48 hours for Google to process the links within the file.
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Pro Tips for Australian Business Owners
- Don't Over-Submit: You only need to submit your sitemap once. After the first submission, Google will check that URL periodically. If you add a new blog post, your sitemap updates automatically, and Google will find it on its next crawl.
- Check your Robots.txt: Ensure your
robots.txtfile isn't accidentally blocking Google from seeing your sitemap. You can check this by going toyourdomain.com.au/robots.txt. - Exclude 'Noindex' Pages: Ensure your sitemap doesn't include pages you've told Google not to show (like your checkout page, 'Thank You' pages, or internal admin logins).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting the full URL: A common error is pasting the entire
https://domain.com.au/sitemap.xmlinto the box. Remember, GSC already provides the first half of the URL for you. - Submitting HTML Sitemaps: Google Search Console requires an XML sitemap. Do not submit the 'Sitemap' page designed for human users (the one usually found in website footers).
- Using a stale sitemap: If you’ve recently migrated from an old website to a new one, ensure you aren't submitting the old URL structure.
Troubleshooting
Issue: "Couldn't Fetch" Error This is the most common issue. First, check if the URL you entered is exactly correct. Second, try to open the sitemap URL in an 'Incognito' or 'Private' browser window. If it doesn't load for you there, it won't load for Google. This usually means a plugin settings issue or a firewall (like Wordfence or Cloudflare) is blocking Google's bots. Issue: "Sitemap is HTML" This happens when you submit a page meant for humans or if your sitemap URL is redirecting to your homepage. Ensure you are using the correct file path generated by your SEO plugin. Issue: Discovered pages is '0' after a week If your site is very new, Google might be slow to crawl. However, double-check your 'Settings' > 'Reading' in WordPress to ensure the box "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" is unchecked.---
Next Steps
Once your sitemap is submitted, your work isn't quite done. You should:- Check the Indexing Report: After a week, look at the 'Pages' report in GSC to see which pages are successfully indexed.
- Optimise your Content: Now that Google can find your pages, ensure they are optimised for Brisbane or local Australian keywords.
- Monitor for Errors: Check back once a month to ensure no new '404 not found' errors have appeared in your sitemap.
If you're finding the technical side of SEO a bit overwhelming, we're here to help. At Local Marketing Group, we specialise in getting Australian businesses seen by the right people. Contact us today to discuss how we can optimise your digital presence.