Hi Cedric

Your eBook is my bible and it's been really helpful as after I created my entire website in iWeb I realised it didn't register with Google (ugh). I've been making tons of changes according to the 'bible' but I have a question regarding sitemaps if you can help me please.

I've followed your instructions to create a sitemap. You've said in your eBook that every time you add a page you have to replace the entire sitemap. The thing is, every time I create a new sitemap using your suggested sitemap generator it produces a new sitemap, hence it become 'sitemap-1' and 'sitemap-2' etc. I've loaded these as NEW sitemaps as I felt replacing the old one wouldn't work given the numbers (suffixes) are different. Have I done the right thing? In Google Webmaster, it has accepted every sitemap I've loaded, but the 'URL in web index' is nil. Also, do I have to delete previous sitemaps?

In case you need it, my url is: www.grasshopperwaiheke.co.nz

Thanks so much Cedric. I think you're a genius!!!

Lil

Hi Lil,

you would have to rename the new sitemap to sitemap.xml and replace the old sitemap with the new one for the old sitemap to be deleted.


Which means Google did not yet index any of your pages? Some of the pages are already indexed and do appear in Google (even if it says that there aren't any URLs in the web index). The Webmaster Tools are always a bit slower in displaying how many URLs are indexed. There's some delay.

Also it takes quite some time before the first pages show up in the index. Two weeks and more are not unusual. Google is slow in adding them in the index.

Regards,
Cédric

Thank you very much Cedric.

Can I please ask you another question - regarding verification of websites?

My Google webmaster account is linked to my email address whatever@gmail.com, but for some reason I wasn't able to verify my website through this email - I've tried many times but it just won't verify (not sure why)! So I tried using another email address and it worked. Does it matter that I've verified my website using a different email address from the one that my webmaster account is linked to? Does it affect Google search?

Thanks again Cedric, iWeb Whizz!

Lil

Hi Lil,

really strange it didn't work with the gmail address. And the e-mail address shouldn't have anything to do with verifying the website for webmaster tools?!

Anyway use the Webmaster Tools where the website is verified to submit a sitemap and to see whether it works or not.

Regards,
Cédric

Hello again!

Yes I've submitted the sitemap onto the Webmaster Tools where the website is verified but there's still no 'URL in web index'. Does that mean it's not working then?

Thanks again for your help Cedric
Lil

It just means that Google's Webmaster Tools are slow. If you enter the following line in Google:

site:www.grasshopperwaiheke.co.nz

You will see that your pages are getting indexed by Google. It works.

Regards,
Cédric

Fab, thanks again Cedric. Much appreciated

Hello again Cedric

I'm sorry to bother you again... my website url/sitemap is now being picked up by Google according to my Webmaster, but when I Google the key word/phrase that is in every heading on my website, it still doesn't show up in search - at least not the first 10 pages (that's as far as I went). Do you know why that might be please and how else I can get it to register? I think I've done everything according to my 'bible' - your iWeb guide.

Thanks again Cedric

Lil

It shows up in my search results if I search for

"Waiheke Island Accommodation - Grasshopper & Funky Cicada"

There is no other way.

Have a nice time,
Cédric