SOP - How to Add a Sitemap to Google Search Console

Purpose

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlines the steps to submit a sitemap to Google Search Console to ensure Google can efficiently crawl and index the website https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/. The sitemap to be submitted is located at https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml.

Last Updated

March 23, 2025, at 10:00 AM EDT

Prerequisites

• Access to a Google account with owner permissions for the Search Console property https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/.
• The sitemap file https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml is live and accessible (not blocked by robots.txt or password protection).
• A web browser (e.g., Google Chrome).

Instructions

Step-by-Step Process

1. Log In to Google Search Console

   • Open a web browser and navigate to: https://search.google.com/search-console.
   • Sign in with the Google account that has owner permissions for https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/.

2. Select the Property

   • On the Search Console homepage, locate the property dropdown menu in the top left corner.
   • Select https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/ from the list of properties. If it’s not listed, ensure you’ve added and verified the property (refer to a separate SOP if needed).

3. Access the Sitemaps Report

   • In the left sidebar, find the Indexing section.
   • Click on Sitemaps to open the Sitemaps report. The URL in your browser should resemble:

     https://search.google.com/search-console/sitemaps?resource_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.capitalpaintingservices.ca%2F
     

4. Add the Sitemap

   • In the Add a new sitemap section at the top of the Sitemaps report, paste the following URL:

     https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml
     

   • Click the Submit button.
   • A confirmation message should appear: “Sitemap submitted successfully.”

5. Verify Submission

   • After submission, the sitemap will appear in the Submitted sitemaps table below.
   • Check the Status column. It may initially show “Pending” or “Success”. If it shows an error (e.g., “Couldn’t fetch”), proceed to troubleshooting (Step 6).
   • Note: It may take hours or days for Google to process and crawl the sitemap. Check back later to confirm the status updates to “Success” with a crawl date.

6. Troubleshooting (If Needed)

   • If the status shows an error:
     • Click the sitemap row to view details (e.g., “Couldn’t fetch”, “Invalid XML”).
     • Ensure https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml is accessible by opening it in a browser (should display XML content, not a 404 or login page).
     • Verify the site isn’t password-protected or blocked by robots.txt. Update configurations if necessary.
     • Resubmit the sitemap after fixing issues by repeating Step 4.

7. Notify the Team

   • Send a text to 873-688-4355 or an email to capitalparkinglotpainting@gmail.com with:
     • The submitted sitemap URL: https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml
     • Submission date and time.
     • Initial status (e.g., “Pending”).

Notes

• Only users with owner permissions can submit sitemaps via Search Console. If you lack permissions, ask the site owner to grant access or add the sitemap to robots.txt instead (e.g., Sitemap: https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml).
• Google doesn’t guarantee immediate crawling of all URLs in the sitemap; it prioritizes based on site activity and crawl budget.
• Regularly check the Sitemaps report for updates or errors, especially after adding new content to the site.

Example Workflow

• User: Logs into Search Console, selects https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/.
• User: Navigates to Sitemaps, enters https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml, and submits.
• Result: Sees “Sitemap submitted successfully,” confirms in the table, and notifies the team via text: “Submitted sitemap https://www.capitalpaintingservices.ca/sitemap.xml on March 23, 2025, 10:15 AM EDT. Status: Pending.”