Question
http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/
Has anyone actually tried submitting a site map to google? Any comments or suggestions?
I tried this generator and was amazed by the results. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. I didn't go ahead and submit it to google, as I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing with this. I read the info on google about the sitemaps, but I'm not clear, as yet, as to what I think about all this.
Here's the link to the google sitemap FAQ
https://www.google.com/webmasters/si...cs/en/faq.html
If anyone has any more experience with this, I'd sure appreciate your input!
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I submit 2 of my 4 sites.
Just another PITA thing to do. (But I DO it)
Can't comment on that generator tool, as it's not the one I use.
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What generator do you use, Kathleen? I tried google's generator and it's way over my head. I tried the one I posted above and it was very easy to use. Now I just have to figure out how to get it to not index the cgi pages that drive the classified ads, as there are thousands of them I don't think they really need to be indexed. I just want the main pages indexed.
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'Morning, Shanne!
Since my webhost doesn't allow php and all that stuff (WAY beyond my comprehension anyways), I use Gsite Crawler.
After much bumbling around, I FINALLY figured out how to upload it, publish it (that was the easy part) and submit it (another easy part). Google has accepted each and every update with no errors, so I'm as pleased as punch about it. Johannes was one of the FIRST to make a generator that was easy to use and understand.
When Google first announced their site map instructions, I was totally and completely clueless. Some VERY nice webmaster (thank you!) linked me to Johannes site where his generator was in (still is?) beta form, and I've been using every since. He also has a 'board' where one can go to offer suggestions for improvement, post errors, etc. It's by 'invitation only' at this time.
New coders are coming out with their versions of a generator, but I know little if anything about them.
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OK, I found a generator last night, and have a nice .xml file created. Here's my problem, I don't FTP to my site, I literally open it, and I can PUT code in there, but this .xml file is HUGE and you can SEE it when I'm done. It takes my homepage forever to load after I paste it in. I get the feeling that you're supposted to FTP this so that it goes somewhere in the background, but I can't get into my "background" (does that make any sense?). Kathleen, I looked at your site and I don't see anything that looks like what I generated, so where do you put this file?
I have all the rest figured out, just don't know what to do with this darned file. And by the way, I have over 500 pages because each of my items has it's own unique page, which is great for Froogle, but a PITA for this application.
Hope I made sense.....
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Hmmm.
I just uploaded the xml file, placed it on my 'secret page' as an icon, then I click the icon and the xml file opens as it's own page.
Example: here's my Google sitemap from the Simply Baskets site:
http:// www. simplybaskets.com/sitemap.xml (*remove the spaces)
This is the same file I use over at Google.
I guess I FTP it to my website. (?)
I open my website, "import" the file to my "main file" (not one of my sub-files, but I see no reason why one couldn't), publish it, and it's 'there'.
(Sorry, I haven't a clue if I'm using the proper descriptive words or not, except for "import".)
Instead of 'put', try 'import' - if that's an option.
REMEMBER the name of your file, because that will be the name of the page - see mine above as an example. If you call your file 'sitemap.xml', the URL for it should be something like: http:// www. YOUR SITE .com /sitemap.xml
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See, that's my problem. I can't import anything to my site other than pictures (.jpgs, etc.). So I have nowhere to "put" this file. Ugghh... I get so frustrated with my web host...
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Mel-
Would making a new page, not linked to any page in your website, then 'put' the xml file on that page and publishing it work?
I'm totally clueless as to how other webhosts works.
Totally.
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Kathleen, I thought about that and I think I'll try it. Isn't this file supposed to be at your ROOT though? Would it screw things up if I put it in a different page?
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Originally Posted by MelBay
Kathleen, I thought about that and I think I'll try it. Isn't this file supposed to be at your ROOT though? Would it screw things up if I put it in a different page?
"Root" folder <<<slapping forehead>>>> One of the words from ^^^ I brain-farted on. My file IS in the "root" file, but I also placed it on a 'secret page' (a page not linked to any other page in my website) so that I could 'see' for myself what it was - and what the final product being sent to Google looked like. I'm nebby that way.
Does your webhost offer a 'help' board or section (or another user here at here that uses the same host/software) that could explain how to upload/put this file on your root file, obviously, better than I! Your "root" file is where ALL of your 'page files' reside. Like a directory with the host.
If you make a new page at your website, say, for a new product page, that page would reside in your 'root file'.
I'm sorry I'm so pizz-poor at explaining things like this.