SEO Setup Guide

Search Console & Indexing Checklist

Follow these steps to get your website verified, your sitemap submitted, and your pages found on Google. No technical experience required.

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Step 1

Step 1: Set Up Google Search Console

Go to search.google.com/search-console

Click 'Start now' and sign in with your Google account

Click '+ Add Property' in the top-left dropdown

Choose 'Domain' option (covers www and non-www)

Copy the TXT record shown on screen — you'll need it for DNS verification

Step 2

Step 2: Verify Your Domain

Option A — DNS Verification (recommended): Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.), go to DNS settings, add a new TXT record with the value Google gave you, wait 24–48 hours, then click 'Verify' in Search Console

Option B — HTML Tag: Copy the meta tag Google provides, add it to the <head> of your homepage HTML, then click 'Verify' in Search Console

Once verified, you'll see a green checkmark in Search Console

Step 3

Step 3: Find and Submit Your Sitemap

Your sitemap URL for this site is: the URL of your 'sitemap' backend function (find it in Dashboard → Code → Functions → sitemap)

In Google Search Console, click 'Sitemaps' in the left menu

Paste your sitemap URL into the field and click 'Submit'

Google will show 'Success' once it can read the file

Check back in 24–48 hours to see how many URLs were indexed

Step 4

Step 4: Submit and Request Indexing for Key Pages

In Search Console, click 'URL Inspection' in the left menu

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/ → click 'Request Indexing'

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/web-design-california → Request Indexing

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/google-business-profile → Request Indexing

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/reviews → Request Indexing

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/blog → Request Indexing

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/directory-listings → Request Indexing

Paste this URL: https://www.swiftsiteshq.org/local-seo-checklist → Request Indexing

Paste each blog post URL → Request Indexing (do 1–2 per day)

Step 5

Step 5: Inspect URLs and Check Status

Use 'URL Inspection' to check if a page is indexed or has errors

Green 'URL is on Google' = good, the page is indexed

Yellow warning = indexed but has issues (check the details)

Red error = not indexed, needs fixing

Check your most important pages first: homepage, service pages, blog posts

Step 6

Step 6: Monitor and Maintain

Check Search Console every 1–2 weeks for coverage errors or new issues

When you add a new page, submit it via URL Inspection → Request Indexing

Check the 'Performance' tab monthly to see which keywords are driving clicks

If a page drops out of the index, use URL Inspection to diagnose the issue

Re-submit your sitemap whenever you add major new sections to the site

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