How to submit and index your website to the Google Search Console?

We have recently received inquiries from customers using the Trusted Reviews module who have encountered an issue where the ratings for their products are not appearing on Google Snippets. It is important to note that this issue arises when the website has not been indexed by Google, and it is not an error with the module itself.

This problem is faced by several websites, and today we aim to provide you with a better understanding of Review Snippets and guide you through the process of submitting a sitemap and indexing it in the Google Search Console.

What is a review snippet?

A review snippet is a concise extract of a review or a rating sourced from a review website. Typically, it represents an aggregated average of rating scores derived from multiple reviewers. When Google identifies valid reviews or rating markups, it has the potential to display an enhanced snippet containing stars and summarized information from the reviews or ratings.

Alongside the review text, a rating signifies an assessment expressed on a numerical scale, such as 1 to 5. These review snippets can manifest in rich results or Google Knowledge Panels. You have the option to provide ratings for various content types (and subtypes): Book, Course, Event, How-to, Local business, etc.

How to submit a sitemap and index it to the Google Search Console?

Step 1: Create a sitemap (if you don’t have a sitemap at all)

In order to submit your website to search engines, you will need to have a sitemap. A sitemap is a file hosted on your server that provides information about the crucial pages on your website. It serves as a guide for search engines like Google, helping them comprehend the interlinking structure of your content. By referencing your sitemap, search engines gain insights into the organization and hierarchy of your website's content.

By default, PrestaShop also provides a sitemap, but not a dynamic sitemap. So, if you add new content, you will have to update the sitemap manually.

Your sitemap is usually found on your domain at a URL similar to the following:

yoursite.com/sitemap.xml

This is another frequently used sitemap URL:

yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml

We provide several modules for PrestaShop websites such as SEO Audit, Awesome URL, Dynamic Sitemap... which can both assist you in creating a sitemap and provide additional other outstanding features for your site.

Here is an example of a dynamic sitemap of a PrestaShop website:

Step 2: Submit your website to Google:

• Open Google Search Console, sign in with your Google account
• On the left-hand side of the screen, locate and click on the "Sitemaps" link.
• Under the "Add a new sitemap" section, simply paste your sitemap URL into the provided input field.
• Click “Submit” button and you’ve done.

Note: If you are new to Search Console, you will need to verify your website before proceeding. Once you access Search Console, Google will guide you through the verification process.

Step 3: Index your website to the Google Search Console

Access your Google Search Console and adhere to the following instructions to request the indexing of a URL:

• Navigate to the left menu and select "URL Inspection"
• Paste the page URL into the search field.
• Locate and click the "Request indexing" option on the new page.

After finishing these steps, typically, it takes a few days for a successful request to be approved. Now you’re done, just please wait until it is completed!

Here are the detailed instructions for submitting a sitemap and indexing it to the Google Search Console. Wish you success!