Your website copy has been updated and now your service packages are live. All that’s left is for Google to crawl, index, and start ranking your pages. Well, submitting a sitemap is one of the fastest ways to make that happen.
If you’re not sure what a sitemap is or why it matters for your B2B website, you’re in the right place. I’ll walk you through exactly what it is, why it helps, and how to submit it for sites on WordPress, Squarespace, Showit, and Wix.
What is a Sitemap?
A sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, or any other type of content on your website. It helps search engines like Google understand the structure of your site and quickly find and index your content. Think of it as a roadmap that guides search engines to all the places on your site that you want people to discover.
Do I Need to Submit a Sitemap for my Business Website?
Yes, you should! As a B2B service provider, your website is your place of business, it showcases your services and packages, which leads the clients you want to book to reserve a spot with you instead of your competition.
For this to happen, your website needs to be found online, and submitting a sitemap helps. Here’s how:
- Faster Indexing: After updating your website copy, you want search engines like Google to recognize those changes quickly. This process speeds up when you submit your sitemap.
- Improved Visibility: A sitemap ensures that all your key pages, especially those showcasing your best work and service packages, are crawled and indexed, improving your chances of being discovered.
- SEO Benefits: Regularly updated sitemaps can enhance your website’s SEO, making it easier for potential clients to find you through pages that are ranking high on search results.
Before You Start
Before you submit it, it’s worth pausing on one thing: a sitemap tells Google where your pages are, but your copy still has to do the work of converting the right clients once they arrive.
Make sure your website is ready to be found and booked. That means your copy clearly answers who you are, who you help, and what working with you looks like. If that piece isn’t quite there yet, it’s worth sorting with an SEO and website copywriter before you send search engines your way.
How Do I Submit a Sitemap?
Open a Google Search Console Account
Regardless of your platform, you’ll need a Google Search Console (GSC) account to submit your sitemap. Skip this section if you have set it up; otherwise, follow these steps:
- Sign in to Google Search Console using your Google account and follow the steps to verify ownership of your website. Here’s more information on getting started with Search Console.
- Add your website property, if it’s not already in GSC.
- On the GSC dashboard, select your website property, then navigate to “Sitemaps” under the “Indexing” section.
- Enter the URL of your sitemap (typically yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml) and click “Submit”.
WordPress Platform
If your site is built on WordPress, here’s what you can do:
- Install an SEO Plugin: Yoast SEO or RankMath plugins automatically generate a sitemap. I’ve personally used both, but I prefer RankMath; however, either will work. Note that some WordPress themes might have built-in SEO tools that generate a sitemap, so you may not need a plugin.
- Find Your Sitemap: Your sitemap URL will look something like this: yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.
- Submit to GSC: Use the steps outlined above to submit this URL.
Squarespace
Squarespace automatically generates a sitemap for your entire website. However, when your website is updated, it can take between an hour to 24 hours for your sitemap to update. Here’s how you can locate your Squarespace sitemap:
- If you have a custom domain, then your sitemap will look like this: yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. All you need to do is replace ‘yourdomain’ with your site’s domain name.
- With a built-in Squarespace domain, your site map URL looks like this: sitename.squarespace.com/sitemap.xml. In this case, you’ll replace ‘sitename’ with your own Squarescape site name.
Once you have it, follow the steps under ‘How Do I Submit a Sitemap?’ to submit your Squarespace sitemap to GSC.
Showit
Showit will also automatically generate a sitemap. Your Showit sitemap URL will look like this: yourdomain.com/siteinfo.xml. Again, all you need to do is replace ‘your domain’ with yours and follow the steps to submit your sitemap to GSC.
If your Showit site is connected to WordPress for blogging, then access your WordPress admin area. Showit recommends using the Yoast SEO plugin for SEO purposes, and it automatically generates your sitemap. As with the WordPress instructions above, submit the generated sitemap to GSC.
Wix
Wix automatically generates a sitemap, which looks like yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. You can follow the same instructions to submit the sitemap to your GSC.
Other Platforms
For any other platform, many website builders generate a sitemap automatically. If your platform doesn’t provide one, you can use online tools to generate a sitemap, such as https://www.xml-sitemaps.com/ before submitting it to your GSC.
Final SEO Tip for B2B Service Providers
It’s not only important to know how to submit the sitemap but check the status once submitted. You can do so in your GSC under ‘Sitemaps’ located under ‘Indexing’ to ensure your sitemap is being read correctly. See the ‘Status’ under the ‘Submitted sitemaps’.
If you think you need more SEO help, explore my SEO services to see if this the right next step for your business.
How long does it take Google to index my sitemap after submitting?
It varies. Google can crawl and index your sitemap anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on how frequently your site is updated and how much authority it has built up. Submitting through Google Search Console speeds the process up, but it’s not instant. Check back under the Sitemaps section in GSC to monitor the status
How often should I resubmit my sitemap?
You don’t need to resubmit every time you make a small change as most platforms update your sitemap automatically. That said, after a significant update, like a full website copy refresh, adding new service pages, or launching a blog, it’s a good idea to resubmit so Google picks up the changes faster.
What if my sitemap shows an error in Google Search Console?
First, don’t panic! Errors are common and usually fixable. The most frequent causes are broken URLs, pages blocked by your robots.txt file, or a sitemap that wasn’t generated correctly. GSC will show you exactly which URLs are flagging so you can troubleshoot from there. If you’re unsure what the error means, that’s a good moment to bring in an SEO strategist.
Can I have more than one sitemap?
Yes, and for larger sites, it’s actually recommended. Many platforms automatically generate separate sitemaps for pages, posts, and images. You can submit multiple sitemaps in GSC, and Google will crawl each one. If your platform generates a sitemap index file (usually sitemap_index.xml), that file links to all the individual sitemaps, so you only need to submit the one URL.
Will submitting a sitemap guarantee my site ranks higher?
Honest answer: no. And anyone who tells you otherwise is worth questioning. What submitting a sitemap does do is make sure Google can find and index your pages, which is a necessary foundation for ranking.
But ranking comes from a combination of strong copy, relevant and valueable information, site authority, and a strategy built around what your ideal clients are searching for. Think of it this way, the sitemap gets you in the room, but it’s the strategy that gets you booked.
