Submitting a sitemap sounds more technical than it is. In reality, it’s a five-minute job once you know where Google hid the button. Most people just never get shown properly.
I’ll walk you through it step by step, exactly how you’d do it on a normal day.
First, you need a sitemap. Most WordPress sites already have one, whether you realise it or not. If you’re using an SEO plugin like Yoast, Rank Math, or All in One SEO, it’s already created for you.
Your sitemap URL usually looks like this:
yourwebsite.ie/sitemap.xml
Sometimes it’s:
/sitemap_index.xml
Open it in your browser first. If it loads, you’re good. If it doesn’t, stop and fix that before doing anything else.
Now the actual submission.
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Go to Google Search Console
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Choose your website property
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On the left menu, click Sitemaps
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Under “Add a new sitemap”, you’ll see your domain already there
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Paste only the sitemap part, like
sitemap.xml -
Click Submit
That’s it. No confirmation email. No fireworks. Google just quietly accepts it.
If you see “Success”, you’re done.
If you see an error, don’t panic. The most common reasons are boring ones. Wrong URL. Sitemap blocked by robots.txt. Or the site is brand new and Google is still getting itself together.
Cost-wise, this costs nothing. Google Search Console is free. Always has been. If someone charges you monthly just to submit a sitemap, they’re taking the piss. One-off setup fees are usually €30–€60 if you’re paying someone else to do it, and even that’s generous.
A few things people in Ireland mess up all the time.
They submit the homepage instead of the sitemap.
They submit five different sitemaps from five plugins.
They keep resubmitting every week thinking it helps.
It doesn’t. Once is enough.
Also, submitting a sitemap doesn’t mean Google will index everything. It just tells Google what exists. Indexing is still Google’s call. If your site is thin, slow, or brand new, it takes time. That’s normal.
After submission, give it a few days. Then check the Pages or Indexing section in Search Console. You’ll start seeing which pages Google picked up and which ones it ignored.
Submitting a sitemap is like handing Google a map to your house. You’re not forcing it to visit. You’re just making sure it doesn’t get lost trying to find the place.