How to Submit Your Site to Google (2025 Guide)

Key Takeaways

Essential First Step: Manually submitting your site to Google is a free, foundational SEO step. It tells the search engine you exist and significantly speeds up how quickly your new site gets discovered and indexed.
The Core Process: The submission process involves two key actions: first, verifying that you own the website, and second, providing an XML sitemap—a complete roadmap of your pages that helps Google crawl your site efficiently.
Long-Term Value: Google Search Console offers more than a one-time submission. It provides critical, ongoing data on your site’s health and performance, which is vital for long-term growth.

You’ve done it. After all that hard work, your brand-new website is live. The design looks great, you’ve got compelling content and now you can put your feet up and relax as everyone flocks to your website. If only it were that simple. There’s a crucial problem here that we need to resolve. Your website is live but that doesn’t mean a search engine like Google knows it is.

Launching a website without telling Google is like opening a shop but forgetting to put the “We’re open” sign out front. Sure you can drive web traffic to your site by promoting it on your social media but unless the search engine knows about it, it could take some time before it discovers it. In order to get noticed, we’re about to introduce your website to the best discovery tool out there.

This is where Google Search Console comes in. This free, powerful platform is the official channel for communicating directly with the search engine. Submitting your site is the single most important first step in any SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly why this process is essential and provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to submit your new website to Google, ensuring you start your online journey on the right foot.

What Is Google Search Console?

Let’s start with what this tool is.

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free service offered by Google. Think of it as a dashboard that shows how your website is performing in search results. The tool uses a method called “crawling,” where its bots visit your website, scan through your pages (by reading the code), and index them (save and organise the content) so it can appear in search results.

It can be used to:

Confirm that Google can find and crawl your site.
Submit sitemaps and individual URLs for indexing.
See which keywords people are using to find you.
Receive alerts about indexing, spam or any other issues.
Fix technical errors that could be harming your visibility.

Pro Tip: Don’t think of this as a one-time task. You should plan to check in on your Search Console at least once a month to monitor your site’s health and performance.

In short, Google Search Console can help give you data and the means to ensure your site isn’t just visible, but also healthy and optimised for performance.

How to Submit Your Website to Google Search Console

Getting set up on Google Search Console is the most critical first step. Let’s walk through it.

Step 1: Go to Google Search Console

Navigate to the Google Search Console website and click “Start now.” You will need to log in with a Google account. It’s best to use the account you associate with your business or website.

Step 2: Add Your Website Property

You’ll be presented with two options for adding your site: Domain and URL prefix. This choice determines how Google will track your site and the method you’ll use for verification.

Domain (Recommended): This option covers your entire domain, including all subdomains (e.g., www.yoursite.com, blog.yoursite.com) and protocols (http:// vs https://). It’s a catch-all scenario but does require DNS verification.
URL Prefix: This option only covers the exact URL you input. For example, if you verify https://www.yoursite.com, it will not automatically track other versions like http://www.yoursite.com or the non-www version https://yoursite.com. Although this method offers more verification options (like HTML file upload), it is less comprehensive and may require you to set up each version of your site separately.

For new website owners, we advise choosing the Domain option as it’s a one time setup that will cover your entire domain. Enter your domain name (e.g., yoursite.com) and click “Continue.”

Step 3: Verify Ownership of Your Website

This is the most technical step, but it’s essential. Google needs to confirm you actually own the website you’re trying to add. With the “Domain” property type, the only way to do this is via a DNS record.

Google Search Console: Domain Verification

Some hosting providers such as Cloudflare will have a way in which this process can be automated. However if you’re not on one of these providers, just follow along with the instructions below.

Get the TXT Record: Search Console will give you a string of text that looks something like google-site-verification=… Copy this value.
Go to Your Domain Registrar: Log in to the service where you bought your domain name (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost, etc.).
Find the DNS Management Settings: Look for a section called “DNS,” “Manage DNS,” or “Nameserver Settings.”
Add a New Record: You’ll want to add a new TXT record.
- Value/Content: Paste the TXT record you copied from Google Search Console.
- TTL (Time to Live): Leave this at the default setting (usually 1 hour or 3600 seconds).
Save the Record.

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to update. Once you’ve saved the record, go back to Google Search Console and click “Verify.” If it does work, you’ll see an image like the above confirming so. However if it doesn’t work immediately, wait an hour and try again.

Step 4: Submit Your XML Sitemap

A sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on your website, acting as a roadmap for search engines. Most modern website builders (like Squarespace, Wix) and CMS platforms (like WordPress with an SEO plugin like Yoast or [(https://rankmath.com/)]) automatically generate one for you.

Your sitemap URL is typically yoursite.com/sitemap.xml or yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml.

In your Search Console dashboard, go to “Sitemaps” in the left-hand menu.
Under “Add a new sitemap,” enter the URL of your sitemap file (e.g., sitemap.xml).
Click “Submit.”

Google will now process your sitemap. The status will show as “Success” once it has been crawled successfully. This tells Google about all your pages at once, which is far more efficient than waiting for it to find them on its own.

What’s Next? Best Practices After Submission

You’re set up! But your work isn’t done. Submitting your site is the beginning. Here are a few things to do now.

Request Indexing for Key Pages: If you want to give a very important page (like your homepage or a new blog post) a little nudge, you can use the “URL Inspection” tool in GSC. Paste the URL, and if it’s not indexed, click “Request Indexing.”
Explore the Performance Reports: Spend some time looking at the “Performance” reports. This is where you’ll see what keywords you’re appearing for, how many clicks you’re getting, and which pages are most popular. For even deeper insights into how users interact with your site, consider setting up Google Analytics. Our beginner’s guide to Google Analytics can help you get started.
Check for Errors: Keep an eye on the “Coverage” or “Index” reports. These will tell you if Google is having trouble accessing any of your pages.

By taking these proactive steps, you move from simply existing online to actively managing and growing your search presence.

Conclusion

Congratulations on launching your website—it’s a massive achievement. But a beautiful website is only effective if people can find it. By taking the crucial step of submitting your site to Google Search Console, you are formally announcing your arrival to the digital world. You’re handing the search engine a map and a key to your front door, inviting it in to see what you have to offer.

This process does more than just speed up indexing; it opens up a world of data that is foundational to your site’s growth. The insights you’ll gain about your audience, your content’s performance, and your site’s technical health are invaluable. You’ve laid the groundwork for a strong SEO strategy that will pay dividends in organic traffic for years to come. While this guide focuses on Google, it’s also wise to submit your site to Bing to maximise your visibility across different search engines. Don’t put this off. Your next step is to open that tab, follow the steps we’ve outlined, and get your site officially on the map. It’s one of the most impactful actions you can take for your new online presence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for my site to be indexed after submitting?

It can vary widely, from a few days to a few weeks. Submitting a sitemap significantly speeds up the process, but there’s no guaranteed timeframe. You can check the indexing status of specific URLs using the “URL Inspection” tool.

Do I have to pay to submit my website to Google?

No. Google Search Console is a completely free service. Be wary of any third-party service that charges a fee to “submit your site to search engines,” as this is something you can and should do yourself for free.

Do I need to submit every new page or blog post I publish?

Not necessarily. Once your sitemap is submitted and your site is being crawled regularly, Google will typically discover new content on their own. However, for important, time-sensitive content, using the “URL Inspection” tool to “Request Indexing” can get it discovered faster.

What if my website builder says it submits my site for me?

Some platforms offer this service, which is helpful. However, it is always recommended to set up your own Google Search Console account. This gives you direct access to all the performance data, error reports, and tools, giving you full control over your SEO.

I submitted my site, but I can’t find it on Google. Why?

Submission and indexing do not guarantee a high ranking. Your site might be indexed but appearing on page 10 of the search results. You can verify if it’s indexed at all by searching on Google using site:yoursite.com. If results appear, you’re indexed. The next step is working on your on-page SEO basics to improve your rankings.