Tell Google your website exists

Google finds new websites on its own eventually. Today you make it quicker and more certain, and you get a free tool that shows what people searched for before they found you.

Part 1: create a sitemap

A sitemap is a small file that lists your pages for search engines.

1. Copy first. Make a dated copy of your folder.
2. Ask your AI assistant:

Create a sitemap.xml file for my website {your domain} listing these pages: {list your .html files}. Also create a robots.txt file that allows all search engines and points to the sitemap.

1. Save the two answers as sitemap.xml and robots.txt in your website folder, then upload the folder in Cloudflare.
2. Check both work: open yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml and yourdomain.com/robots.txt in your browser.

Part 2: Google Search Console

1. Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with the same Google account as your business profile.
2. Add your site as a Domain property and type your domain.
3. Google asks you to prove you own it. Because your domain is on Cloudflare, Google may offer to do this automatically. Accept if it does. If not, it gives you a line of text to add in Cloudflare under your domain's DNS settings. The web version shows exactly where: myformconnect.io/get-found/16
4. Once verified, open Sitemaps, type sitemap.xml, and submit.

What happens next. In a few days to a few weeks, Search Console starts showing which searches brought people to your site. We'll read it on day 28.

Every time you add a page from now on, ask your AI assistant to add it to sitemap.xml too.

Using WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or another platform? Your platform almost certainly creates a sitemap for you. Search its help pages for "sitemap", then submit that address in Part 2.

Add Google's verification TXT record in Cloudflare DNS

1. In Google Search Console, copy the TXT verification string Google shows you.
2. In Cloudflare, open your domain → DNS → Records.
3. Click Add record.
4. Type: TXT.
5. Name: @ (for the root domain).
6. Content: paste the exact text Google gave you.
7. Save, then return to Search Console and click verify. Propagation is usually quick; allow a few minutes if needed.