Check the public page first
Open important pages without an admin login. Inspect whether they return a normal page, redirect elsewhere or require authentication. Check robots settings and any noindex directive. A launch preview may be deliberately private and unsuitable for indexing.
- Check public access
- Review indexability directives
- Confirm canonical destinations
- Avoid indexing private previews
Connect pages with real links
Important pages should be reachable through navigation and contextual links. Keep sitemap URLs consistent with canonical URLs. A search box alone is not a reliable way for a crawler to discover the catalogue.
- Link topic hubs from navigation
- Link detail pages from hubs
- Use descriptive HTML links
- List indexable canonical pages in the sitemap
Use search diagnostics to investigate
After production setup, use Search Console's inspection and indexing information to investigate particular URLs. Requests and sitemap submission do not guarantee inclusion or rankings. Keep evidence of the access issue and the fix.
- Inspect representative URLs
- Check sitemap processing
- Record indexing problems
- Retest after changing settings
A common question
Is Google Sites the same as getting a Shopify store on Google?
No. A site-building product and search indexing are different topics. This guide focuses on making an existing store discoverable in search.