After building HistoryOfElvis.com with a professional theme and essential plugins, the next critical step in 2008 was getting the site indexed by Google. There is an important distinction between being indexed (Google knows your site exists) and ranking (Google shows your site on page one for a specific search). You cannot have the second without the first.
How I Got Listed in Google in 2008
The process in 2008 was straightforward. I used the Google XML Sitemaps Generator plugin to create a sitemap.xml file in the root directory of HistoryOfElvis.com. This XML file listed every page on the site and told Google how often each page was updated.
Then I submitted that sitemap to Google through one of two methods:
- Google Sitemaps program (now called Google Search Console) — Register your site, submit the sitemap URL, and get access to statistics about how Google sees your site
- Ping URL — Hit a special Google URL with your sitemap location and Google would eventually crawl it
I chose the first option because Google Sitemaps gave me data about keywords, crawl errors, and indexing progress. Within a day or two, Google had indexed several pages from the Elvis site. It was a small victory, but an essential one.
Getting Indexed by Google in 2026
The basics have not changed — you still need a sitemap and you still submit it through Google's tools — but the process is more powerful and the tools are more sophisticated.
1. Set Up Google Search Console
Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools, formerly Google Sitemaps) is the single most important free tool for any website owner. Here is how to set it up:
- Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with a Google account
- Add your domain as a property (use the “Domain” option for comprehensive coverage)
- Verify ownership through your DNS provider (Google walks you through this)
- Submit your sitemap URL (typically yoursite.com/sitemap.xml)
2. Sitemaps Are Built Into WordPress Now
Since WordPress 5.5, a basic XML sitemap is generated automatically at /wp-sitemap.xml. However, SEO plugins like Rank Math or Yoast SEO create more comprehensive sitemaps with better configuration options. If you are using an SEO plugin, use its sitemap instead of the default WordPress one.
3. Use the URL Inspection Tool
Google Search Console includes a URL Inspection tool that was not available in 2008. You can paste any URL from your site and:
- See whether Google has indexed it
- Request immediate indexing for new or updated pages
- View exactly how Google renders your page
- Identify any indexing issues (blocked by robots.txt, noindex tags, etc.)
This tool is incredibly valuable when you publish new content and want it indexed quickly.
4. Additional Steps That Help
- Internal linking — Every new page should be linked from at least one existing page on your site. Google discovers new pages by following links.
- Bing Webmaster Tools — Submit your sitemap to Bing as well. Bing powers several other search engines and drives more traffic than many site owners realize.
- IndexNow protocol — A newer protocol supported by Bing and Yandex that instantly notifies search engines when you publish or update content. Several WordPress plugins support it, and Rank Math has it built in.
- Avoid noindex mistakes — A surprisingly common error is accidentally setting pages to noindex during development and forgetting to remove it before launch. Check your SEO plugin settings and your robots.txt file.
The Lesson from 2008
Getting indexed was one of the more straightforward steps in the Niche Super-Site project, and it remains so today. The tools are better, the process is faster, and Google Search Console provides vastly more data than it did in 2008. The key insight then and now is that indexing is not ranking. Getting your pages into Google's database is table stakes. The real work — creating content that deserves to rank — comes after.
Set up Search Console on day one. Submit your sitemap. Then shift your attention to the content and promotion strategies that will move you from indexed to visible.
