Introduction:
In this article, we will introduce you to the new SEO Center, which has been reformulated on eDirectory starting from version 13.3. This new area gives site managers enhanced control over the SEO settings of their sites, allowing for more efficient management of search engine optimization features.
How to Access the SEO Center:
To access the SEO Center, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Promote tab in your site manager.
- Click on the option SEO Center.
Once you're on the SEO Center page, you'll find the following options, now better organized for ease of use:
- Redirect Manager
- Robots.txt Editor
- Webmaster Tools
- General SEO Settings
Redirect Manager
In the Redirect Manager option, you can:
- Configure your preferred domain.
- Enable secure pages (HTTPS).
- Create and manage redirects for your site.
For further details, please check out the following instructional links:
Get the most out of your 301 redirects
How can I add a SSL certificate to my website?
Robots.txt Editor
The Robots.txt Editor allows you to control which URLs of your site can be accessed by search engine crawlers, such as Google's robots. A robots.txt file is essential for managing crawler access and ensuring that your site isn't overloaded with requests. It's important to note that this is not a mechanism for preventing a web page from appearing in Google; it simply manages crawler access.
To learn more about using the robots.txt file, please check these articles:
Webmaster Tools
The Webmaster Tools section enables you to verify your site with major platforms like Google, Bing, and Facebook Business Manager. Here’s what you can do:
- Verify your site on Google, Bing, and Facebook Business Manager.
- Add TXT records.
- Access the sitemap of your site by clicking on the button "Click here to go to sitemap index."
Notice: Please note that the sitemap is only accessible if your site already has a live domain. If your site does not yet have a live domain, attempting to access the sitemap will result in a 404 error. To change the domain of your site, please send an email to support@edirectory.com requesting a domain change, and we will follow up with the next steps.
For detailed instructions on verifying your site or adding TXT records, please check the following articles:
How to verify my domain on Google
How to verify my domain on Bing
How to verify my domain with Facebook
Understanding your eDirectory sitemap
What is a Sitemap, and how do I submit it to Google?
General SEO Settings
In the General SEO Settings section, you can:
- Configure whether your site appears in Google search results. Enable or disable this option as needed.
- Set the OG (Open Graph) image for your site, which will be used as your logo when your site is shared on social media platforms.
For more details on configuring these settings, please check out these articles:
Hiding your site from search engines
Let search engines index your site
By following these steps and utilizing the tools in the SEO Center, you'll be able to optimize your site's visibility and performance effectively.