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Understanding Google Webmaster Tools

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Want to see how Google sees your website? Worry no more—Google Webmaster is the right tool for you! Google Webmaster Tools is not only your tool to see how Google sees your website, but it can also diagnose potential problems and fix them before they occur, as well as track your site's visibility, performance, and page rank!

In this article, we will discuss:

Google Sitemap

An XML Sitemap is a document that supplies Google with information about your site. It contains information about pages that may be easily missed by a spider, such as:

  • Dynamic pages
  • Redirects
  • The pages with Flash or AJAX content
  • The pages are not linked to each other

Providing a Sitemap makes it easier for Google to 'crawl' your site in less time.

 

Find More Information About Google Webmaster Tools

To find more information about Google Webmaster Tools, please go to Google Help Center, which contains many Knowledgebase articles, tutorials, and help files. However, remember that much of this process is automated for you by Network Solutions.

 

Why Did My Site Fail

If your site returns with a failed status, please check the following first:

  • Is your site generally available? In other words, can an outside user visit your site
  • Do you have any redirects activated? If you have any redirects, the spider will not be able to find your site.
  • Is the domain pointed to the correct site? If you type in your domain, it should bring you to your index file.
  • Is your site locked down for security reasons? If your site is only accessible via specific domains, the spider will fail.
  • Do you have a site uploaded? Please ensure you have uploaded your site before allowing Google to spider it.
  • Does your site contain more than one page? The spider expects more than one page associated with a domain to ensure it is not simply a parked account.

 

Error Codes for Google Webmaster Tools

While using the Google Webmaster Tools, you may run into one of the following error codes. Some codes list an action or two. You can try to resolve them on your own. Below is an explanation of each one:

  • FAIL (100) - Could not find the home directory of the specified domain and could not write the sitemap to the domain. Please verify the domain belongs to a regular hosting account.
  • FAIL (110) - We successfully spidered your site, but could not write or find the sitemap data. Please verify that you own the domain and that it belongs to a regular hosting account.
  • FAIL (120) - We successfully spidered your site, but could not write the required XML data to the directory. Please verify that you own the domain and that it belongs to a regular hosting account.
  • System Error(300) - We are experiencing a technical systems error and are working to resolve it immediately. Please try your request again later.
    • Wait a while
    • Refresh the page, and submit your request again.
  • Unknown Error(1000) - The requested operation failed for an unknown reason.
  • User Deleted Recently(1100) - The requested operation could not be completed because the username of the account has been deleted in the previous five days.
  • User Suspended(1101) - The user identified in the request is suspended.
    • Refresh the page
    • Try to submit the request again.
  • Entity Exists(1300) - The requested operation could not complete because the specified username already exists.
  • Entity Does Not Exist(1301) - The requested operation could not complete because the specified username does not exist.
  • Entity Name Is Reserved(1302) - The requested operation could not be completed because the specified username was reserved. Examples of reserved usernames include 'abuse' and 'postmaster.'
  • Entity Name Not Valid(1303) - The request provided an invalid name for a requested resource.
  • Invalid Given Name(1400) - The value for the user's first name or given name contains unacceptable characters.
  • Invalid Family Name(1401) - The value for the user's surname, or family name, contains unacceptable characters.
  • Invalid Password(1402) - The value for the user's password contains an invalid number of characters or unacceptable characters.
  • Invalid Username(1403) - The value for the user's username contains unacceptable characters.

 

Review

To improve your website's visibility and performance, Google Webmaster Tools is an important resource to use. With its user-friendly interface, packed with error tracking and diagnostics, makes it a tool for identifying and resolving potential issues. It empowers users to make sure their websites are optimized for Google's search algorithms to improve ranking and website accessibility.

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