WordPress.com blogs and websites are very search friendly by default. The best advice we can give you about getting listed in search engines is to make sure your Privacy Settings do allow search engines and then write good content and descriptive titles for images.
While you can control the basic privacy settings and the content for your blog or website, you cannot control when your site will get picked up by a search engine or how they will rank your site. Those details are up to each search engine, and they are always changing. If you are concerned, you should try to find information from the search engine directly in their help pages to find out what they recommend.
For the sake of brevity, the following questions all refer to Google. However the same answers apply to all search engines.
Why isn’t my blog in Google?
WordPress.com automatically sends notifications to Google with every post and page update. The search engines can take 4-6 weeks or more to add any new sites. Connecting a Google account with verified site ownership through Google’s webmaster tools may help register your site for inclusion. Please contact Google for more information.
I changed my privacy settings and I still don’t see my site in Google. Why?
It may take 4-6 weeks or more for search engines to revisit your blog and discover new content. Registering your site on Google and requesting an update may help speed up discovery.
I changed my privacy settings and I don’t want to be in Google. How can I remove my site?
You need to wait until your results drop in the search engine. There is nothing we can do. You may request a Google remove a website from their index through the website removal request tool.
Can I upload meta tags / sitemap for the search engines?
WordPress.com automatically generates an XML sitemap for your website and supports webmaster tools validation through meta tags. Themes on WordPress.com generate the necessary markup on each page.
Can I upload a file so Google clears its cache of my blog?
That is not an option offered by WordPress.com.
Can you make Google remove the copy of my blog?
Change your blog privacy settings to prevent search engines from re-indexing your content. We have no control over Google. You may submit a request for removal from the Google index once you have properly configured your blog settings.
I selected “no search engines” so why is my website still listed in Google?
The “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” setting on Settings -> Reading will ask well-behaved search engines not to index your web site in future. It may or may not affect content that has already been indexed by search engines. Please contact Google for more information.
The “Publish” button on the Post tab is aptly named: when you click it, your words go live on the internet for millions of people to read, copy, index and link to as they please. The “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” option will advise search engines that you don’t want your content indexed, but they are not obliged to obey it. If you don’t want your content to be available to the entire world, your options are:
- Use the Post Password feature to protect an individual post
- Use the visible only to users I choose setting on Options/Privacy to protect your entire blog
- Don’t publish your content in the first place
Can you tell me how to use tags best for Google?
We recommend using only a few descriptive, relevant tags per post.
Why does Google return a certain result for my blog/post?
Google decides how to rank and list blogs and websites. We don’t have any control over the search results or any special knowledge about how they are selected. Each search engine has their own algorithm that only they control.
How can I verify my blog with Google Webmaster Tools?
You’ll find instructions for that on the Webmaster Tools support page.
What about SEO?
For a broader discussion on search engine optimization and how it applies to your blog on WordPress.com, please see All About SEO on WordPress.com, SEO and Your Blog, and How to Publish Posts that Search Engines Will Love.
VickiH
CJ_The@rkitekt