Sitemap Error???

[kevdite]

Hi all,

OK, i have created a sitemap.xml file for my site using an online generator. I then uploaded this to my public_html folder. This can be found here:-

www.indigohairdesigns.com/sitemap.xml

when i then submit this to goole it always comes back ar error and the reason is "unsupported file format"

Any ideas what i am doing wrong????

Thanks in advance you lot!

Kev

[adele1972]

Re: Sitemap Error???

hi kev
did you put a link on your index pages?
call it sitmap ( place it at the very bottom of your page text size 8 )
upload then go back and try google!
hope this helps

[kevdite]

Re: Sitemap Error???

hi adele,

Yes, i have done that!...i have a link to my .xml & .html sitemaps on the index page, but i don't think google looks at that because when you submit the sitemap, it asks you for the specific url which i entered as

www.indigohairdesigns.com/sitemap.xml

Will try it again though!

[vidalcarmen]

Re: Sitemap Error???

You don't need to do that. Just go in Blue Voda and click 'tools' --> 'Sitemap' Then just click publish sitemap and you are done!

[kevdite]

Re: Sitemap Error???

OK, tried the sitemap tool in BV and published it, put when i submit it to google, it comes back with an error of "unsupported file format"?

any ideas what i am doing wrong here?

Also, i looked in my FTP manager, but cannot find the sitemap.xml file that the sitemap tool has apparently uploaded to my site?...Should it be listed here?

This is DOING MY HEAD IN NOW!!!!>>LOL

[Vasili]

Re: Sitemap Error???

BV will save it as sitemap.xml for to manually upload the file to your server: you may not see it unless you check the box in the BV "OPEN" dialog box "All Files" (since when using the BV OPEN FILE dialog box, it defaults to .bvp files).
Once you have loacted the file, use Blue FTP to upload it straight from within BV.
Your text links are intended for the bots to follow, not people, right? (That's why I usually put a transparent gif over the XML link, so it is there, but not accesible to people).

[kevdite]

Re: Sitemap Error???

Thanks for the reply vasili, i have done what you said, but still get the unsupported file format error!......this is really beginning to any me now!...i was listed in google, but now, even if you type www.indigohairdesigns.com into the search bar, it does not find my site?

any ideas how to sort this?..the site has been online for about 2 years now, so it's not a time issue!

kev

[Vasili]

Re: Sitemap Error???

OK....maybe it's best to start from scratch.
Go to www.xml-sitemaps.com and create a new sitemap, only this time save it as an ROR formatted file. Upload it to your public_html/ directory, and then go back and change the links on your pages to "XML ROR" in a nice smaller size font which is colored to blend in more. Link up the ROR part to the file just created.
Go back and re-create a totally new XML sitemap file, and then upload that to the server as well. Re-configure the XML part of the links to be sure it is written properly, and to the properly named file.
Create a transparent rectangle to place over these links, to keep visitor fingers off of them.

Now.....no need to submit any further to any engines: let the natural process take over during the normal botscan cycle. The XML file/map will be particularly attractive to Google, which will also index the ROR (which is the more "common" and universally effective format used for all the other engines) as a sort of 'verification' measure --- often simple comparisons like this are crucial to establishing values, especially when it comes to Content/relevancy/highlights, etc.

The more you fiddle with Google, the more they start regarding erroneous efforts as possible schemes or suspicious efforts .... and they take too long to release any characterizations....

[kevdite]

Re: Sitemap Error???

OK...i have done what you said. I guess now it is a matter of wait and see!!!

Thanks for your help, it can get so frustrating, particularly as the other sites i have done, google has excepted the xml sitemap with no problem!

Computers eh?????

Thanks

[Vasili]

Re: Sitemap Error???

(sumptin' like that)




.... and on we go!

.