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SITE VERIFICATION | PAGE TITLE | METATAGS | XML SITE MAP | LOCAL SEO

SITE VERIFICATIONSITE VERIFICATION

Verifying your site assists with the site/domain ownership authentication for search engines. There are two types of verification methods supported: adding meta tags, or uploading a specific file. We recommend using the meta tag options and have provided instructions on doing so below.

OBTAIN YOUR VERIFICATION CODE

1. Follow the instructions Google provides to obtain the HTML Tag code -https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080?hl=en
2. Copy the ENTIRE meta tag provided - you will need this for an upcoming step, keep this window open or save a copy of the meta tag in a TXT (Notepad) file.

CONFIGURE THE SITE VERIFICATION MODULE

In a separate tab, open your IndieCommerce website and log in.

Navigate to: Configuration > Search and metadata > Verifications > Add Verification

NOTE: The Site Verification module will be enabled on IC sites upon request. If you do not see that path, please email us to request the module be enabled.

1. Set ‘Google’ as the search engine and then select ‘Next’
2. Paste the copied meta tag into the ‘Verification META tag’ field
3. Save

COMPLETE VERIFICATION THROUGH GOOGLE

1. Return to the tab with the ‘Google Webmaster Tools’ page and click ‘Verify’
   • If you receive a ‘Site Verified’ message you are finished
   • If you receive a ‘Verification Failed’ message, please contact [email protected] for further assistance. Include your store name, URL and the meta tag code you are trying to use.

PAGE TITLEPAGE TITLE

The Page Title module gives you control over your meta titles.The meta title is found in your HTML head code and is surrounded by <title> tags. The meta title appears in the browser bar when people are viewing the page and it also appears on search engine result pages. Providing accurate Page Titles can improve your ranking on search engine results pages and can improve your click-through rate, as they tend to grab the viewer's attention.

NOTE: The Page Title module will be enabled on IC sites upon request. If you do not see that path, please email us to request the module be enabled.

DEFAULT FORMATS

Drupal's default page title follows one of two patterns:

• Frontpage: site:name | site:slogan
• Default (for all other pages): current-page:page-title | site:name

CHANGING THE DEFAULT FORMATS

The Page Title module allows you to change the default formats in two ways. First, you can adjust the patterns using the placeholders given. This will change the way the default page titles are created. Second, on enabled forms you have the option of specifying a title that is different to the title of the item.

NOTE: When using 'tokens' as in the examples below, the token should always be placed within left and right brackets.

Example:

OPTION 1: ADJUST THE PATTERNS

Navigate to: Configuration > Search and metadata > Page Title

Using the ‘Available Tokens List’ you can change the default formats for your page titles. Certain types of page title patterns have access to special tokens which others do not, depending on their scope. All patterns have access to the Global scope. Content type patterns have access to the Node tokens, vocabulary patterns have access to the Taxonomy tokens and finally the user patterns have access to the User tokens.

Example:

Content Type - Event
Default: current-page:page-title | site:name Displays as: Father’s Day Sale! | ABA Test Site

1. Change to: current-page:page-title | node:content-type
2. Save

Now if you visit a event page, the page title in the browser displays as: Father’s Day Sale! | Event

OPTION 2: ADJUST THE TITLE PER NODE

The ‘Show Field’ column of the module configuration page lets you quickly enable the Page Title option for each content type. This allows you to control the page title per node.

NOTE: Option 2 will be overwritten if Option 1 is configured.

Example:

1. Enable the ‘Show Field’ toggle for the ‘Content Type - Event’
2. Save
3. Navigate to the node you want to edit
4. Select the ‘Page title settings’ tab
5. Enter a custom page title - Example: Father’s Day Event - St. Paul
6. Save

Now if you visit a event page, the page title in the browser displays as: Father’s Day Sale - St. Paul | Event

TIPS

Once this module is enabled, your site is automatically configured to use the default patterns, you DO NOT have to change anything. However, if you prefer to, the above examples should guide you through the process.

• Keep your page title less than 70 characters
• Use keywords pertaining to the content
• Try to avoid the overuse of words that carry no value, such as: a, an, the, etc.

METATAGSMETATAGS

Meta tags are metadata of a HTML page which supply additional information for search engines. The most important tags in SEO practices are description and title.

• Description: describes what your page is about.
• Title: help search engines to categorize the content on your site.

NOTE: The Metatag modules will be enabled on IC sites upon request. If you do not see that path, please email us to request the module be enabled.

Navigate to: Configuration > Search and metadata > Metatag

Once this module is enabled, your site is automatically configured to use the default patterns, however, from the list of available Meta tag configurations, the Global, Global: Front page and Node meta tags can be tailored to your site specifically.

NOTE: When using 'tokens' as in the examples below, the token should always be placed within left and right brackets.

Example:

 
GLOBAL - These are the metatags that will apply to all pages by default

1. Select ‘Override’
2. Page title - This is setup by default to use current-page:title | site:name, you can leave the default in place or customize it using tokens or text. Example: current-page:title | site:name | site: slogan or current-page:title | site:name | Minneapolis Bookstore
3. Description - This should be specific to your store, but general enough that it could apply to any page on your site. Example:  ABA Test Bookstore is an independent bookstore located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Browse our wide variety of books, gifts or upcoming events.
4. Save

GLOBAL: FRONT PAGE - These are the metatags that will apply to the front page

1. Select ‘Override’
2. Page title - This is setup by default to use site:name | site:slogan, you can leave the default in place or customize it using tokens or text. Example: current-page:title | site:name | site: slogan or current-page:title | site:name | Minneapolis Bookstore
3. Description - This should be specific to your store.  Example:  ABA Test Bookstore is an independent bookstore located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving the surrounding areas of St. Paul, Duluth and Maple Grove. Shop our site for books, gifts and event tickets.
4. Save

CONTENT

1. Select ‘Override’
2. Page title - This is setup by default to use current-page:title | site:name, we recommend leaving this default in place so that it changes for each node.
3. Description - We recommend using the token node:summary for this field so that is changes based on the node.
4. Save

NOTES:

• Obtain a list of available tokens by expanding the ‘Advanced’ tab and selecting ‘Browse Available Tokens’.
• We do not recommend you make any changes to the ‘Advanced’ tabs, Taxonomy term or User options unless you are familiar with SEO on a high level.
• You can also configure meta tags for individual nodes when creating or editing a content by selecting the Meta tags tab and completing necessary information.

METATAG OPEN GRAPH

Open Graph promotes integration between third party platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and other websites by allowing them to become rich ‘graph’ objects with the same functionality as other objects.

Simplified, using Open Graph meta tags, provides a small level of control over the information available to share from your website to a third-party website (such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) .

Example: A shared Facebook post

CONFIGURE METATAG: OPEN GRAPH

Navigate to: Configuration > Search and metadata > Metatag

1. Select ‘Override’ for ‘Content’
2. Expand the ‘Open Graph’ tab
3. Assign the ‘Open Graph Image’ field the appropriate image token for your nodes (this is the image field used on pages, events, blogs, etc. Example: node:field_image
4. Save

NOTES:

• The image token only works if images are being uploaded through a field and not the ‘body’ of the node.
• You can also configure OpenGraph meta tags for individual nodes when creating or editing a content by selecting the Meta tags tab and completing the ‘OpenGraph’ field.

METATAG CONTEXT

The Context Metatags module allows you to set meta tags for each Drupal page, meta tags can be specified for individual paths.

In the example below, we’ll set our event pages to use custom meta tags, instead of the ‘Global’ meta tags we set-up earlier.

Navigate to: Configuration > Search and metadata > Metatag > By path > Add a meta tag by path

1. Name - this is the name of the metatag rule you are creating. Example: events then select ‘Add and Configure’
2. Path - This is the path for the node you are creating this rule for. Example: event/*
3. Page title - This is setup by default to use current-page:title | site:name, you can leave the default in place or customize is using tokens or text. Example: current-page:title | Event
4. Description - This should be specific to the path.  Example:  ABA Test Bookstore Events are a great way to pass the time! We hold a wide range of events in our Minneapolis and St. Paul locations including author signings, book groups and more!
5. Save

XML SITE MAP XML SITE MAP
 

The XML sitemap module creates a sitemap that helps search engines to more intelligently crawl a website and keep their results up to date.

NOTE: The XML Sitemap module will be enabled on IC sites upon request. If you do not see the path, please email us to request the module be enabled.

CONFIGURE THE MODULE

Navigate to: Configuration > Search and metadata > XML sitemap

1. Review the warning message at the top of the page, select ‘run cron manually’
2. Select the ‘Settings’ tab
3. Confirm ‘Minimum sitemap lifetime’ is set to ‘No minimum’
4. Select ‘Content’
5. Select the ‘Content Type’ you want to include in the Sitemap. Example: Event
   1. Select the ‘XML Sitemap’ tab
   2. Set the ‘Inclusion’ to ‘Included’ and choose your priority (we recommend leaving it to normal 0.5
   3. Save
   4. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all preferred content has been included
   5. Save
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 for the Taxonomy term tab
7. Select the ‘Custom Links’ tab - In this tab, you can enter any important paths that are not nodes. For instance, if you created a page using a view, that should be included in the sitemap, because a view is NOT a node, you will need to enter the path here to include it in your sitemap.
8. Select ‘Add Custom Link’
   1. Complete the path to the link Example: new_summer_reading
   2. Set the priority and change frequency
   3. Save
9. Select the ‘Search Engines’ tab
10. Enable ‘Bing’ and ‘Google’
11. Confirm ‘Only submit if the sitemap has been updated since the last submission’ is selected
12. Save
13. Select ‘Rebuild Links’ tab
14. Rebuild Sitemap

Your Sitemap has now been configured and should update at the assigned times.

NOTES:

• The front page of your site is automatically configured to be included in your sitemap.
• The ‘Priority’ setting ranges from 1.0 (highest) to 0.0 (lowest), most content on your site should fall between 1.0 and 0.5.
• You can also set a content type, menu, or taxonomy term to be included through the administration page. Example: Structure > Menus > Main Menu, expand the XML Sitemap tab.

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