Many business owners assume that once the website is built and the domain is resolved, customers will be able to find it on Baidu. But a week after launch, searching the company's full name returns nothing. The problem is often not the website development itself, but a missing step after launch: proactively telling search engines "I'm here."
Submitting to search engines is not complicated, but the order and details are easy to get wrong. Below is the process in the order of actual operation.
First, confirm the website can be crawled normally
Before submitting, check three things yourself.
First, make sure robots.txt does not block the entire site. Test environments often contain `Disallow: /`, and if it is not removed at launch, search engines cannot get in even when they arrive.
Second, do not rely entirely on JS rendering for pages. If the above-the-fold content of a corporate website is all generated by scripts, crawlers may only see an empty shell. At minimum, ensure the title, body text, and navigation have content in the HTML.
Third, check whether a login wall or captcha blocks the homepage. Some backend management systems are misconfigured with access restrictions, making them completely inaccessible from the public internet.
Spending ten minutes on this step can save several days of troubleshooting later.
Submission entry points: Baidu first, others as needed
For domestic business, Baidu is the main battlefield. Log in to Baidu Search Resource Platform, add the site, choose HTML file or DNS verification, and after verification passes, submit the sitemap.
Sitemaps should preferably use XML format, listing main page URLs and update times. If a corporate website has few pages, manual generation is sufficient; for sites with many sections, have developers output it automatically during the build.
Other engines depend on the business. For foreign trade or overseas users, Google Search Console is a must, with a similar process. Bing and 360 can also be submitted along the way, but their priority is lower than the first two.
Note: submission does not equal indexing. Submission only tells the engine that these URLs exist; whether and when they are indexed is decided by the engine. Do not expect rankings on the same day you submit.
Sitemaps and page structure must match
I have seen many cases where a sitemap lists 200 URLs, but half are actually 404s, or all are duplicate pages with parameters. This kind of submission actually lowers trust.
The correct approach is: the sitemap should only include pages that are accessible, have independent content, and have search value. Pagination parameters on list pages and filter condition pages generally should not be included.
In addition, each page should have a unique title and description. Single-page applications common in mini program development—if used as an official website—should have metadata configured for each route.
Teams doing App development often overlook this: the official website has only one introduction page, and all subpages rely on anchor jumps, making it difficult for search engines to parse and understand them separately.
Schedule for the first week after launch
Here is an executable order:
Day one: confirm robots.txt and homepage accessibility, and submit the sitemap.
Days two to three: use the crawl diagnostic tools provided by the platform to check whether the homepage and internal pages can be crawled normally, and fix any errors.
From day four: observe changes in indexed volume. Baidu Search Resource Platform has an indexed volume curve; data usually starts appearing within a few days to two weeks.
At the same time, build external links: industry directories, partner pages, and links to the official website from the company's existing WeChat official account or self-media. External links are another path for engines to discover new sites, faster than waiting for indexing.
Pitfall reminder: do not buy so-called "fast indexing" services, and do not mass-distribute large numbers of low-quality external links in a short period. New sites have low authority, and abnormal operations can easily trigger risk controls.
When it makes sense to contact MIC Studio
If your team has no dedicated person monitoring SEO, or the website was delivered by an outsourcing vendor and the source code structure is unclear, you can ask us to take a look.
When we do website development, we treat crawl friendliness as a deliverable: semantic tags, automatic sitemap generation, robots configuration, and page metadata are all configured before launch.
In mini program development and App development projects, if an official website or landing page is involved, submission and basic configuration can also be handled together.
Website security testing and reverse engineering testing are another line of work and do not conflict with SEO, but doing a basic security check before launch can prevent indexing from being affected after a site is compromised.
Three actionable recommendations
One, submit on the day of launch; do not wait until "everything is done." Search engines need time, so the earlier you submit, the earlier the clock starts.
Two, treat the sitemap as a long-term maintenance item. Every time you add sections or change structure, update it accordingly; do not submit once and then ignore it.
Three, verify indexing by searching the full company name. Two weeks after launch, search the "full company name." If the homepage appears, it is basically working; if not, go back and check robots and crawl diagnostics, and do not rush to change content.
Submitting to search engines is the cheapest and most easily overlooked part of the launch process. Spend half a day doing it right, and you will save a lot of explanation costs later.