SOP: Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console (clean run)

SOP: Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console (clean run)
Follow in order — skipping a step is how 'Couldn't fetch' happens.

Step 1 — Verify the property first. ✅ Domain property preferred (covers http/https/www/non-www).

Step 2 — Open the file in a browser at its public URL. ✅ Returns 200, renders as XML, not a 404 page.

Step 3 — Confirm it's allowed: ✅ robots.txt does NOT block /sitemap.xml.

Step 4 — Add the Sitemap: directive line in robots.txt with the absolute URL.

Step 5 — Sitemaps report → enter path → Submit. Enter the index, not children.

Step 6 — Wait 24–48h. Status must read 'Success', not 'Couldn't fetch'.

Definition of done: status 'Success', 'Discovered URLs' count within 5% of your actual indexable page count, zero parse errors.