Google Search Console Setup Guide for kebaara.com

Current Configuration Status ✅

1. Domain Property Setup

• Primary Domain: kebaara.com (without www)
• CNAME Configuration: ✅ Set to kebaara.com
• Canonical URL: ✅ Configured in _config.yml
• Redirect Handling: ✅ Added canonical-redirect.js

2. Sitemap Configuration ✅

• Sitemap URL: https://kebaara.com/sitemap.xml
• Auto-generation: ✅ Via jekyll-sitemap plugin
• Robots.txt: ✅ References sitemap
• Collections: ✅ Includes projects and essays

3. SEO Optimization ✅

• Jekyll SEO Tag: ✅ Configured
• Meta Tags: ✅ Automated generation
• Structured Data: ✅ LocalBusiness schema for testimonials
• Canonical URLs: ✅ Per-page canonical links

Search Console Action Items

To Complete Setup:

1. Verify Domain Property in Search Console
   • Use Domain property: kebaara.com
   • Add DNS TXT record as provided by Google
   • This covers all variations (www, non-www, http, https)
2. Submit Sitemap
   • In Search Console, go to Sitemaps
   • Submit: sitemap.xml
   • Google will automatically discover ~20 pages
3. Monitor Coverage
   • Check “Coverage” report weekly
   • Look for crawl errors or indexing issues
   • Ensure all important pages are indexed
4. Set Up URL Inspection
   • Test key pages: home, projects, bio, testimonials
   • Request indexing for newly published content

Recommended Search Console Properties

Primary (Recommended):

• Domain Property: kebaara.com
  • Covers all subdomains and protocols
  • Provides unified reporting

Alternative (if needed):

• URL Prefix Properties:
  • https://kebaara.com/
  • https://www.kebaara.com/ (if supporting www)

Key Files for Search Console:

• sitemap.xml - Auto-generated, includes all pages
• robots.txt - Crawler instructions with sitemap reference
• _includes/head.html - Contains SEO meta tags and structured data
• js/canonical-redirect.js - Handles URL consistency
• _config.yml - Site configuration and SEO settings

Expected Search Console Results:

• Pages: ~20-25 discoverable pages
• Collections: Projects and Essays properly indexed
• Structured Data: LocalBusiness with review snippets
• Mobile Usability: Should pass (responsive design)
• Core Web Vitals: Monitor performance metrics

Next Steps:

1. Complete domain verification in Search Console
2. Submit sitemap.xml
3. Monitor indexing status over next 7 days
4. Review any crawl errors or coverage issues
5. Set up email alerts for critical issues