Does a KML file have to be indexed by Google?

[projectassistant]

I'm currently using the Yoast Local SEO plugin for WordPress to generate my KML file which is linked to from the GeoSitemap.  Check it out http://www.holycitycatering.com/sitemap_index.xml.

A competitor of mine just told me that this isn't correct and that the link to the KML should be a downloadable file that's indexed in Google.  This is the opposite of what Yoast is saying...  "He's wrong.  And the KML isn't a file, it's being rendered. You wouldn't want it to be indexed anyway, you just want Google to find the information in there.

What is the best way to create a KML?  Should it be indexed?

[Martijn_Scheijbeler]

There's one rule in SEO, Yoast is always right (not only because he's Dutch). But in this case he's right. By mentioning the KML file to Google it knows where it could be found. So it will trigger a visit to the file which get generated on the fly + by doing this it prevents you from being indexed.

[projectassistant]

How do you know know if Google can see the KML?  It's not been listed in any of the search results for our sites using this plugin and this competitor is telling my client I'm wrong because you can't see the file in Google Webmasters.

I guess the main question is if Google isn't indexing the KML and Webmaster Tools doesn't index it, how do we know it sees the file?

[WesleySmits]

If google webmaster tools doesn't return an error on when you test the sitemap then it should be indexing it fine.

[MikeTek]

Hi Anthony,

"Indexed in Google" is irrelevant here. Sitemap protocol and the searchable web index have little to do with each other directly (sitemap files are not searchable in the web index).

If you're following the instructions on this page, you're good. Geo sitemap tags are no longer supported by Google.

Note: When I click on the link to http://www.holycitycatering.com/geo_sitemap.xml your server returns a "page not found" error, so I'm not sure where your geo URLs are located...

-Mike

[projectassistant]

Hi Mike,

I think I'm starting to understand where you are going with this.  It sounds like I need to index the KML using a link from the footer of the site instead of from the geositemap that Yoast creates since Google won't crawl it or past it.

I read on Google Sitemap page:

"We recommmend that you tell Google about geographically-based URLs by including them in a regular Web Sitemap."

If the KML is referrenced in the sitemap_index.xml, then it's being seen by Google but if the geositemap.xml is between the sitemap_index.xml and the locations.kml, then it is hidden from Google.

All of this is being controlled by the an SEO plugin for WordPress from Yoast.  I am wondering if I need to create the KML manually and upload to the sitemap or if should I let Yoast continue to render it.  Mike, do you use a specific tool/plugin for KML creation for Wordpress websites?

[MikeTek]

Hi Anthony,

Sorry for the delay on this. In migrating over to the new Moz.com platform, Q&A messaging for admins has been a bit spotty.

You are right - geositemap.xml is using the "geo sitemap" protocol that Google no longer supports. This may cause Google not to follow the reference to locations.kml contained therein.

Unfortunately I don't have an alternative recommendation to Yoast's SEO plugin for this. Manually creating your XML may be your best option, or using software like GSiteCrawler to speed up the process, then manually add your KML file.

If this output from Yoast's plugin can't be manually configured, and the KML file is important enough to your goals that you consider it a top priority to have it crawled, it seems a clear choice to me to move away from this plugin and find a better solution. Unfortunately, I haven't dealt with KML files for WordPress in the past. I'd probably recommend site crawling software to speed up the process, then switching to manual to add this in.

Best,
Mike

[Yoast]

I'm sorry to say Mike above is wrong. He's been deceived by the file name and didn't actually look to see what it did I guess. Our geo_sitemap.xml file is a normal XML sitemap, linking to the KML file, it's not actually a geo sitemap, it's just named that way for historic reasons.

See the first question on this thread and Susan Moskwa's answer: https://plus.google.com/+SusanMoskwa/posts/CmZejMkLN4r

[MikeTek]

Thanks for chiming in on this, Joost.

I wasn't 100% certain that geo_sitemap.xml was a problem, but the xmlns reference to http://www.google.com/geo/schemas/sitemap/1.0 in line 2 I thought might be throwing Google off - I take it they'll just ignore this and crawl the doc as any other XML file?

Thanks again.

[Yoast]

Yeah we might as well ditch that but yeah it's crawled as a normal XML file as it doesn't give any errors at all in GWT.

[projectassistant]

Thanks for getting back!  I wanted to show you a screenshot of my GWT.  The geo_sitemap.xml is crawled with no errors but the locations.kml that it's linking to is never seen.  That being said, how it the KML being seen by Google?  Is there some way that I can verify?

nnEvZy7

[Yoast]

There isn't really a good way that I know of currently to verify Google has indexed it...