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We're using an e-commerce platform that's making things a bit unclear on how I should proceed with Google Webmaster Tools.

Let's say we have a store domain at: https://store.mystore.com and within that store we have different broad categories that they treat like different stores.

For example we have two categories: blue widgets and red widgets.

store.mystore.com/en-us/blue-widgets

store.mystore.com/en-us/red-widgets

This platform treats both of those URLS as separate sites, and one of those is set to the default home page: when you enter" store.mystore.com, you're redirected to store.mystore.com/en-us/blue-widgets.

When i do a crawl test of store.mystore.com in GWT, it does tell me it's redirected.

Should I add both /en-us/blue-widgets and /en-us/red-widgets as separate sites within Webmaster tools?

And I guess the answer to that question will dictate how I handle generating a sitemap(s).

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  • "When i do a crawl test of store.mystore.com in GWT, it does tell me it's redirected." are you trying www, http, https? Also, does store.mystore.com redirect to something like store.mystore.com/landingpage1 or does it stay at store.mystore.com
    – dasickle
    Commented Jan 8, 2015 at 19:27
  • @dasickle Sorry, I should have been more clear on that. When I do a crawl test, I am including "https" along with it. It tells me that "https: //store.mystore.com" is redirected to "https: //store.mystore.com/en-us/blue-widgets, which is fine. That is how VirtoCommerce works. I'm just unsure really what to do with GWT and sitemaps. Yeah, when you enter "https: //store.mystore.com" into the browser toolbar, you're redirected to "https: //store.mystore.com/en-us/blue-widgets".
    – Anthony GP
    Commented Jan 8, 2015 at 20:06

1 Answer 1

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Google considers your entire domain name to be a single website. Your sitemap should include URLs from both areas of your site. You'll want to register your base site (just the domain name) in Google Webmaster Tools.

You may also register the directories in Google Webmaster Tools separately. They would give you some insight into the keywords keywords and rankings for the pages in each section separately. Registering them separately would just be for your benefit. You would still submit sitemaps to the main site.

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  • Just to be sure: We have a long established site that's been registered in GWT for years: (http: //www. mystore.com), and now I'm trying to add a subdomain of that site to GWT: ( http:// store. mystore.com). I added the subdomain as a separate site in GWT, and when I did the crawl check it says it's redirected. Which is correct. The platform we use redirects that URL to ("https:// store.mystore.com/en-us/blue-widgets) The platform we use considers the "blue widgets" a separate site completely from "red widgets". With that being said, your answer still stands? Should I not register the sub?
    – Anthony GP
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 20:23
  • Registering subdomains in WMT has no bearing on how Google treats your site in search results. I often register subdomains or subdirectories to see separate stats for them. If you register just mystore.com (no www) it will be the rollup of all your subdomains (including www).
    – Stephen Ostermiller ♦
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 20:36

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