Important SEO Updates

11 June 2023
Brian D
A blue sky with a few clouds in it
A man is sitting at a desk using a laptop computer.

Important SEO Updates

Brian D
11 June 2023
A blue sky with a few clouds in it

5 Big Deal SEO Updates available in our website builder.

The new restaurant template

1 Upload your custom sitemap, robots.txt and other files

By default, the Nile builder automatically generates sitemap.xml and robots.txt files for each site. If you want to replace these with your own custom files, now you can. The new custom file upload option also supports ads.txt so feel free to upload it too, if you need to. 

To access the file upload, go to SEO & Site Settings in the editor, then scroll down to Custom sitemap, robots.txt & other files.


2 Store and multilingual pages now included in our default sitemap

To help you with your site’s SEO optimization, our default sitemap file will now include store pages (if the site includes one), and your site’s translated multilingual pages. All of this is done automatically behind the scenes for you, so you don’t have to do anything.


3 Additional no index & no follow settings in the platform

We’ve added several no index and no follow settings to give you more control over what search engines can crawl and index as you build your website. Here’s what you can now set to no index and no follow in the platform:

  1. The entire site - Tell Google and other search engines not to crawl and index the entire site. To do this, go to the SEO & Site Settings section, then scroll down to Set the entire site to no index, and click the toggle button to turn this on or off.
  2. Blog posts - You can choose to set a specific post to no index. To do this, go to that post’s settings and scroll down to Set post to no index. Click the toggle button to turn this on or off.
  3. 3 External links - When adding a link to your site, you’ll see that we’ve updated the Website URL linking settings. Now when you add an external link, you can check one or more of these new checkbox options: no follow, sponsored link (to tell search engines this link was paid for), and User Generated Content (to tell search engines this link’s authority and reliability can’t be vouched for).
  4. Downloadable files - Now you can set a downloadable file on your site to no index. This can be a good idea if, for example, your client’s site contains files that may serve site visitors, but might not align with the site’s overall SEO optimization. To do this, open the Media Manager and go to the Files tab. Select the file in question and then check the Set file to no index box below it.


4 New Google Tag Manager integration

We’ve integrated Google’s Tag Manager right into your site’s SEO & Site Settings, under Google Tools (formerly Google Analytics). The Google Tag Manager allows you to install and manage different marketing tags without any use of code. Some examples include Google Ads conversion scripts, Meta Pixel code, remarketing tags and more. 


This adds Google Tag Manager into every page of your site for you automatically.


5 Add images’ alt text in the Tabs widget

We’ve added an image alt text field you can use in the Tabs widget, to provide details about each tab’s image. Adding image alt tags is important because it lets search engines better understand what the purpose of the image is. In addition, the alt tag serves as an accessibility aid for site visitors who aren’t able to view the image.


More Posts

by Brian Hallam 17 September 2025
Is Your Website Ready for AI Search? Here’s Why It Matters
A shield with VP written inside it.
by BrianD 28 April 2024
It's like a secret tunnel that takes your internet traffic and shrouds it in a cloak of invisibility. 🔒🕵️‍♂️
A close up of a circuit board with a light coming out of it.
by "David the Tech Nerd" 17 April 2024
Why Surge Protectors Are Your Devices' Best Friends! ⚡️🔥
Show More

Share this Post

Shopify eCommerce Stores

Shopify

eCommerce Stores

Reach customers worldwide and boost sales with Shopify's versatile platform. Whether you're selling online, in-store, or across borders, our marketing tools, social integrations, and sales channels will help you connect with buyers and showcase your products effectively.


Join our global commerce community and take advantage of our limited-time offer: pay just $1 per month for the first three months. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!

Start A Free Trial
A person is using a tablet to pay for a pair of shoes.
A person is using a tablet to pay for a pair of shoes.

Reach customers worldwide and boost sales with Shopify's versatile platform. Whether you're selling online, in-store, or across borders, our marketing tools, social integrations, and sales channels will help you connect with buyers and showcase your products effectively.


Join our global commerce community and take advantage of our limited-time offer: pay just $1 per month for the first three months. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!

Start A Free Trial