matt/Rocky_Mountain_Vending
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull requests Projects Releases Packages Wiki Activity Actions
Rocky_Mountain_Vending/SEO_SETUP.md
DMleadgen 46d973904b
Initial commit: Rocky Mountain Vending website 
Next.js website for Rocky Mountain Vending company featuring:
- Product catalog with Stripe integration
- Service areas and parts pages
- Admin dashboard with Clerk authentication
- SEO optimized pages with JSON-LD structured data

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
2026-02-12 16:22:15 -07:00

8.8 KiB
Raw Blame History

SEO and Google Search Console Setup Guide

This guide covers the complete setup process for SEO features, Google Search Console integration, and automated sitemap submission.

Table of Contents

  1. Environment Variables
  2. Google Search Console Setup
  3. Service Account Creation
  4. API Integration
  5. Testing
  6. Deployment Checklist

Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file in the code/ directory with the following variables:

# Site Configuration
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL=https://rockymountainvending.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://rockymountainvending.com

# Google Search Console API Configuration
# Required for automated sitemap submission and URL indexing

# Service Account Email (from Google Cloud Console)
GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_EMAIL=your-service-account@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com

# Private Key (from service account JSON key file)
# Note: Replace \n with actual newlines or use a single-line format
GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\nYour-Private-Key-Here\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----"

# Optional: Google Search Console Site URL
# Defaults to NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL if not set
GOOGLE_SITE_URL=https://rockymountainvending.com

Google Search Console Setup

Step 1: Verify Site Ownership

  1. Go to Google Search Console
  2. Click "Add Property"
  3. Select "URL prefix" and enter: https://rockymountainvending.com
  4. Choose a verification method:
    • HTML tag method: Add the verification meta tag to code/app/layout.tsx in the metadata.verification.google field
      • Uncomment the google line in the verification object
      • Add your verification code: google: "your-verification-code-here"
      • Or set GOOGLE_SITE_VERIFICATION environment variable
    • HTML file method: Upload the provided HTML file to your site root
    • DNS method: Add a TXT record to your domain's DNS settings

Step 2: Submit Sitemap (Manual - Initial Setup)

  1. In Google Search Console, go to "Sitemaps" in the left sidebar
  2. Enter sitemap.xml in the "Add a new sitemap" field
  3. Click "Submit"
  4. Wait for Google to process the sitemap (usually within a few hours)

Service Account Creation

Step 1: Create Google Cloud Project

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project or select an existing one
  3. Note your project ID

Step 2: Enable Search Console API

  1. In Google Cloud Console, go to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
  2. Search for "Google Search Console API"
  3. Click "Enable"

Step 3: Create Service Account

  1. Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
  2. Click "Create Credentials" > "Service Account"
  3. Fill in:
    • Service account name: search-console-api
    • Service account ID: (auto-generated)
    • Description: Service account for Search Console API access
  4. Click "Create and Continue"
  5. Skip role assignment (click "Continue")
  6. Click "Done"

Step 4: Generate JSON Key

  1. Click on the created service account
  2. Go to the "Keys" tab
  3. Click "Add Key" > "Create new key"
  4. Select "JSON" format
  5. Click "Create" - the JSON file will download automatically
  6. Important: Store this file securely and never commit it to version control

Step 5: Extract Credentials from JSON

Open the downloaded JSON file and extract:

  • client_email → Use as GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_EMAIL
  • private_key → Use as GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY (keep the newlines as \n)

Step 6: Grant Access in Search Console

  1. Go back to Google Search Console
  2. Select your property (https://rockymountainvending.com)
  3. Go to "Settings" > "Users and permissions"
  4. Click "Add user"
  5. Enter the service account email (from Step 4)
  6. Select "Full" permission
  7. Click "Add"

API Integration

Current Implementation

The API endpoints are set up at:

  • /api/sitemap-submit - Submit sitemap to Google Search Console
  • /api/request-indexing - Request URL indexing

Manual API Integration (Advanced)

To enable full automated functionality, you'll need to install the Google APIs client library:

npm install googleapis

Then update the API route files to use the actual Google Search Console API. See the comments in:

  • code/app/api/sitemap-submit/route.ts
  • code/app/api/request-indexing/route.ts

Automated Sitemap Submission

Once the API is fully configured, you can:

  1. On Build/Deploy: Automatically submit sitemap after successful deployment
  2. Via API Endpoint: Call /api/sitemap-submit programmatically
  3. Via Cron Job: Set up a scheduled task to submit sitemap periodically

Example API call:

curl -X POST https://rockymountainvending.com/api/sitemap-submit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"sitemapUrl": "https://rockymountainvending.com/sitemap.xml"}'

Testing

1. Verify Sitemap Accessibility

Visit: https://rockymountainvending.com/sitemap.xml

You should see a valid XML sitemap with all your pages listed.

2. Verify Robots.txt

Visit: https://rockymountainvending.com/robots.txt

You should see:

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /api/
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /_next/

Sitemap: https://rockymountainvending.com/sitemap.xml

3. Test Structured Data

  1. Go to Google Rich Results Test
  2. Enter your homepage URL: https://rockymountainvending.com
  3. Click "Test URL"
  4. Verify that LocalBusiness structured data is detected

4. Test NAP Consistency

  1. Check that phone number (435) 233-9668 appears consistently across:
    • Footer
    • Header
    • Contact section
    • Structured data
  2. Verify email info@rockymountainvending.com is consistent
  3. Check website URL is https://rockymountainvending.com everywhere

5. Test Google Search Console API

# Test sitemap submission endpoint
curl https://rockymountainvending.com/api/sitemap-submit

# Test indexing request endpoint
curl https://rockymountainvending.com/api/request-indexing

Deployment Checklist

Before deploying to production:

  • All environment variables are set in production environment
  • Google Search Console property is verified
  • Service account has been granted access in Search Console
  • Sitemap is accessible at /sitemap.xml
  • Robots.txt is accessible at /robots.txt
  • Structured data validates in Google Rich Results Test
  • NAP information is consistent across all pages
  • Open Graph tags are working (test with Facebook Sharing Debugger)
  • Twitter Card tags are working (test with Twitter Card Validator)
  • All service areas are listed correctly
  • Business hours are accurate

Post-Deployment

Immediate Actions

  1. Submit sitemap manually in Google Search Console (if not automated)
  2. Request indexing for homepage: Use "URL Inspection" tool in Search Console
  3. Monitor Search Console for any errors or warnings

Ongoing Maintenance

  1. Weekly: Check Google Search Console for:

    • Coverage issues
    • Indexing errors
    • Mobile usability issues
    • Core Web Vitals

  2. Monthly:

    • Review search performance
    • Update sitemap if new pages are added
    • Verify NAP consistency

  3. Quarterly:

    • Review and update structured data
    • Check service areas are still accurate
    • Update business hours if changed

Troubleshooting

Sitemap Not Found

  • Verify code/app/sitemap.ts exists
  • Check Next.js build output for sitemap generation
  • Ensure production URL is correct

Structured Data Errors

  • Use Google Rich Results Test to identify issues
  • Check JSON-LD syntax in browser DevTools
  • Verify all required fields are present

API Authentication Errors

  • Verify service account email is correct
  • Check private key format (newlines must be \n)
  • Ensure service account has Search Console access
  • Verify Search Console API is enabled in Google Cloud

NAP Inconsistencies

  • Use code/lib/seo-config.ts as single source of truth
  • Use NAPData component for consistent display
  • Check all hardcoded instances

Additional Resources

Support

For issues or questions:

  • Check the troubleshooting section above
  • Review Google Search Console documentation
  • Contact your development team