Website Builder: Set Up SEO for Your Services Website

You can turn on SEO for your Cohere services website so search engines and AI tools can find and list your pages.

When SEO is on, Cohere generates the technical files search engines look for:

• an XML sitemap listing every page on your website
• a robots.txt file telling search crawlers how to access your site
• a title for each page, built from your website and service names

You do not need coding knowledge, plugins, or any manual file uploads.

What this feature does

SEO Setup lets you:

• turn SEO on for your services website in one click
• see the exact list of pages and page titles Cohere prepared
• refresh SEO after you add or change pages
• turn SEO off again without losing your web addresses or your own content

SEO Setup makes your site discoverable. It does not guarantee a ranking position, and it does not write marketing copy or keyword strategy for you. Search engines decide when and how to list your pages, and that usually takes days or weeks after setup.

Before you start

SEO has two requirements:

1. Your website runs on a verified custom domain.
2. Every landing page linked from your website uses that same custom domain.

Requirement 1: A verified custom domain for your website

Sites on a Cohere subdomain, for example yourbizname.cohere.live, are not supported. If your website is still on a Cohere subdomain, the SEO section shows SEO is unavailable and the Setup SEO button is inactive.

To make SEO available:

1. Connect your own domain using the Website + Landing Pages setup type. See Connecting Your Domain for Your Cohere Website and Landing Pages.
2. Wait for the domain to finish verification. DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate.
3. Set that domain as your primary website domain in My Account, Website.

Domains connected with the Landing Pages Only setup type cannot be set as your primary website domain, so they do not make SEO available for your services website.

Custom domains are available on paid plans that include the Custom Domain feature. If you do not see domain options in your account, check your plan on the Cohere pricing page.

Requirement 2: Landing pages on the same domain as your website

Every landing page linked from your website must live on the same custom domain as the website itself. If some of your service landing pages or lead magnet pages are still on a Cohere subdomain or on a different connected domain, SEO cannot be set up and you will see this message:

SEO requires every linked landing page to use the same custom domain as your website. Move the affected landing pages onto your website domain to continue.

This requirement exists because search engines treat each domain as a separate site. A website that links out to pages on a different domain sends visitors and crawlers away from the site you are trying to get listed.

Image placement: Mixed domain warning

Add a screenshot of the SEO section showing the mixed domain message, including:

• the full warning text
• whether the Setup SEO button is active or inactive in this state
• any link or action offered for resolving it

How to move a landing page onto your website domain

For each affected landing page:

1. Open the service or lead magnet the page belongs to.
2. Open the Customize Links option for that page.
3. Change the domain to your primary website domain.
4. Save.

Changing a landing page domain changes that page's web address. Update any links you have already shared, for example in emails, ads, or social posts, so they point at the new address.

Once every linked landing page uses your website domain, return to the website builder and the SEO section becomes available.

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How to set up SEO

Step 1: Open your Website Builder

Go to My Account, Website to open the website builder for your services website.

You can also open it directly: Open Website Builder

Step 2: Open the SEO section

In the website builder, find the SEO section in the right sidebar. Use the arrow on the right of the section header to expand or collapse it.

Under the heading you will see the description Help people find your website across search engines and AI, followed by the current SEO state.

Image placement: SEO section before setup

Add a screenshot of the SEO section on a website that meets both requirements but has not set up SEO yet, showing:

• the SEO section header with no On badge
• the description line
• an active Setup SEO button

Step 3: Click Setup SEO

Click Setup SEO. Cohere generates the sitemap, the robots.txt file, and a title for each page on your website.

When setup finishes, the section updates to the on state:

• an On badge appears next to the SEO heading
• a confirmation panel appears reading Your website is set up for Google, with the number of pages prepared and when they were last updated
• a See what we set up link appears
• the button changes to Refresh SEO
• a Turn off SEO link appears below the button

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What happens after SEO is set up

The page count in the confirmation panel, for example 17 pages ready, is the number of pages Cohere prepared for search engines. It includes your home page and the section pages generated from your services, such as group courses, 1:1 coaching, communities, and memberships.

Last updated shows when Cohere last generated these files. It does not mean Google has visited your site since then.

Search engines find and list pages on their own schedule. Expect days to weeks before your pages start appearing in search results, and longer for a brand new domain.

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Seeing what Cohere set up

Click See what we set up to open the What we set up window.

The window lists every page Cohere prepared. Each row shows:

• the page title search engines will see, for example Group Courses | Healing for deeper alignment, clarity, and inner peace
• the web address path for that page, for example /group-courses

Your home page appears at the top with the path /.

The list scrolls when you have more pages than fit in the window. Close the window using Close, Done, or the X icon.

Use this list to check that the pages you expect are included and that the titles read the way you want them to.

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Refreshing SEO

Once SEO is on, the button in the SEO section becomes Refresh SEO.

Click Refresh SEO after you change your website in ways that affect your pages, such as:

• publishing a new service that adds a page to your site
• removing a service
• changing your website name or service names, which changes page titles

Refreshing regenerates the sitemap, the robots.txt file, and your page titles, then updates the page count and the Last updated timestamp.

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Turning SEO off

Click Turn off SEO below the button. A confirmation window appears titled Turn off SEO? explaining what changes:

• over the next few weeks, Google may stop showing your site under your own name
• your web addresses stay the same, so existing links keep working
• anything you wrote yourself is saved, and Cohere puts it back if you turn SEO on again

Click Turn off SEO to confirm, or Cancel to keep SEO on.

Turning SEO off is reversible. Turning it back on restores your saved content, but search engines still need time to re-list your pages.

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Editing your website after SEO is set up

If you add, rename, or remove pages

Your existing SEO setup stays in place, but it reflects your site as it was at the last update. Click Refresh SEO so the sitemap and page titles match your current site.

If you move a landing page to a different domain

Your website and its linked landing pages need to stay on the same custom domain. Moving a landing page onto a different domain after SEO is set up breaks that requirement, and you will see the mixed domain message again.

Move the page back onto your website domain, then click Refresh SEO.

If you change your primary website domain

SEO is tied to the domain your website is served from. After switching to a different verified custom domain, click Refresh SEO so your files point at the new address.

Search engines treat a new domain as a new site, so it takes time for your pages to be re-listed under the new address.

If you disconnect your custom domain

Your website returns to a Cohere subdomain, which SEO does not support. The SEO section returns to the SEO is unavailable state. Reconnect a verified custom domain to make SEO available again.

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Quick FAQ

Why can I not set up SEO?

There are two reasons. Either your website is still on a Cohere subdomain, or one or more landing pages linked from your website sit on a different domain. The message in the SEO section tells you which one applies.

Why do my landing pages have to be on the same domain?

Search engines treat each domain as a separate site. If your website links out to pages on another domain, those pages count towards a different site and your own site looks smaller and less connected than it is.

What happens to links I have already shared if I move a landing page?

Moving a landing page onto your website domain changes its web address. Links you shared previously will no longer point at the page, so update them in your emails, ads, and social posts.

Do I need to create a sitemap or robots.txt file myself?

No. Cohere generates and hosts both files for you when you set up SEO.

How soon will my site show up on Google?

There is no fixed timeline. Search engines crawl and list sites on their own schedule, usually over days to weeks.

Does turning SEO off delete my pages or change my links?

No. Your web addresses stay the same and your own content is saved. Only the search engine setup is removed, and it comes back when you turn SEO on again.

Do I need to refresh SEO every time I edit my website?

Only when the change affects your pages, such as adding or removing a service, or renaming something that appears in a page title.

Does SEO Setup write my page descriptions or keywords for me?

SEO Setup prepares the technical files and page titles. The words on your pages are still yours to write.

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Summary

Use SEO Setup when your services website is live on your own domain and you want search engines and AI tools to find it.

In short:

1. Connect and verify a custom domain using the Website + Landing Pages setup, and set it as your primary website domain
2. Move every linked landing page onto that same domain
3. Open My Account, Website
4. Expand the SEO section in the right sidebar
5. Click Setup SEO
6. Click See what we set up to review your pages and titles
7. Click Refresh SEO whenever you add or change pages

Need help?

If you get stuck or have questions, reach our team at support@cohere.live and we will get back to you quickly.