Week 1 Setup Guide - AMCP SEO & Marketing

Complete step-by-step instructions for implementing all Week 1 setup tasks.

Overview

This week focuses on foundational setup that enables all future SEO and marketing efforts:

  • ✅ GitHub repository optimization
  • ✅ Google Search Console setup
  • ✅ Google Analytics configuration
  • ✅ Sitemap verification

Time Commitment: 2-3 hours total
Difficulty: Low to Medium
Impact: High (enables all future tracking and indexing)

Task 1: Update GitHub Repository Description & Topics

1.1 Update Repository Description

Step 1: Navigate to repository settings

  • Go to: https://github.com/agentmeshcommunicationprotocol/amcpcore.github.io
  • Click Settings (gear icon)
  • Look for “About” section on the right side of the page

Step 2: Update the description

  • Click the Edit button (pencil icon) in the About section
  • Clear the current description
  • Enter new description: 
    AMCP Core: Java Mobile Agentic Framework for Distributed Systems
  • Add website URL: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io
  • Click Save changes

Step 3: Verify

  • Refresh the page
  • Confirm description appears on repository homepage

1.2 Add GitHub Topics

Step 1: Access topics settings

  • Go to: https://github.com/agentmeshcommunicationprotocol/amcpcore.github.io/settings/general
  • Scroll to “Topics” section

Step 2: Add topics

  • Click in the topics field
  • Add each topic (press Enter after each):
    • java
    • agent-framework
    • distributed-systems
    • agent-mesh
    • agent-mobility
    • aglet
    • middleware
    • open-source

Step 3: Save

  • Topics auto-save
  • Verify all 8 topics appear

Step 4: Verify on repository page

  • Go to repository homepage
  • Scroll down to see topics displayed

✅ Checklist for Task 1

  • Repository description updated
  • Website URL added
  • All 8 topics added
  • Changes visible on repository page

Task 2: Add Google Search Console Verification Meta Tag

2.1 Create Google Search Console Property

Step 1: Go to Google Search Console

  • Visit: https://search.google.com/search-console/
  • Sign in with your Google account (create one if needed)

Step 2: Add property

  • Click Add property button
  • Select URL prefix option
  • Enter: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/
  • Click Continue

Step 3: Choose verification method

  • Select HTML tag from the verification methods
  • Copy the meta tag (it will look like): 
    <meta name="google-site-verification" content="XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" />
  • Save this code - you’ll need it in the next step

2.2 Add Verification Meta Tag to Website

Step 1: Update _config.yml

  • Open: /home/kalxav/CascadeProjects/amcp-github-pages/_config.yml
  • Find the line: google_search_console: # Add your verification code here
  • Replace with your verification code: 
    google_search_console: "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
  • Save the file

Step 2: Verify in layout template

  • The file _layouts/default.html has already been updated with: 
    <!-- Google Search Console Verification -->
  
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="Apib7-x98H0j5cPqHWwSMm6dNU4GmODRoqxLiDzdx9I" />
  • This automatically includes the meta tag when google_search_console is set in _config.yml

Step 3: Deploy changes

  • Commit and push to main branch: 
    git add _config.yml
git commit -m "Add Google Search Console verification"
git push origin main
  • Wait 2-5 minutes for GitHub Pages to rebuild

Step 4: Verify deployment

  • Visit: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/
  • Right-click → View Page Source
  • Search for google-site-verification
  • Confirm your verification code appears in the <head> section

Step 5: Complete verification in Google Search Console

  • Return to Google Search Console
  • Click Verify button
  • You should see: “Verification successful”
  • If not, wait a few minutes and try again

✅ Checklist for Task 2

  • Google Search Console property created
  • Verification code copied
  • _config.yml updated with verification code
  • Changes deployed to GitHub Pages
  • Meta tag visible in page source
  • Verification completed in GSC

Task 3: Set Up Google Analytics

3.1 Create Google Analytics 4 Property

Step 1: Go to Google Analytics

  • Visit: https://analytics.google.com/
  • Sign in with your Google account (same as GSC if possible)

Step 2: Create new property

  • Click Admin (bottom left)
  • In the “Property” column, click Create Property
  • Fill in property details:
    • Property name: “AMCP Website”
    • Reporting timezone: Select your timezone
    • Currency: USD
    • Click Create

Step 3: Set up data stream

  • Select Web as your platform
  • Enter website details:
    • Website URL: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io
    • Stream name: “AMCP Main Site”
    • Click Create stream

Step 4: Get tracking ID

  • After stream creation, you’ll see the Measurement ID
  • Format: G-XXXXXXXXXX
  • Copy this ID - you’ll need it next

3.2 Add Tracking to Website

Step 1: Update _config.yml

  • Open: /home/kalxav/CascadeProjects/amcp-github-pages/_config.yml
  • Find the line: google_analytics: # UA-XXXXXXXX-X
  • Replace with your Measurement ID: 
    google_analytics: "G-XXXXXXXXXX"
  • Save the file

Step 2: Verify in layout template

  • The file _layouts/default.html already has GA tracking code: 
    <!-- Analytics -->
  
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-0ZKTY3GTYQ"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-0ZKTY3GTYQ');
</script>
  • This automatically includes GA tracking when google_analytics is set

Step 3: Deploy changes

  • Commit and push: 
    git add _config.yml
git commit -m "Add Google Analytics tracking"
git push origin main
  • Wait 2-5 minutes for GitHub Pages to rebuild

Step 4: Verify tracking is working

  • Visit: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/
  • Right-click → View Page Source
  • Search for gtag or googletagmanager
  • Confirm GA tracking code appears

Step 5: Check in Google Analytics

  • Go back to Google Analytics
  • Click Realtime (left sidebar)
  • You should see yourself as an active user
  • If not, wait 1-2 minutes and refresh

✅ Checklist for Task 3

  • GA4 property created
  • Web data stream created
  • Measurement ID copied (G-XXXXXXXXXX)
  • _config.yml updated with Measurement ID
  • Changes deployed to GitHub Pages
  • GA tracking code visible in page source
  • Real-time user activity visible in GA

Task 4: Verify Sitemap Submission

4.1 Verify Sitemap Generation

Step 1: Check sitemap exists

  • Visit: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/sitemap.xml
  • You should see an XML file with all your pages listed
  • If not found, the jekyll-sitemap plugin may not be enabled

Step 2: Verify plugin is enabled

  • Open: /home/kalxav/CascadeProjects/amcp-github-pages/_config.yml
  • Look for the plugins: section
  • Confirm jekyll-sitemap is listed: ```yaml plugins:
    • jekyll-feed
    • jekyll-sitemap
    • jekyll-seo-tag ```
  • If missing, add it and redeploy

Step 3: Test locally (optional)

  • Run: bundle exec jekyll build
  • Check: _site/sitemap.xml exists
  • Open the file to verify it contains your pages

4.2 Submit Sitemap to Google Search Console

Step 1: Go to Google Search Console

  • Visit: https://search.google.com/search-console/
  • Select your property: agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io

Step 2: Submit sitemap

  • Click Sitemaps (left sidebar)
  • In the “Add a new sitemap” field, enter: 
    sitemap.xml
  • Click Submit
  • You should see: “Sitemap successfully submitted”

Step 3: Verify submission

  • The sitemap should appear in the list
  • Status should show: “Success”
  • Wait a few minutes for Google to process

4.3 Request Indexing of Main Page

Step 1: Use URL Inspection tool

  • In Google Search Console, click URL Inspection (top search bar)
  • Enter: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/
  • Press Enter

Step 2: Request indexing

  • Click Request indexing button
  • Confirm the request
  • You should see: “Indexing request received”

Step 3: Request indexing for key pages

  • Repeat the process for these pages:
    • /docs/getting-started/
    • /examples/
    • /whitepaper/

✅ Checklist for Task 4

  • Sitemap accessible at /sitemap.xml
  • Sitemap contains all pages
  • jekyll-sitemap plugin enabled in _config.yml
  • Sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
  • Submission status shows “Success”
  • Main page indexing requested
  • Key pages indexing requested

Verification Checklist - Complete Week 1

GitHub Repository

  • Description updated to: “AMCP Core: Java Mobile Agentic Framework for Distributed Systems”
  • Website URL added
  • All 8 topics added (java, agent-framework, distributed-systems, agent-mesh, agent-mobility, aglet, middleware, open-source)

Google Search Console

  • Property created for: https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/
  • Verification completed (status shows “Verified”)
  • Sitemap submitted (status shows “Success”)
  • Main page indexing requested

Google Analytics

  • GA4 property created
  • Web data stream created
  • Measurement ID added to _config.yml
  • Tracking code visible in page source
  • Real-time users visible in GA dashboard

Website Configuration

  • _config.yml updated with keywords
  • _config.yml updated with google_search_console code
  • _config.yml updated with google_analytics ID
  • _layouts/default.html includes GSC verification meta tag
  • _layouts/default.html includes GA tracking code
  • robots.txt exists and is accessible
  • All changes deployed to GitHub Pages

Troubleshooting

Issue: Google Search Console Verification Not Working

Solution:

  1. Verify meta tag is in <head> section (not in <body>)
  2. Check for typos in verification code
  3. Ensure _config.yml change is deployed
  4. Wait 5-10 minutes for GitHub Pages to rebuild
  5. Try alternative verification method (DNS or HTML file)

Issue: Google Analytics Not Showing Data

Solution:

  1. Verify Measurement ID is correct (starts with G-)
  2. Check GA tracking code is in page source
  3. Ensure jekyll.environment is set to ‘production’
  4. Wait 24 hours for data to appear
  5. Check GA filters aren’t blocking your IP

Issue: Sitemap Not Submitting

Solution:

  1. Verify sitemap.xml is accessible
  2. Check jekyll-sitemap plugin is enabled
  3. Rebuild site locally and check _site/sitemap.xml
  4. Try submitting just “sitemap.xml” (not full URL)
  5. Check for XML formatting errors

Issue: Changes Not Appearing on Live Site

Solution:

  1. Verify changes are committed and pushed
  2. Check GitHub Actions build status
  3. Wait 2-5 minutes for GitHub Pages to rebuild
  4. Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R)
  5. Check for build errors in GitHub Actions

Next Steps (Week 2)

Once Week 1 is complete:

  1. Monitor GSC: Check for new search queries
  2. Monitor GA: Track initial traffic
  3. Start Content Creation: Use BLOG_POST_TEMPLATES.md
  4. Plan Week 2: Review IMPLEMENTATION_CHECKLIST.md Phase 2

Important Notes

Security

  • Keep your Google Search Console verification code private
  • Don’t commit verification codes to public repositories
  • Use environment variables for sensitive data in production

Timing

  • Google Search Console verification: 5-30 minutes
  • Google Analytics data: 24 hours to appear
  • Sitemap indexing: 1-7 days
  • Page indexing: 1-14 days

Best Practices

  • Check GSC weekly for crawl errors
  • Monitor GA for traffic sources
  • Review robots.txt regularly
  • Keep _config.yml updated

Resources

Estimated Time to Complete: 2-3 hours
Difficulty Level: Low to Medium
Impact: High (enables all future tracking)

Status: Ready to implement
Last Updated: 2024

Quick Reference - Commands

Deploy changes:

git add _config.yml _layouts/default.html
git commit -m "Week 1 setup: GSC and GA configuration"
git push origin main

Check if changes deployed:

# View page source
curl -s https://agentmeshcommunicationprotocol.github.io/ | grep -i "google-site-verification\|gtag"

Build locally to test:

bundle exec jekyll build

Ready to start Week 1 setup? Follow the tasks above in order!