Google Sitemaps

[frederick.ding]

I found out about the new Google service called Sitemaps and tried submitting two of my web sites. One of them, http://www.freddywareforums.be, had a problem.

When you submit a site, it asks you to verify that you're the owner of the site by creating an empty file with a long filename exclusive to your account. I created it successfully for the first site, but when I tried submitting it for freddywareforums.be, Google was able to verify its existence BUT could not allow me to verify my account simply because my host puts a custom 404 page. Apparently, you mustn't have a custom error page because then it's a file with a 200 OK header, and Google only accepts sites where the 404 page is simply a header and does not submit a 200 OK message.

Does anyone have any idea how to get around this? My host is definitely not changing the 404 because they make money off the ads.

[Fergal]

What hosting control panel do you have access to for that site?

[frederick.ding]

I have cPanel, but my host has disabled some of the functions, such as the "Custom Error Pages" because the host puts ads on the 404 pages and makes money off of it.

[nguyenvanthoai]

Just a question, what do you receive when accessing the verification file yourself? A 404 or something?

[frederick.ding]

The message about my server submitting a 200 OK message isn't about the verification file. After the verification file is located by Google Sitemaps, the robot requests a file or directory that cannot exist, thus verifying the 404 message. When accessing the verification file myself, I get an empty page (a 200 OK message, like it's supposed to be for a file that exists).

[sasho_metallico]

But the 404 error page doesn't matter! I can't understand why they want it that way?
I can't put this sitemap or client or something on my site. I just don't know how.
My site is a ready to use management system. I'll ask them :>