Shopify Sitemap: How to Find, Create, Edit & Submit Sitemap

Did you know that the effectiveness of your online store hinges on the meticulous organization of your e-commerce sitemap? With the exponential growth of e-commerce, ensuring that your Shopify sitemap is optimally structured is more crucial than ever. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the pivotal role Shopify sitemaps play in enhancing your online store's visibility, user experience, and, ultimately, e-commerce success.

What is the Sitemaps on Shopify?

In the realm of e-commerce, a sitemap serves as your store's virtual GPS, guiding both search engines and visitors to navigate your online space effectively. It's essentially a structured list of all the pages on your website, providing an organized layout that simplifies the user experience. A well-constructed sitemap ensures that all your pages are accessible, indexed by search engines, and readily available to potential customers. It's your digital compass leading the way to e-commerce success.

A sitemap may contain distinct details, including priority levels and update frequencies. E-commerce Sitemaps come in multiple formats, including XML, HTML, and TXT. In essence, Sitemaps are a vital resource that improves website visibility, structure, and user engagement.

Benefits of a Well-Structured Sitemap

A well-structured sitemap is the backbone of a successful e-commerce website. It's not just a tool for search engines; it's your roadmap to a more organized and user-friendly online store. In this section, we'll explore the numerous benefits of having a thoughtfully crafted sitemap for your Shopify store.

Enhanced User Navigation

A well-structured sitemap on your Shopify store enhances user navigation, making it easier for customers to find what they want. With a clear and organized layout of your website's structure, shoppers can seamlessly browse through your product categories, locate specific items, and explore related content. 

This intuitive navigation not only improves the overall user experience but also increases the chances of conversions, as contented clients are more inclined to  complete their purchases.

Better Search Engine Crawling

A well-structured sitemap is vital in optimizing your Shopify store for search engine crawling. Search engines like Google rely on sitemaps to understand your website's structure and index its pages effectively. 

By providing a clear roadmap of your site's content, a well-organized sitemap helps search engines discover and crawl your pages more efficiently. When search engines can explore your website with ease, your e-commerce store is more likely to rank higher, attracting a broader audience and potential customers.

Improved SEO

A well-structured sitemap not only facilitates search engine crawling but also contributes to improved SEO. WWhen search engines effectively index your ecommerce site, it's more likely to appear in relevant search results. This enhanced exposure may result in more organic traffic and a broader reach. 

Additionally, a well-organized sitemap highlights important pages, keywords, and content, positively impacting your SEO strategy. By leveraging a structured sitemap, you'll be on your way to climbing search engine rankings and boosting your online presence.

Increased Discoverability

One of the key benefits of a well-structured sitemap is increased discoverability for your online store. When your website's content is organized clearly and logically within the Sitemap, consumers and search engines find it simpler to find and navigate through your pages. 

This enhanced discoverability can lead to more visitors exploring your products and content, ultimately increasing your chances of attracting potential customers. As a result, a well-structured sitemap becomes a valuable tool for expanding your online reach and making your e-commerce site more accessible to your target audience.

Mobile Friendliness

With a thoughtfully designed sitemap, you ensure that your website is not only accessible and easy to navigate on desktop devices but also on mobile phones and tablets. This enhances the user experience for visitors accessing your e-commerce site from various devices. Furthermore, search engines often prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their rankings, making a well-structured sitemap a valuable asset for improving your site's mobile performance and overall SEO.

Reduction in Duplicate Content

A well-structured sitemap reduces duplicate content issues on your e-commerce website. Your search engine and user experience results may be better if you have the same material.

By giving search engine crawlers a defined route to follow, your Sitemap helps prevent the indexing of duplicate pages, ensuring that your site's content is properly organized and presented to both users and search engines. This reduction in the same content not only improves SEO but also streamlines your website's overall performance and user satisfaction.

A meticulously designed sitemap not only enhances your website's SEO but also elevates the overall shopping experience for your customers. But there's more to this journey. Optimizing your Shopify sitemap and product pages goes hand in hand. It's not just about ensuring product availability but also about delivering an exceptional shopping experience. EComposer - Shopify Page Builder makes this process a breeze.

EComposer empowers you to create stunning pages for your Shopify store, including Homepages, Landing Pages, Product pages, Collection Pages to Footer, FAQs Pages, etc. 

Whether a beginner or a seasoned pro, you can quickly build a professional website using EComposer's user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and a vast library of premade layouts. Unlock the potential of your store with stunning product templates using EComposer. Try it for free today! 

In the following sections, we'll delve deeper into how to create and optimize your Shopify sitemap for maximum benefits.

Difference between XML and HTML sitemaps

Let's delve into the details of HTML and XML sitemaps, shedding light on their distinctions and commonalities and how they can impact your website's overall performance. These differences are far from subtle, and it's crucial to have a clear understanding of their unique purposes.

HTML vs. XML Sitemap Purposes

• XML sitemaps primarily serve search engines by helping them discover your site's pages, assess their importance, and, in turn, make your content accessible to a broader audience.

• HTML sitemaps, on the other hand, are designed to enhance the user experience. They offer an easily navigable layout of your site's structure, complete with clickable links and additional user-relevant information.

Example of HTML Sitemap

Creating XML and HTML Sitemaps

Creating an HTML sitemap involves generating a web page within your site that lists links to all the pages and sections of your website, providing a convenient navigational tool for human visitors.

Making a file that contains a list of every page on your website is necessary to create an XML sitemap, facilitating efficient indexing and crawling by search engines to enhance your website's visibility in search results. We'll delve into finding an XML Sitemap in more detail shortly.

SEO Implications

• An XML sitemap plays a pivotal role in SEO, offering direct access to search engines and significantly boosting your site's rankings.

• HTML sitemaps are more user-oriented, assisting visitors in finding their way around your site. Although HTML sitemaps once impacted search engine results, XML sitemaps have taken center stage for their superior SEO capabilities.

XML vs. HTML Sitemaps for Human Users

HTML sitemaps cater to human users seeking efficient site navigation. Placed prominently, often in a website's footer, they enable users to handpick critical pages and effortlessly access them. With HTML sitemaps, page priority, and significance are determined by individual preferences, not a computer bot that reads and ranks the complicated data through an XML sitemap.

Limitations and Considerations

User errors, such as failing to update an XML sitemap when new content is added, can hinder SEO effectiveness. Additionally, assuming that a content management system (CMS) handles sitemaps without verification can lead to site structure issues. Understanding the differences between sitemaps, user flow diagrams, and wireframes is vital for creating an optimal user experience.

In summary, HTML and XML sitemaps serve distinct purposes, and understanding when and how to use them is essential for website success.

3 Steps to find your Shopify sitemap

To harness the power of your Shopify sitemap, you first need to locate it. Fortunately, this process is more complex than it may sound. In this section, we'll walk you through the steps to find your Shopify sitemap quickly and effortlessly. Once you've seen it, you can optimize it for better SEO and user experience.

Here is How to Locate the Sitemap in Your Site's Root Directory

Step 1: Open Your Web Browser

• Open a web browser and type the following URL: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml
• Replace "example.com" with your Shopify store's domain.

Example of Bluepeach Shopify Parent Sitemap

Step 2: Access Your Main Sitemap (Parent Sitemap)

• The URL will lead you to your main Sitemap, often called the parent sitemap or sitemap index.

• This main sitemap links to all the child sitemaps, which contain the URLs of specific pages on your website.

Step 3: Explore Child Sitemaps

• You can choose to submit the sitemap index to search engines, eliminating the need to submit each Sitemap. 
• Search engines can access the individual sitemaps by following the links provided in the sitemap index.

Example of Bluepeach Shopify Child Sitemap

By mastering these steps, you're on the path to utilizing your Shopify sitemap effectively for e-commerce success. Your Sitemap is your roadmap to win, and understanding its importance can significantly benefit your online store.

How to Submit Sitemaps to Search Engines

Submitting your sitemaps to search engines is a pivotal step in ensuring your Shopify store's online presence is visible and accessible. Google and Bing, among other search engines, depend on sitemaps to understand and index the content on your website effectively. By taking these steps, you're actively working to improve your store's discoverability, user experience, and, ultimately, your e-commerce success.

1. Getting Started

Before embarking on the journey of submitting your site to search engines, a few prerequisites should be in place. Initially, you must possess the capability to access and modify your website.

Although backend access isn't obligatory for site submission to search engines, it can be advantageous for future enhancements. For instance:

• If your website lacks a sitemap.
• If your website necessitates a robots.txt file.
• If there's no Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools integration.

Possessing access to your site significantly streamlines the process of implementing these essential elements. These elements are pivotal prerequisites for ensuring your site's indexation. Notably, an adequately configured sitemap stands as one of the most critical measures for enhancing the discoverability of your site by search engines.

2. Google Search Console

• Step 1: Sign in to Google Search Console Commence by logging into your Google Search Console account.

Next, navigate to the top left corner and choose the website for which you intend to submit a sitemap, especially if you manage multiple properties under a single account.

• Step 2: Access the 'Sitemaps' Report. Locate the "Sitemaps" report within the left sidebar menu under the "Indexing" category.

• Step 3: Identify the URL of Your Sitemap Sitemaps you have found in the previous section

• Step 4: Incorporate a New Sitemap Now, you can include your sitemap in the “Add a new sitemap” segment within the “Sitemaps” report. Paste the URL and select "Send."

A confirmation message will affirm that your sitemap submission was successful.

Over time, you will find your sitemap listed under “Submitted sitemaps.” It provides details regarding the submission date, the most recent reading, and the number of pages Google has identified within it.

Most significantly, it will indicate the status of your sitemap submission. A "Success" status, displayed in green, shows no issues have arisen.

However, if a status such as “Couldn't fetch” or “Has errors” appears, it is essential to adhere to the report's recommendations to rectify the encountered issues. For a more in-depth understanding of potential issues and methods for detection, you can refer to the "Sitemap Issues" section within this post.

3. Bing Webmaster Tools

• Step 1: Access Bing Webmaster Tools

Commence the process by logging into Bing Webmaster Tools and selecting your designated website.

• Step 2: Navigating to the Sitemaps Section

Within your Webmaster Tools dashboard, locate and access the "Sitemaps" section from the left sidebar menu. 

This section houses all the sitemaps and feeds associated with your website, including those submitted, imported from Google Search Console, or organically discovered by Bing. Consider removing any outdated sitemaps that are no longer relevant to your website.

• Step 3: Submission of Your Sitemap

To submit your sitemap, click the "Submit Sitemap" button. 

Concluding this step, click the "Submit" button. This action successfully submits your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools, initiating Bing's process of crawling all the links encompassed within the submitted sitemap(s).

4. Yahoo Site Explorer

Given that Bing is responsible for powering Yahoo's search engine, there is no need for a distinct website submission to Yahoo if you have already integrated Bing Webmaster Tools. Regrettably, Yahoo does not offer a specific website submission service or tool for indexing.

5. Yandex.Webmaster

• Step 1: Register with Yandex

             - Visit Yandex's registration page.

             - Fill in your details.

             - Provide your mobile number for verification.

             - Enter the confirmation code and accept the terms to finish registration.

• Step 2: Add Your Website

             - Log in to Yandex Webmaster Tools and select "Go."

             - Click "Add site" or use the "+" icon to add your website.

             - Enter your total domain name and click "Add."

• Step 3: Verify Your Website

             - Choose the Meta tag option for verification.

             - Copy the code from Yandex's Meta tag tab.

             - Add this tag to the HTML code of your Shopify site’s homepage 

             - Save your changes.

             - Return to Yandex Webmaster Tools and click "Check" for verification.

• Step 4: Submit Your Sitemap

             - Go to "Indexing," then "Sitemap files" in your Yandex dashboard.

             - Enter your sitemap URL.

             - Click "Add" to submit your sitemap.

You can find your sitemap link in your SEO plugin. Your Sitemap will enter a processing queue, which might take a few days. Remember to check back later to see how it's progressing. And that's it! In the meantime, you can explore other Yandex Webmaster tools, which are helpful, especially if you haven't tried them before.

In summary, creating and submitting sitemaps to search engines plays a crucial role in your e-commerce journey. These sitemaps are your store's roadmap to digital success, guiding users and search engines through your content efficiently. Remember to underestimate the power of a well-structured sitemap in enhancing your SEO efforts and driving traffic to your Shopify store. Keep your sitemaps up-to-date and enjoy the rewards of improved search engine rankings and a smoother user experience.

How to custom Shopify Sitemap

When it comes to your Shopify sitemap, customization is the key to ensuring it aligns perfectly with your e-commerce goals. One approach involves creating and uploading a static Shopify XML sitemap and setting up a 301 redirect from a webpage. This method allows you more control over the pages included. However, it's crucial to exercise caution to avoid confusing search engine crawlers.

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Generating a blank sitemap with no URLs.
• Neglecting vital pages and content.
• Incorporating URLs with status codes other than 200, such as redirects or 404 pages.
• Adding non-canonical URLs, indicating alternative versions.
• Exceeding the sitemap limit, typically 50,000 URLs or 50 MB.
• Validate the sitemap.xml by ensuring it adheres to the sitemap protocol set by Sitemaps.org. For example, it should begin with <urlset> and end with </urlset> tags, specify the appropriate namespace, and contain a <url> tag for each URL, featuring a <loc> tag inside.

Another option is to employ apps from the Shopify App Store to modify sitemaps. 

However, it's often advisable to stick with default sitemaps and settings. Why? Because Shopify automatically updates these sitemaps regularly, ensuring they stay current and reducing the potential for errors.

Top 5 Shopify Sitemap Apps

1. Sitemapper Pro Sitemap Builder

One significant factor causing customers to exit a store without making a purchase is their inability to locate desired items. Sitemapper addresses this issue by generating a sitemap page that compiles a comprehensive list of all available products, simplifying the shopping experience for customers and facilitating their purchases. 

Through links to all your pages, Sitemapper reshapes your store's structure into a more "streamlined" format, a preference of search engines. Consequently, search engines index your pages and present your store in pertinent search results.

Feature Highlights

• Boost sales by expediting the discovery of desired products for customers.
• Elevate your store's SEO and bolster its visibility on Google and Bing search results.
• Streamline your processes with automatic synchronization, ensuring all page and product updates are efficiently managed.

Pricing & Plans

Rating & Review

• Rating: 4.6 ⭐
• Review: Merchants praise this app for its SEO and navigation benefits, user-friendly setup, and content synchronization. Quick issue resolution by the support team and enhanced Google rankings are noted. The customization service gives sitemaps a professional look, making them a great value.

2. SEO Sitemap Builder

Sitemap Builder automatically generates an HTML sitemap upon installation. This sitemap simplifies product discovery for customers by listing all your items and aids Google in understanding your product range, potentially enhancing your SEO ranking. If you struggle  to attract organic Google traffic, an HTML sitemap can be a valuable SEO improvement tool.

Feature Highlights

• Boost sales by expediting the discovery of desired products for customers.
• Elevate your store's SEO and bolster its visibility on Google and Bing search results.
• Streamline your processes with automatic synchronization, ensuring all page and product updates are efficiently managed.

Pricing & Plans

• 7-DAY Free Trial
• Sitemap Builder:  $3.95 monthly, allows you the Automatic HTML Sitemap, Updates Sitemap Immediately, Free Customization to Match Your Store, SEO Friendly, Unlimited Products and Fast Support.

Rating & Review

• Rating: 4.7 ⭐
• Review: Store owners highly appreciate this user-friendly app, particularly if they lack technical expertise. Whenever issues arise, the responsive support team swiftly assists. Users also admire the app's automated sitemap maintenance, which reduces their workload. On the other hand, the app does not offer Free or different choices; you have to pay in advance with only one option.

3. Easy Image Sitemap

The Easy Image Sitemap app handles the entire process of creating, submitting to Google Search Console, verifying, tracking, and maintaining a fully compliant .xml Google Image Sitemap for every image linked to your store's products, blog posts, and pages, all in real time.

Feature Highlights

• Create and send image sitemaps that adhere to all requirements.
• Keep track of your Google Indexing information over an extended period.
• Guarantee that Google consistently has access to your most up-to-date data.

Pricing & Plans

Rating & Review

• Rating: 4.7 ⭐
• Review: Users hold this app in high regard, primarily due to its user-friendliness. The responsive support team promptly alleviates customer concerns, making their experience seamless. Furthermore, the app provides a variety of installation packages catering to diverse customer needs.

4. Magical XML/HTML Sitemap

A quick and simple method for creating, modifying, and sharing your HTML sitemap. The Magical XML/HTML Sitemap app provides all the tools you need to link your XML sitemap to Google and maintain bespoke HTML sitemaps, which are crucial for assisting people in navigating and discovering all of your pages and items. 

These tools will help to improve your website's search engine optimization. With its easy-to-use sitemap builder and many customizable options, you can quickly set up and run the app.

Feature Highlights

• Include an editable HTML sitemap
• With Google SEO, link to your XML sitemap.
• Make your sitemap distinctive by adding custom layouts and themes.
• Utilize rules to have your HTML sitemap automatically updated with fresh material.

Pricing & Plans: Free to use

Rating & Review

• Rating: 4.9 ⭐
• Review: While the app comes at no cost, it offers a remarkably straightforward setup process, requiring no technical expertise. Surprisingly, the customer service exceeds expectations, and it provides explicit instructions, including concise explanatory videos.

5. Sitemap NoIndex Pro

The Sitemap NoIndex Pro app unlocks an online store's SEO potential. It generates an SEO-optimized HTML sitemap, offers customization of Shopify's XML sitemap by removing undesirable pages, and provides control over crawling using NoIndex/NoFollow meta tags. This enhances the store's visibility, addresses duplicate content concerns, and improves indexation for Google SEO and various search engines.

Feature Highlights

• Instantly create an HTML sitemap that's Google SEO-friendly with our HTML Sitemap Builder.
• Edit your XML sitemap and submit it to search engines.
• Manage search engine crawling using NoIndex and NoFollow Meta Tags to exclude specific pages.
• Optimize sitemaps and meta tags to maximize search coverage and indexation.
• Keep your sitemap and SEO strategy current with automatic updates.

Pricing & Plans: 

• 7-DAY Free Trial
• Sitemap Builder:  $3.49 per month, allows you to Unlimited access to everything

Rating & Review

• Rating: 5.0 ⭐
• Review: The app offers a single pricing package, but users are delighted with its performance. It not only functions effectively with an intuitive setup but also boasts excellent customer service. Moreover, it gives users great flexibility and full control over crawl settings.

FAQs / Common Issues with Shopify Sitemaps

1. Do I need to create both XML and HTML sitemaps for my Shopify store?

Creating XML and HTML sitemaps for your Shopify store can be advantageous for different purposes. XML sitemaps are primarily designed for search engines to crawl and index your site's content efficiently. They provide a structured list of URLs, helping search engines understand your website's structure and content hierarchy. XML sitemaps ensure that search engines can retrieve and index your crucial product pages, categories, and other content, which is essential to SEO.

On the other hand, HTML sitemaps are primarily meant for human users. They are a user-friendly navigation aid, helping visitors quickly find specific products or pages on your site. While HTML sitemaps may not directly impact SEO as XML sitemaps do, they can enhance user experience and boost conversions by making your site more accessible. In summary, having both types of sitemaps can provide a comprehensive solution, catering to both search engines and your customers, thereby contributing to the overall success of your Shopify store.

2. Are there any limitations to the number of URLs in a sitemap?

While Shopify sets no strict limitations on the number of URLs that can be included in your sitemaps, it's essential to be aware of practical considerations. Both XML and HTML sitemaps should be user-friendly and manageable. For XML sitemaps submitted to search engines, industry standards suggest maintaining a reasonable number of URLs, typically around 50,000 URLs or 50MB in size per sitemap file. Keeping sitemaps within these limits helps ensure efficient crawling by search engine bots.

HTML sitemaps, meant for human users, should also be organized and user-friendly. Including too many URLs in an HTML sitemap can make it less helpful to visitors. Instead, highlighting essential pages and product categories to provide an effective navigation tool. While there are no fixed URL limitations, it's best to balance between including critical content and avoiding excessive clutter in your sitemaps.

3. Can I include non-standard pages, such as blog posts or collections, in my sitemap?

Yes, you can include non-standard pages like blog posts or collections in your Sitemap for your Shopify store. Shopify's automated sitemap generation covers various pages, including products, collections, and blog posts. When you create a blog post or collection within Shopify, the platform automatically includes them in your Sitemap. This ensures that these pages can be indexed by search engines, making them accessible to potential customers.

By having your blog posts and collections in your sitemap, you improve their visibility to search engines, potentially driving more organic traffic. This can be particularly valuable for e-commerce stores that use blog content to engage customers, provide information, or promote products and collections. So, you don't need to worry about including these non-standard pages in your sitemap; Shopify takes care of it for you.

Summing Up

In conclusion, your Shopify sitemap is a critical tool for navigating the intricate world of e-commerce. It's your roadmap to success, helping search engines understand your store's content and driving organic traffic. By optimizing your Sitemap, prioritizing essential pages, and addressing common issues, you can enhance your store's visibility, improve SEO rankings, and provide a seamless shopping experience for your customers. 

To further  enhance the performance of your Shopify store through Sitemap, explore the versatile features of EComposer. This tool allows you to craft a wide range of product pages, whether you favor standard templates or full customization. Ready to elevate your Shopify store using EComposer? Take the first step today and witness the impact it can make!? 

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