A sitemap is a file that lists all the key pages on your site, helping search engines like Google find, crawl, and understand your content. For Shopify store owners, having a well-structured sitemap means better chances of your products, collections, and blog posts appearing in search results, driving more organic traffic to your store. In this guide, you’ll learn what a sitemap is, how to find and manage it in Shopify, and how to submit it to search engines, so your store is set up for optimal visibility.
What is a Sitemap and How Does it Work?
A sitemap is a file, often in XML format, that organizes and lists all the essential pages of your website, guiding search engines through the structure of your content. This file essentially acts as a roadmap, enabling search engines like Google and Bing to efficiently crawl your site and understand its hierarchy. For Shopify stores, sitemaps are particularly useful because they help search engines locate and index your products, collections, blog posts, and any other relevant pages, which is crucial for appearing in search results.
Here’s a breakdown of key points to understand about sitemaps and their role in your Shopify store:
Types of Sitemaps Shopify automatically generates an XML sitemap for your store, which includes links to your core pages. This file is structured in a way that helps search engines find new pages, identify updated content, and understand the overall layout of your site. There are two main types of sitemaps you might encounter:
XML Sitemap: This is the standard format for search engines. It includes URLs for products, collections, and blog posts, and can hold additional information about each page, such as last modified date and priority.
HTML Sitemap: This format is for users and provides a clickable overview of the pages on your site, though Shopify doesn’t generate this by default.
How Search Engines Use Sitemaps When search engines crawl a sitemap, they analyze the URLs within to discover new or updated pages. Shopify’s sitemap makes this easy by dynamically including new pages as you create them, so search engines are always aware of your latest products and content. Sitemaps can also include details like:
Priority: A value that indicates the importance of certain pages compared to others, though Shopify doesn’t support custom priority settings by default.
Last Modified Date: Indicates when a page was last updated, helping search engines prioritize fresh or relevant content.
Content Types in a Shopify Sitemap Shopify’s sitemap file is organized to include specific types of content, making sure each of the key areas of your site is visible to search engines. Here’s what’s typically included:
Product Pages: Each product URL is listed to allow search engines to index every individual product page.
Collection Pages: These URLs represent your grouped products, like categories, so search engines can understand how products are categorized.
Blog Posts: If you publish content on your store’s blog, each blog post will have its own URL listed in the sitemap, which can help drive traffic to your site through relevant search queries.
Pages: Other key pages like About Us, Contact Us, and any custom pages you've created.
By understanding the structure and role of your sitemap, you can see how it fits into a broader SEO strategy. While Shopify automates sitemap creation, knowing how it works gives you the power to monitor and improve your site’s visibility in search engines.
How to Locate Your Sitemap on Shopify
Finding your Shopify sitemap is straightforward, as Shopify automatically generates and maintains it for each store. Your sitemap is essential for SEO because it helps search engines index your store’s content effectively. Here’s how to locate it and confirm it’s working as expected:
Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Sitemap Shopify stores automatically create a sitemap at a standard URL location. To access it:
Go to your web browser.
In the address bar, type your store’s domain name followed by /sitemap.xml. For example, if your store is at www.example.com, your sitemap URL would be www.example.com/sitemap.xml.
Press enter to load the page.
This should display a structured XML document, which is your sitemap. If you see this, it means your sitemap is live and accessible to search engines.
Verifying Your Sitemap in a Browser Once you access the sitemap URL, you’ll see a list of links in XML format. The file may look complex, but its structure is intended for search engines, not regular browsing. Each entry represents a link to a page on your store, including essential sections like products, collections, blog posts, and individual pages.
If you open the sitemap in a browser, here’s what to check:
Confirm that there are URLs for each main section of your site (products, collections, blogs, etc.).
Look for familiar page titles or links to make sure that key pages are included in the file.
Handling Errors or Issues with the Sitemap Occasionally, you may find that your sitemap URL doesn’t load or returns an error. This can happen if your store is not yet live or if there’s an issue with your domain setup. To troubleshoot:
Make sure your store is published and accessible to the public.
Verify that your domain is correctly connected in your Shopify admin settings.
If you confirm the sitemap is active and correctly displaying all URLs, you’re set for the next steps in submitting and monitoring it. This sitemap URL is what you’ll submit to search engines like Google to make sure they’re aware of your content.
How to Read and Understand Your Shopify Sitemap
Understanding the structure of your Shopify sitemap helps you verify that all essential pages are listed, so search engines can index your content effectively. Shopify’s automatically generated sitemap includes your main content types: products, collections, blog posts, and custom pages, each organized to give search engines a clear view of your site.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how to interpret each part of your Shopify sitemap:
Main Sitemap Index When you first access yourstorename.com/sitemap.xml, you’ll see a main index file that links to different sitemap sections. This is a “parent” file, organizing different types of content into separate files. For example, you might see:
sitemap_pages_1.xml – containing any custom or informational page URLs
sitemap_blog_1.xml – containing blog post URLs
Each link in this index directs search engines to a specific type of content, so they can prioritize crawling and indexing these areas of your site.
Product Pages Product pages are listed in the sitemap_products_1.xml file. Each URL corresponds to a unique product on your site. This ensures that every product you offer is visible to search engines, allowing each product to potentially appear in relevant search results.
Collection Pages Collection URLs are grouped under sitemap_collections_1.xml. Collections are a way of categorizing products, so search engines can see the relationships between products and categories on your store. Proper categorization also helps Google understand the structure of your store, which can improve indexing.
Blog Post Pages If you’re using Shopify’s blogging feature, each blog post will have its own URL in sitemap_blog_1.xml. Blogging is a useful SEO tool, allowing your store to rank for informational or industry-related queries. Confirming that your blog posts are included here is crucial if you’re using content marketing to attract traffic.
Custom and Informational Pages Any additional pages you’ve created, such as an “About Us” or “Contact” page, are stored under sitemap_pages_1.xml. These pages can help with overall brand trustworthiness and provide necessary information to users. Ensuring these pages are indexed is key if they contribute to the user experience or are part of your SEO strategy.
Checking for Completeness and Accuracy To make sure your sitemap fully represents your site:
Manually check each section to ensure all main URLs are listed.
Look for missing pages or outdated links, which could indicate issues with automatic updates.
Review page details if necessary, like “last modified” dates, to confirm search engines receive up-to-date information.
This understanding of your sitemap’s structure allows you to confirm that Shopify is accurately capturing the key areas of your store. With all important pages accounted for, your site is primed for search engines to crawl and index effectively. Next, we’ll look at editing options and custom additions to your Shopify sitemap.
Limitations on Editing Sitemaps in Shopify
Shopify takes a streamlined approach to sitemaps, automatically generating and updating them as you add or remove content on your store. This setup ensures that all major content types—products, collections, pages, and blog posts—are included without needing manual updates. However, this also means there are some limitations when it comes to editing the sitemap directly, which is important to understand if you have specific customization needs.
Here’s what you need to know about editing options and limitations in Shopify’s sitemap:
Automatic Generation and Updates Shopify automatically creates and maintains your sitemap, which reduces the need for manual intervention. Anytime you add a new product, publish a blog post, or create a new page, Shopify updates the sitemap to include these URLs. This ensures your sitemap remains up-to-date, but it also means that you don’t have direct control over the content or format of the sitemap.
No Direct Editing of the Sitemap File Unlike some other platforms, Shopify doesn’t allow direct access to the XML sitemap file for customization. You can’t add, remove, or rearrange specific URLs within the sitemap file itself. This limitation can be restrictive if you want to highlight certain pages, exclude pages, or modify the hierarchy.
Alternative Ways to Prioritize or Exclude URLs While you can’t directly edit the sitemap file, there are some workarounds to help influence the visibility of certain pages:
Robots.txt Adjustments: Shopify does allow some customization of the robots.txt file. You can use this to exclude specific pages from being crawled, effectively hiding them from search engines even if they appear in the sitemap. This can be useful for pages you don’t want indexed, such as internal landing pages or promotional pages.
Meta Tags for No-Indexing: Another method is to add a noindex meta tag to pages you want to exclude from search engine results. While these pages will still appear in the sitemap, the noindex tag instructs search engines not to display them in search results.
Creating an HTML Sitemap: Some Shopify store owners create a separate, user-friendly HTML sitemap that lists specific pages they want to highlight for both search engines and users. This can be manually created and added to your store as a page, though it doesn’t replace the XML sitemap that search engines primarily use.
Custom Sitemaps for Special Cases If your store has unique pages or content you want search engines to prioritize but can’t include in the main sitemap, consider creating a custom XML sitemap. You can host this file on your own server or within Shopify if you have the technical capability, and then submit it separately to search engines. Note that Shopify doesn’t natively support multiple XML sitemaps, so you’ll need to manage this custom sitemap independently if you choose this route.
Why Shopify’s Limitations Can Still Work for SEO Shopify’s sitemap setup is designed to be as efficient and hands-off as possible, which benefits most store owners by ensuring sitemaps are automatically maintained. Despite the lack of direct editing options, you can still take control over what search engines see by strategically using robots.txt settings and meta tags.
By understanding these limitations and options, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about managing your Shopify sitemap. Next, we’ll explore how to add a custom sitemap if your store has specific needs that go beyond the default setup.
Submitting Your Shopify Sitemap to Search Engines
Submitting your Shopify sitemap to search engines like Google and Bing is essential for ensuring they can discover and index your content effectively. This improves your store’s visibility and keeps search engines updated on changes to your site. Before submitting the sitemap to Google, you’ll need to verify your Shopify store in Google Search Console. Here’s how:
Verifying Your Shopify Store in Google Search Console
To submit your sitemap to Google, you first need to verify that you own your Shopify store. Follow these steps:
Add your site if it’s not already listed, and follow any verification steps if required.
In the left-hand menu, go to Configure My Site > Sitemaps.
Enter your sitemap URL (yourstorename.com/sitemap.xml) and click Submit.
Bing will begin processing your sitemap and indexing your URLs. You can view details and any issues within the Sitemaps section.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting Sitemap Submissions
After submitting, monitor indexing status to address any issues as they arise:
Check for Errors: Both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools will flag any problems, like broken links or crawl issues.
Monitor Index Coverage: In Google Search Console’s Coverage section, you can see how many of your pages have been indexed and which were excluded. This can help identify settings or page issues to adjust.
Resubmit After Major Changes: If you add a significant number of new products, collections, or blog posts, resubmit the sitemap to encourage faster indexing. Both Google and Bing allow you to resubmit anytime.
With your Shopify sitemap verified, submitted, and actively monitored, you can optimize your store’s visibility and indexing on search engines for ongoing SEO benefits.
Maintaining Your Sitemap for Long-Term SEO Success
Keeping your Shopify sitemap accurate and up-to-date is key to ensuring search engines can crawl and index your site effectively, which in turn helps boost your visibility in search results. Shopify’s automatic sitemap updates handle most of the heavy lifting, but there are still a few best practices to follow for ongoing SEO performance.
Here’s how to maintain your sitemap for the long run:
Regularly Monitor Your Sitemap in Search Console Check your sitemap periodically in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to make sure all key pages are being indexed and to catch any issues early. By keeping an eye on indexing errors or URL exclusions, you can identify and resolve potential SEO problems before they impact your site’s visibility.
Update and Resubmit After Major Changes If you make significant updates to your site—such as adding new product lines, creating a blog, or changing your URL structure—it’s a good idea to resubmit your sitemap. This ensures search engines can quickly pick up these new or modified pages. Shopify’s auto-updating feature will handle minor changes, but resubmitting can speed up indexing for larger updates.
Address Redirects and Broken Links Any time you remove a product, collection, or page, set up a 301 redirect to another relevant page to avoid broken links. Regularly checking for and fixing broken links keeps your sitemap clean and helps prevent errors in search engine indexing. Shopify apps like Broken Link Checker can help automate this process.
Use Google’s URL Inspection Tool for Critical Pages If you have high-priority pages, such as top-performing products or landing pages, use Google’s URL Inspection Tool in Search Console to make sure they’re properly indexed. This tool lets you check the indexing status of individual URLs and submit them for recrawling if needed.
Maintain Clean URL Structures Clean and consistent URLs are important for both users and search engines. Shopify’s default URL structure (e.g., yourstorename.com/products/product-name) is generally SEO-friendly, but avoid creating unnecessary subcategories or complex URLs that could clutter your sitemap. A simple, consistent structure keeps your sitemap lean and easier for search engines to navigate.
Periodically Review Exclusions in Robots.txt If you’ve used Shopify’s robots.txt file to disallow certain URLs from being indexed, review these exclusions periodically. Adjust as needed if you want certain pages, like past promotions or outdated content, to reappear in search results or if you decide to exclude new areas of the site.
Staying on Top of Sitemap Health A healthy sitemap aligns with Shopify’s auto-updating functions and your SEO goals, guiding search engines to the pages that matter most. By periodically monitoring and making necessary updates, you ensure that your Shopify store is primed for optimal indexing and visibility as your content grows and changes.
With a well-maintained sitemap, you’re set up to keep search engines and customers finding your site, helping to drive organic growth and long-term success for your Shopify store.
Conclusion: The Value of Sitemaps in Growing Your Online Business
A well-optimized sitemap is essential for any Shopify store looking to maximize its search engine visibility and, by extension, attract more potential customers. By understanding how Shopify’s automatic sitemap works, knowing how to locate and monitor it, and exploring the few customization options available, you’ve set up a strong foundation for SEO success.
Here’s a quick recap of what we covered:
Locating and Understanding Your Shopify Sitemap: You now know how to find your sitemap and what types of content it includes. This ensures that all critical parts of your store, like products, collections, and blog posts, are visible to search engines.
Customization Options: While Shopify doesn’t allow direct edits to the default XML sitemap, workarounds like third-party apps, HTML sitemaps, and robots.txt adjustments offer some control over which pages are highlighted or excluded.
Submitting to Search Engines: With your sitemap submitted to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, you can monitor indexing and address any issues that come up, helping to keep your site visible in search results.
Long-Term Maintenance: Regular monitoring, redirect management, and periodic sitemap resubmission ensure that search engines stay updated on your latest content and any major changes to your store.
Keeping your sitemap in good health means search engines can access and index all your critical pages, ultimately supporting better rankings, more organic traffic, and sustained growth. While Shopify’s sitemap limitations may require some creativity to work around, you’re now equipped with the knowledge to optimize and leverage it as a core part of your SEO strategy.
How Wiredigital Can Help
Dealing with SEO can be complex, but you don't have to do it alone. Wiredigital is a digital agency that specializes in helping businesses succeed in SEO.
Our Services Include:
Website Audit: A complete analysis of your site's performance and SEO health.
Ongoing Optimization: Regular improvements to keep your site competitive.
Keyword Research: Finding the best keywords for your industry.
Monthly Blog Articles: Creating engaging content to attract and keep visitors.
Google My Business Optimization: Improving your local visibility.
Monthly Reporting: Providing detailed insights into your site's performance.
At Wiredigital, we're dedicated to helping you beat your competitors and achieve lasting success. Our team stays up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and changes, making sure your business stays ahead in search results.
Ready to boost your SEO?
Contact Wiredigital today, and let us create a custom SEO strategy that delivers results and helps your business grow.
