Add an XML sitemap
A sitemap lists the URLs you want found. Reference it from robots.txt. Follow the steps below on your stack, then re-check the live URL.
A sitemap lists the URLs you want found. Reference it from robots.txt.
We remember this on this browser so the next guide opens with the same CMS.
At a glance
| Time | ~15 min |
|---|---|
| Category | SEO |
| Steps | 3 |
| Stacks | WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Next.js, HTML, more |
Steps
Publish an XML sitemap (often /sitemap.xml) listing indexable URLs only.
Skip 404s, redirects, and noindex URLs.
Add Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml to robots.txt.
In HTML / static
Serve /robots.txt at the origin with Allow rules for retrieval crawlers.
Snippet
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"> <url><loc>https://yoursite.com/this-page</loc></url> </urlset>
FAQ
- What does “Add an XML sitemap” fix?
- A sitemap lists the URLs you want found. Reference it from robots.txt.
- How long does this usually take?
- About 15 minutes on most CMS and code stacks when you already have access to edit the page.
- Where do I start?
- Start with: Publish an XML sitemap (often /sitemap.xml) listing indexable URLs only. Then use the platform picker on this page for placement notes.