How To Set Up Your XML Sitemap
Welcome to your guide on managing XML sitemaps—a crucial tool for helping search engines like Google crawl and index your website effectively. An XML sitemap organizes your site’s structure, helping search engines understand which pages are most important, when they were last updated, and how often they change. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about XML sitemaps, from understanding their purpose to configuring them for your business needs.
What is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the pages of your website, guiding search engines to the content you consider essential. It’s particularly helpful for large or complex sites, ensuring search engines don’t miss any critical pages. Although search engines can often find most of your site’s pages independently, providing a sitemap helps improve the accuracy and speed of crawling.
Do You Need an XML Sitemap?
According to experts, having a sitemap is beneficial if:
- Your site is large and has numerous pages that may be difficult for search engines to discover without assistance.
- You have many pages that aren’t naturally linked to each other, such as archived content.
- Your site is new and lacks many external links pointing to it.
- Your site features rich media (videos, images) or appears in Google News.
You may not need a sitemap if:
- Your site is small (under 500 pages).
- You’re using a platform that automatically creates a sitemap for you.
- Your site has internal solid linking that helps search engines discover all critical pages.
- You don’t require search engines to index media files or news pages.
How to Find XML Sitemap Settings
To access the XML sitemap settings for your site:
1. Navigate to the Sites Section: Go to the Sites section within your account.
2. Locate the Domains Section: Click the gear icon in the secondary navigation menu, which will direct you to the Domains section.
3. Access Sitemap Settings: Once in the Domains section, click the three-dot action button next to the relevant domain. Select "XML Sitemap" from the available options.
Note: If you haven’t added a domain yet, you’ll need to do so before accessing these settings.
Configuring Your XML Sitemap
Once inside the XML Sitemap settings, you can view and manage the sitemaps for all connected websites and funnels associated with a domain. Here’s a breakdown of the available options:
- Connected Websites and Funnels: Websites and funnels are grouped separately.
- Website/Funnel Names: Each name is displayed within a light blue rectangle.
- Checkboxes: Use these to select entire websites or funnels to be included in the sitemap.
- Dropdown Carrot (Arrow): Click this to view and select specific pages within a website or funnel.
Important: Because you can connect many different websites and funnels to the same domain in Mastermind, you will need to be careful when provisioning your XML sitemap. Only choose the website and funnel pages you want Google to crawl and associate with that domain.
Creating or Editing an XML Sitemap
To create or edit an XML sitemap, follow these steps:
1. Select Pages: Use the checkboxes or dropdown carrots to choose the pages you want to include.
2. Click Proceed: Once satisfied with your selection, click “Proceed.”
Select the website or funnel pages that you would like to add to your XML sitemap. You are allowed to connect many different websites and/or funnels to the same domain, so make sure you select all the pages you'd like added to your XML sitemap before proceeding.
3. Create or Update the Sitemap: If this is your first time creating a sitemap, click “Add New” to start the process. If editing, make the necessary changes and click "Generate & Save" to finalize your updates.
4. Review Sitemap Details: Review the sitemap’s URL path and ensure it’s correct. You can modify this path at any time, but remember to resubmit the sitemap to Google if changes are made.
How to Submit a Sitemap to Google
Google doesn't recheck a sitemap each time it crawls a site. The sitemap is checked initially when Google first discovers it, and subsequently only when you notify Google about any updates. You should inform Google about a sitemap only when it's new or has been modified. Avoid submitting or pinging unchanged sitemaps multiple times.
Submit via the Google Search Console Sitemaps Report
Google suggests submitting your sitemap through the "Sitemaps Report" in Google Search Console. This method provides valuable data and insights about your sitemap, including:
- Current status
- Total crawled pages
- Crawl errors
- And more!
Let’s go through the steps to submit your sitemap using Google's Sitemaps Report!
Submitting Your Sitemap to Google
To submit your sitemap:
1. Open Google Search Console: Click this link and use the Sitemaps report in Google Search Console to submit your sitemap.
2. Add Property (If Necessary): If you haven’t linked your domain, add it and verify ownership.
3. Submit Your Sitemap URL: Enter the URL provided in your sitemap settings (e.g., sitemap.xml) and submit it.
4. Verify Your Property (Domain)
After adding your property, you must verify it to allow Google to collect and display the search console data associated with that domain.
5. Go to the Sitemaps Tab
To submit your sitemap, navigate to the "Sitemaps" section in Google Search Console.
6. Submit Your XML Sitemap
To submit your XML sitemap, you'll need its URL. Mastermind provides this after creating or editing a sitemap in your account. Copy the URL path for your sitemap and enter it here.
Typically, the URL path for your XML sitemap in Mastermind will be "sitemap.xml." However, this could change, so double-check the URL path to ensure successful submission to Google.
Once your XML sitemap is submitted, wait for Googlebot to crawl your site before seeing any data linked to the sitemap. After the crawl, you'll have access to valuable insights into how Google and other search engines interact with your site.
You can find this information in the "Pages" section of Google Search Console, accessible through the "Sitemaps" section by clicking the 3-dot action button next to any XML sitemap in your list.
If you're having trouble submitting your sitemap using the standard method, alternative submission options are available.
Alternative Methods for Submitting Your XML Sitemap to Google
If you're having trouble submitting your sitemap through the recommended method, you can try these alternative approaches:
Add your sitemap's URL path to your robots.txt file.
Use the "ping" service to prompt Google to crawl the sitemap.
Send an HTTP GET request like this: https://www.google.com/ping?sitemap=<complete_url_of_sitemap>
Example: https://www.google.com/ping?si...
FAQs
1. What is the purpose of an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap helps search engines discover and index your site's important pages quickly and efficiently. It acts as a roadmap, guiding search engines to the content you want them to crawl and ensuring no critical pages are overlooked.
2. Do I need an XML sitemap for my site?
If your site is large, has many pages, or features rich media like images or videos, having a sitemap is recommended. It's especially useful for new websites, sites with archived content, or those with poor internal linking. Smaller sites or those with automatic sitemap generation might not need one.
3. How do I find the XML sitemap settings for my site?
You can access the XML sitemap settings by navigating to the Sites section in your account, then to the Domains section. Once there, click the gear icon and select "XML Sitemap" from the menu.
4. What if I accidentally submit the wrong sitemap?
If you’ve submitted the wrong sitemap, you can always update the URL path or make necessary changes to your sitemap and resubmit it to Google through Google Search Console.
5. How do I verify my property in Google Search Console?
After adding your domain to Google Search Console, you’ll need to verify ownership by following the steps provided in the console. Once verified, Google can collect data for that domain.
6. How often should I submit my sitemap to Google?
You only need to submit your sitemap when it’s new or has been updated. Avoid submitting unchanged sitemaps multiple times, as Google doesn’t recheck them with each crawl.
7. What should I do if my sitemap isn’t being crawled or indexed by Google?
Ensure that your sitemap is submitted correctly and that the URL path is accurate. If issues persist, try alternative submission methods, like adding the sitemap to your robots.txt file or using Google’s ping service to prompt a crawl.
8. How can I monitor the status of my sitemap?
You can track the status of your sitemap in Google Search Console under the Sitemaps Report. Here, you'll find important data like total crawled pages, crawl errors, and other insights.