Query on Sitemap xml Root Path
-
- Is it compulsory to have sitemap.xml at this path - abcd.com/sitemap.xml?
My sitename is abcd.com. Now is it compulsory to have sitemap.xml at this path - abcd.com/sitemap.xml only?
a) If i take cnd services where path can be like xyz.com/sitemap.xml and then this sitemap i can submit in robot file so it is fine?
b) What will happen here in webmaster tool as in webmaster tool when we submit sitemap by default it gives us domain name like abcd.com and we have to just add /sitemap.xml
-
Hi Ian,
Thanks for your support!
-
Hi,
What is the main reason for you to upload the sitemap to a new location?
I also found an article on sitemaps that might help. It says: The XML sitemaps protocol defines that XML sitemap files can not contain URLs from different domains. This includes subdomains and other kinds of variations. You have to keep all URLs to a single domain per XML sitemap.
Taken from this site https://www.microsystools.com/products/sitemap-generator/help/multiple-domains-xml-sitemaps/
This includes tutorials on different types of sitemaps.
Hope this can help further.
Thanks,
Ian
-
Hi Ian,
I have a large ecommerce website whose XML site map is currently located at https://www.abcd.com./sitemap.xml , whereas I want to upload it at new location I.e https://data.abcd.com/sitemap.xml it means on new location which is sudomain, Also if it is OK as per Google guidelines to upload your sitemap in sudomain rather than main domain then please let me know that in webmaster console how can I upload this new sitemap? Because when I try to upload sitemap in console it ask mandatorily to upload sitemap to be available at root of the website so what next I can do ? Thanks!
-
Hi,
I Believe it's compulsory for a sitemap to be at abcd.com/sitemap.xml.
Here is a guide on sitemaps and their format for future references: https://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.html
You tend to only have one sitemap, unless you have a large site then you will need divide the sitemaps across different pages, a general rule of thumb is to keep the sitemap below 50,000 URLs. I'd say one sitemap at abcd.com/sitemap.xml should be enough for a standard website.
I'm unsure of Question a) if you could repeat that in more detail please.
Finally, there are two ways to submit a sitemap,
-
Directly within Google Search Console (previously Webmaster Tools) using the 'Test/Add Sitemap' feature, by adding /sitemap.xml and testing it before submitting it.
-
Insert the your sitemap line anywhere in your
robots.txt
file, specifying the path to your sitemap:
Sitemap: http://example.com/sitemap_location.xml
You can also find more information and guidelines on sitemaps here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/156184?hl=en&ref_topic=4581190
Hope that helps.
Ian
-
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Desktop & Mobile XML Sitemap Submitted But Only Desktop Sitemap Indexed On Google Search Console
Hi! The Problem We have submitted to GSC a sitemap index. Within that index there are 4 XML Sitemaps. Including one for the desktop site and one for the mobile site. The desktop sitemap has 3300 URLs, of which Google has indexed (according to GSC) 3,000 (approx). The mobile sitemap has 1,000 URLs of which Google has indexed 74 of them. The pages are crawlable, the site structure is logical. And performing a Landing Page URL search (showing only Google/Organic source/medium) on Google Analytics I can see that hundreds of those mobile URLs are being landed on. A search on mobile for a longtail keyword from a (randomly selected) page shows a result in the SERPs for the mobile page that judging by GSC has not been indexed. Could this be because we have recently added rel=alternate tags on our desktop pages (and of course corresponding canonical ones on mobile). Would Google then 'not index' rel=alternate page versions? Thanks for any input on this one. PmHmG
Technical SEO | | AlisonMills0 -
Sitemap international websites
Hey Mozzers,Here is the case that I would appreciate your reply for: I will build a sitemap for .com domain which has multiple domains for other countries (like Italy, Germany etc.). The question is can I put the hreflang annotations in sitemap1 only and have a sitemap 2 with all URLs for EN/default version of the website .COM. Then put 2 sitemaps in a sitemap index. The issue is that there are pages that go away quickly (like in 1-2 days), they are localised, but I prefer not to give annotations for them, I want to keep clear lang annotations in sitemap 1. In this way, I will replace only sitemap 2 and keep sitemap 1 intact. Would it work? Or I better put everything in one sitemap?The second question is whether you recommend to do the same exercise for all subdomains and other domains? I have read much on the topic, but not sure whether it worth the effort.The third question is if I have www.example.it and it.example.com, should I include both in my sitemap with hreflang annotations (the sitemap on www.example.com) and put there it for subdomain and it-it for the .it domain (to specify lang and lang + country).Thanks a lot for your time and have a great day,Ani
Technical SEO | | SBTech0 -
Is there a maximum sitemap size?
Hi all, Over the last month we've included all images, videos, etc. into our sitemap and now its loading time is rather high. (http://www.troteclaser.com/sitemap.xml) Is there any maximum sitemap size that is recommended from Google?
Technical SEO | | Troteclaser0 -
Root directory vs. subdirectories
Hello. How much more important does Google consider pages in the root directory relative to pages in a subdirectory? Is it best to keep the most important pages of a site in the root directory? Thanks!
Technical SEO | | nyc-seo0 -
Sitemap for dynamic website with over 10,000 pages
If I have a website with thousands of products, is it a good idea to create a sitemap for this website for the search engines where you show maybe 250 products on a page so it makes it easy for the search engine to find the part and also puts that part closer to the home page? Seems like google likes pages that are the closest to the home page (less clicks the better)
Technical SEO | | roundbrix0 -
When is the best time to submit a sitemap?
What changes to a website constitute resubmitting a sitemap? For example, if I add new in-site links, should I then resubmit? Or is it more for changes to URLs, Page titles, etc?
Technical SEO | | MichaelWeisbaum0 -
Should XML sitemaps include *all* pages or just the deeper ones?
Hi guys, Ok this is a bit of a sitemap 101 question but I cant find a definitive answer: When we're running out XML sitemaps for google to chew on (we're talking ecommerce and directory sites with many pages inside sub-categories here) is there any point in mentioning the homepage or even the second level pages? We know google is crawling and indexing those and we're thinking we should trim the fat and just send a map of the bottom level pages. What do you think?
Technical SEO | | timwills0