Do I need a sitemap for my shopify store?

[Dan664]

Hi,

I am learning SEO and I was told that Shopify automatically makes a sitemap for your store, is this true?

Is there any benefit to creating one? If so can you point me to a resource that illustrates how to build one?

Thanks a lot!

Ps: my store link is: https://joyajewellery.com/

[Mubashir_H]

Hello @Dan664 

Yes, having a sitemap for your Shopify store is highly recommended. A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, which helps search engines crawl and index your site more efficiently.

In Shopify, your store's sitemap is automatically generated and updated as you add or remove pages. It includes your product pages, collections, blog posts, and other content pages.

A sitemap can help improve your website's SEO by making it easier for search engines to understand your website's structure and the content you offer. It also helps ensure that all of your pages are being crawled and indexed properly, which can lead to better visibility in search results.

In addition to the automatic sitemap that Shopify generates, you can also use third-party apps or plugins to generate more advanced sitemaps, such as image or video sitemaps, to further improve your store's SEO.

[RThomasDesign · Accepted solution]

You can view your sitemap by adding /sitemap.xml to your domain. E.g. https://joyajewellery.com/sitemap.xml 

You'll need to manually submit the sitemap to Google etc. 

Semrush has some good documentation on this here: https://www.semrush.com/blog/shopify-sitemap/

Hope this helps!
-Ryan

[Dan664]

So shopify creates the sitemap, but I still need to submit it to Google?

[RThomasDesign]

Yes, you should submit it to Google.  https://search.google.com/search-console/about

There are resources as to how you can do that in the article I listed above. You'll need to verify your site, which might require you to manually edit some code. While a bit advanced, it's definitely worth it. 

[Dan664]

Thank you!!! Just one other thing, every time the site map is updated do I need to resubmit it or will the updates automatically carry across to the version I submitted to Google? 

[RThomasDesign]

Automatic. Set it & forget it 😉

[Dan664]

Thank you!!

[GemPages]

Hello @Dan664 
I would like to give you the recommendation to support you.

To submit it to Google, you need a Google account and then kindly follow steps below:

Step 1. Sign in or Create a Google Search Console Account: https://prnt.sc/UTaMvEJvTDDb
Step 2. Select your website: https://prnt.sc/S5z2nSnIKaMW
Step 3. Select “Sitemaps:” https://prnt.sc/0CVdeqH3Kk3p
Step 4. Remove any invalid or outdated sitemaps: https://prnt.sc/MXBLpMNSCXlW
Step 5. Add a new sitemap and click Submit : https://prnt.sc/t-A6TdkL83sY

I hope the above is useful to you.
Best regards,
GemPages Support Team

[Gamerseo]

From an SEO point of view, a sitemap is always essential.