Why isn't my product sitemap appearing in Google search console?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A Shopify store owner reports that product sitemaps for two .store domains haven’t been recognized by Google Search Console for months, despite multiple resubmission attempts. Their .com domain works fine, leading them to suspect the domain extension may be related.

Suggested troubleshooting steps include:

  • Verifying the correct sitemap URL format (yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml)
  • Checking for XML formatting errors using validation tools
  • Ensuring proper store verification in Google Search Console
  • Testing the sitemap URL directly in a browser to confirm it loads correctly

Common causes identified:

  • Incorrect sitemap URL submission
  • XML formatting issues or errors
  • Indexing delays (can take time)
  • “Couldn’t fetch” errors requiring URL correction and resubmission

One responder requested the specific domain and sitemap links to diagnose the exact issue. The discussion remains open, with the original poster not yet confirming whether suggested solutions resolved the problem.

Summarized with AI on November 2. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi,

I would like to know why the Shopify sitemap of my products are not read in the google search console for two of my shops.

It’s been happening for months and I’ve sent the sitemap back several times

My only explanation is that the domains are in dot store but I don’t know if there is a link

As it is not the case for my dot com domain

Thanks

3 Likes
2

Hi @Mcd92FR ,

You need to look for sitemap.xml
Check this article - https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/seo/find-site-map

Hope this will help you to submit sitemap properly.

Thanks

3

Could you please share both the domains and sitemap link submitted ?

I can check and let you know the issue once

4

Hi ! Mcd92FR

If you prefer to read through the process step-by-step, we’ve also got you covered. Check out our 3 easy steps to submitting a Shopify sitemap to Google Search Console.

Step 01: Finding your Shopify Sitemap

This part is pretty simple.

All you have to do to find a Shopify sitemap is to type the URL of your store into your browser’s address bar, followed by /sitemap.xml

Step 02: Verifying your Shopify Store

Once you know where your Shopify sitemap is, you can register your store with Google Search Console. This is your hub for Google’s indexing of your store, where you can add domains for it to index and maximise your store’s visibility.

Step 03: Submitting your Shopify Sitemap to Google

Once you’ve done the hard work of verifying ownership of your store, it’s an easy stroll to linking your Shopify sitemap to Google.

Simply head to your Google Search Console dashboard and click on Sitemaps in the navigation menu on the left hand side. Under the box labelled ‘Add a new sitemap’, paste the URL of your sitemap and submit. Once you’ve done this, providing you’ve followed all of our steps, you’ll get a success message and your Shopify sitemap will be submitted! Kohl’s Feedback Survey

Thank you

Vandegrift

5

There could be several reasons why the sitemap for your Shopify store’s products is not being read in the Google Search Console. Here are possible explanations

  1. Incorrect sitemap URL: Ensure that you have submitted the correct sitemap URL in the Google Search Console. If the URL is incorrect, Google will not be able to read your sitemap.

  2. Sitemap format: Check that the format of your sitemap is correct. Google accepts sitemaps in XML format, so make sure your sitemap is in this format.

  3. Sitemap errors: Ensure that there are no errors in your sitemap file. Use a sitemap validation tool to check for errors, such as missing URLs or incorrect formatting.

  4. Delay in indexing: It is possible that Google has not yet indexed your sitemap. This process can take some time, so be patient and keep checking the Google Search Console to see if your sitemap has been indexed.

  5. Domain issues: If your domains are in the dot store, it’s possible that Google is treating them differently than other top-level domains like dot com. However, this is unlikely to be the cause of the issue.

6

To fix the “Couldn’t fetch” error in Google Search Console for your products XML sitemap:

  1. Copy the Sitemap URL: Go to Google Search Console and copy the full URL of the sitemap that shows the “Couldn’t fetch” error.

  2. Test the URL in a Browser: Paste the URL into your browser’s address bar and press Enter. This will display your products XML sitemap.

  3. Verify the Sitemap:

    • You should see a tree structure of your sitemap with the message: “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it.”
    • Confirm that the URL in your browser’s address bar is correct. Sometimes it might be slightly altered to a functional format.

  4. Copy the Correct URL: Copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.

  5. Resubmit in Search Console:

    • Go back to Google Search Console.
    • Paste the corrected URL into the sitemap submission field and resubmit.

This process ensures that Search Console can properly fetch and process your products XML sitemap.