Как найти сайтмап сайта

Finding the sitemap of any website is relatively easy to do and here we will help you to accomplish this mission. We will start with the most common sitemap format which is XML and then cover a few others. First, let’s begin with the basics.

What is a Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a list of the pages on a website aimed to help the different search engines. It provides important information about the URLs on your website including pages, videos, images, files and what’s their relation. Along with the pages, XML sitemaps also include additional metadata about each URL:

• last updated date
• how often it changes and
• its priority compared to the other pages.

When it comes to SEO best practices, a sitemap should be optimized to include only indexable and quality content. Any broken (404), redirecting or duplicate page inside it could confuse search engines.

The sitemap is like an outline of a website. It’s constructed in a code format and usually looks like this:

Or like this:

Why Do You Need to Find a Sitemap?

We have already covered the sitemaps basics, including their main purpose. Let’s now see why we may want to find these files in the first place.

As we discussed above, sitemaps are an irreplaceable and simple way to inform search engines and in particular their crawlers (ex. Googlebot) about the important content on our website.

First of all, you may want to check whether you have an XML sitemap at all. If you have one, the next step is to inspect it and see whether it’s properly created and containing the right information.

Finally, if you don’t have a sitemap, you may want to create one and submit it to search engines. Take into account that XML sitemaps are not mandatory by any means. Still they help search crawlers find, index and ultimately rank new websites and pages in a faster way.

Now it is time to dive deep into the detective work and find those sitemaps!

Ready? Let’s go!

Simple Ways to Find your Sitemap

Let’s start our journey with some of the easiest ways to find the sitemap of a website.

1) Manually Check Common XML Sitemap Locations

One of the most common (and simple) ways to locate the XML sitemap of a website is to
manually check a few standard locations. This is dead simple and all you need to do is enter your website URL in the browser and then try with a few different variations. Let me show you:

• www.YourWebsiteUrl.com/sitemap.xml

This is the most popular location, but not the only one. Therefore, if we are not lucky with our first attempt, here are a few more quick checks to try:

• /sitemap_index.xml (which is the index of all the sitemaps in case a website has more than one).

This is the case with our own XML sitemap on this blog. Let me show you:

And here is how it looks like:

Basically, these are all separate sitemap sitemaps divided by the type of posts they have inside.

Now, if we are still unlucky, let’s try some more options:

• /sitemap-index.xml
• /sitemap.php
• /sitemap.txt
• /sitemap.xml.gz
• /sitemap/
• /sitemap/sitemap.xml
• /sitemapindex.xml
• /sitemap/index.xml
• /sitemap1.xml

Note: XML files are only one of the ways to describe a sitemap. There are also RSS and Atom formats.

Hence, we need to add a few more possible sitemap locations:

• /rss/
• /rss.xml
• /atom.xml

We will talk more about them later.

Just to confirm- we should put the domain name of the websites before the “/” while trying the various alternatives.

2) Check the Robots.txt File

If you are still with us, that means you either failed to find the file which is the main purpose of our article or you are just curious and passionate to learn more.

Actually, no matter which is the exact reason, I have good news for you – We will continue our journey with another very simple tip.

Robots.txt is a special file known to SEOs (and programmers as well) which provides useful directives to search engine crawlers. What’s more, this is also the place where you can very often find a link to the sitemap of a website.

The idea is that as search engines visit these robots.txt files, adding a link to the sitemap there, makes perfect sense. That way, it will be easier for them to detect the sitemap in the first place and crawl the website.

Are you ready for another good news?! Here it is- to access the robots.txt file of a website you just need to add /robots.txt to your domain name in the browser and hit “Enter”. This is similar to the previous step where we were adding the different possible sitemap routes.

What works better than a real-life example? See the URL address of our very own robots.txt file:

https://seocrawl.com/robots.txt

It’s a tiny but simple and useful file with some important functions. In case you’ve already opened it, you will be able to see almost instantly the little gem you are looking for- the sitemap file:

Voilà! I promised you it would be easy 🙂

3) Check Google Search Console

Okay, sitemap still not found? No problem! We have more tips for you that will help us find our way.

Let me show you another easy and quick way.

Google Search Console (also known as Webmaster Tools in the past) is one more place to find the path we are looking for. Of course, for this to be possible, you have to be an owner of the website or to have been granted access.

If you meet one of these criteria, the next step is to login to GSC and from the menu on the left to choose Sitemaps:

Now, in case the sitemap (or sitemaps) is already submitted by someone else in the past, you will be able to see it right away:

Along with the sitemap exact URL address, there is additional information like the type of sitemap (index files containing other sitemaps in them or regular sitemaps with the pages of the website), when it was submitted, last read, status and how many URLs are inside.

TIP: If you are serious about SEO and improving your organic website performance, Google Search Console is a must-to-have tool. The insights you can get from it are numerous.

Plus, one added bonus is that having GSC allows you to try our powerful tool- SEOcrawl

4) Check Bing Webmaster Tools

The good news is that Bing Webmaster Tools works pretty much the same way as Google Search Console. It’s not surprising the latter used to be called Google Webmaster Tools as they have a lot in common.

Again, you need to login and then navigate to the left sidebar, where you will have the “Sitemaps” section available.

Click on it, and in case there was a sitemap/sitemaps already submitted, you will be able to explore them further.

Advanced Ways to Find Your Sitemap

Still with us? Okay, that means you are either still looking for that precious sitemap file location, or you are very brave to enter the advanced section. In both cases, I want to congratulate you for reaching so far and wish you luck 🙂

I promise it won’t be that complicated and scary! Let’s go!

5) Use Google Search Operators

Google search operators (also known as commands) could be very powerful for various SEO goals (ex. finding link building opportunities, content ideas, discovering technical issues, and more). However, in this case, we will use them to find the XML sitemap of the website we are examining.

For that, we will need to take advantage of the “filetype:” command. It could be really useful when we combine it with the “site:” command. Basically, the combination of both will look for specific file types only in the website we want to.

Example: site:chess.com filetype:xml

And here is what this search will bring in Google:

Here we have it! All the indexed sitemaps of the website are shown in Google and we can explore them further.

In case there are some irrelevant results showing, you can refine your search even further. This time we will add the “inurl” operator in our arsenal.

For example: site:uefa.com filetype:xml inurl:sitemap

Note: as we mentioned above sitemaps could also be text files. To find them, we can do a similar search but with a different extension.

For example: site:WebsiteURL inurl:sitemap filetype:txt

And this will result in the following:

TIP: These commands will reveal the location of the sitemap only if it is indexed by Google. Some WP plugins that create sitemaps automatically add the no follow, no index tag to Sitemaps. So, if you end up with no results found, do not worry!

Let us continue with the next idea.

6) Use an Online Tool

Another technique is to try with an online tool like SEO Site Checkup where you only need to paste your website URL and hit Checkup. Then you will get something like this:Note: The way this tool works is by checking the standard sitemap locations we mentioned earlier (sitemap.xml, sitemap1.xml, sitemapindex.xml and so on). Therefore, it may not find your website in other specific cases.

7) Check the CMS of the Website

Depending on the content management system the site is running on, XML sitemaps might be located at different places. The good news is that the most popular CMSes have default locations that you may want to start your search from.

First, we need to identify the CMS of the website. It’s a fairly simple process and we can use both online tools or browser extensions.

For example, one useful addon is Built With which identifies not only the CMS but many more softwares and programs the website is using. Here is how it displays the info you are looking for:

If you prefer an online tool, one possible solution is WhatCMS:

An alternative is CMS Detect:

Now, when we know the exact CMS, let’s explore some of the most popular content management systems and where they usually keep the XML files.

WordPress

Before 2020, the way sitemaps were created was mainly via plugins. However, nowadays, with the built-in WP functionality, they should be located at /wp-sitemap.xml.

Still, in case the website you are examining, is using a plugin for the creation of the sitemap, you can try with some of the following locations:

• /sitemap.xml
• /tag-sitemap.xml
• /sitemap_index/xml
• /category-sitemap.xml

Alternatively, you can check the plugin’s settings and find the path there.

Wix, Shopify, Joomla, Squarespace, Magento

The good news is that all these automatically generate the XML sitemaps for their users.
Therefore, the default location (if not modified additionally) is:
/sitemap.xml

With the note that the domain name goes before the “/” part.

BONUS: A Bookmarklet for Instant Sitemap.xml Discovery

In case you are a fan of productivity and saving time from every little task (aren’t all us SEOs like that?!), then you may find a useful quick bookmarklet to instantly check the XML sitemap of a website.

You only need to add this javascript code:

javascript:void(location.href=’http://’ + location.host + ‘/sitemap.xml’)

Bookmark it and every time you click on it will open the Sitemap file in case it’s located in the default /sitemap.xml location.

Quick and easy!

Finding Other Types of Sitemaps

We talked mainly about XML sitemaps as they are the most common format to show crawlers what’s happening on your domain. Still, it’s worth mentioning the other types that can also be found on some websites.

• HTML. These are usually made to ease the users and they are very helpful especially for larger websites.

For example, Ebay provide their visitors a virtual “map” with the main pages and categories: https://pages.ebay.com/sitemap.html

• RSS. In some cases websites use an RSS feed as a sitemap which is usually located at: /rss/ or /rss.xml.

• Atom. The same applies for Atom feed and you can usually find it as: /atom.xml
• TXT. This is a standard text file as we already discussed one such example. Location: /sitemap.txt

No sitemap? What to Do in This Case?

After going over the different options for finding a sitemap, it’s good to say a few words about what to do if there is no sitemap already created. This will be the case with most of the brand new websites that have been online for a short period. Or some very small and tiny sites.

Also, take into account that not all websites need sitemaps. If the website has just a few pages, you will be doing all right even without one.

Still, if you are willing to create your XML sitemap, you can simply use a plugin compatible with your CMS system. A few good examples for WP are:

• Rank Math Sitemap Plugin
• WP Sitemap Plugin
• Google XML Sitemaps
• WordPress SEO by Yoast

Alternatively, you can create a sitemap manually or use a crawler to go over your website and export a sitemap for upload.

To Sum Up:

I hope these tips helped you to dive deeper into the world of Sitemaps and you are now more familiar with how they work, why we need them… and of course how to find them.

Let us know in the comments if there is anything else you would like to know about or just to share your experience 🙂

Good luck!

There is no standard, so there is no guarantee. With that said, its common for the sitemap to be self labeled and on the root, like this:

example.com/sitemap.xml

Case is sensitive on some servers, so keep that in mind. If its not there, look in the robots file on the root:

example.com/robots.txt

If you don’t see it listed in the robots file head to Google and search this:

site:example.com filetype:xml

This will limit the results to XML files on your target domain. At this point its trial-and-error and based on the specifics of the website you are working with. If you get several pages of results from the Google search phrase above then try to limit the results further:

filetype:xml site:example.com inurl:sitemap

or

filetype:xml site:example.com inurl:products

If you still can’t find it you can right-click > "View Source" and do a search (aka: «control find» or Ctrl + F) for .xml to see if there is a reference to it in the code.

How to find your sitemap for your website is just a matter of looking in the right places. If one exists, these steps will help you find it 99% of the time.

Note that we’re talking about an XML sitemap throughout this article.

What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML Sitemap is a list of your website URLs provided for search engines. It’s written in a code format outlined by sitemaps.org who are the authority on XML sitemaps.

Why do I need to find my sitemap?

You’ll want to find your XML sitemap for your website to check that you have one, check that it is valid, and then submit the URL to search engines.

Best practice is to put the sitemap file in the root folder of the domain.
e.g. https://writemaps.com/sitemap.xml

But it can be kept anywhere, even on another domain!

Having a sitemap isn’t compulsory, but it does help search engines find and index new websites or updated webpages in a faster way.

How to find your sitemap

The first three most basic places to find your sitemap are:

1. Try typing in your domain name e.g. https://writemaps.com with the following endings
   /sitemap
/sitemap.xml
/sitemap_index.xml

    
2. Try typing in your domain name e.g. https://writemaps.com plus /robots.txt
   e.g. https://writemaps.com/robots.txt
Tip: replace 'writemaps.com' with your domain name
   Look in the robots.txt file for the sitemap URL, as it is standard practice to put it here because it is the first place search engines look.
3. Do a site search on google by typing your site and a search for the XML type of file into the search engine

   e.g. "site:writemaps.com filetype:xml"

    
   If you get a lot of results from that search, you could refine the search further. Try adding a criteria to have ‘sitemap’ in the URL
   e.g. "site:writemaps.com filetype:xml inurl:sitemap"

Advanced – how to find your sitemap

If none of the basic techniques worked, then you can try using a web crawling service to look for your sitemap.

A quick and easy one to try is SEO Site Checkup’s sitemap tool – just put your URL in and let them see if they can find your sitemap.

Secondly, you could try creating a Free account at Spotibo, and crawling your website. Then you would need to look through at just the XML file types to see if you have a sitemap.

How to find your sitemap on Shopify and Squarespace

Shopify and Squarespace both automatically generate XML sitemaps. And both platforms put them in a sitemap.xml file in the root folder of your domain. So try typing this directly into your browser:

https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml
Tip: Replace 'yourwebsite.com' with your domain name

This sitemap file can often act like a sitemap index page and link to further sitemaps which when taken all together list the URLs of your website.

Like any good platform or plugin, these sitemaps are automatically updated within 24 hours when you add new pages or content. It isn’t possible to edit the sitemap directly.

When setting up Google Search Console, you may need to verify ownership of your site before you can submit your sitemap.
On Shopify, you’ll need to follow their step by step guide to adding the google-site-verification meta tag to your website.
Squarespace offer a slightly different methods to also verify your site with google search console, so that you can then submit your sitemap.

How to find your sitemap on WordPress

WordPress doesn’t automatically create XML sitemaps, and this job is normally done by a plugin.

If you are setting your website up for the first time then chances are you won’t have a sitemap.

Add a plugin like Google XML Sitemaps for a simple sitemap-only tool. Or try Yoast SEO which is also easy to create the XML sitemap, but provides a bunch of other SEO tools too.

If someone else has been involved with making your website, then you may already have a sitemap plugin in action.

Most plugins will put your sitemap at either /sitemap, /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml – so try quickly try looking there or in the yourwebsite.com/robots.txt file for a sitemap URL first.

Otherwise, Log In to your WordPress admin area, and look around in these places:

• “Plugins” – take a look at your active plugins to see which might be sitemap-related. If one is, then you should be able to read its documentation to find where to change it’s settings.
• “Tools” or “Settings – and you are looking for something like ‘Sitemap’ or “XML Sitemap’
• “SEO” > “XML Sitemaps” – if you already have the Yoast SEO plugin (which is extremely common), then this is where you make sure the XML sitemap auto-creation is enabled.

What happens next?

If you can’t find a sitemap, then you might need to create a sitemap.

If you have found your sitemap, then you’ll want to make sure that Google knows about it. See these steps to submit your sitemap to Google Search Console.

These tips should have you well on your way to finding your sitemap and letting search engines know about it.

Good luck out there in the wild, wild, web…