Shopify generates your sitemap automatically — but auto-generated doesn’t mean accurate. Here’s what’s actually in it, what it quietly misses, and how to submit it to Google so your pages get indexed.
You don’t need to create a sitemap for your store — Shopify handles that. The problem isn’t creation, it’s accuracy. An auto-generated sitemap can quietly include pages you don’t want indexed, omit pages you do, and feed Google outdated information about your store structure.
Here’s what’s actually in your Shopify sitemap, what it misses, how to submit it to Google Search Console, and what to do when something’s wrong.
If you want a full audit of your store’s indexing issues — sitemap gaps, missing meta data, broken redirects — Plug In SEO runs the check and flags what needs attention.
Where your Shopify sitemap lives
Your sitemap URL is: yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Shopify auto-generates this and keeps it up to date whenever you publish new products, pages, or blog posts. The root sitemap links to four sub-sitemaps:
-
sitemap_products_1.xml— published products -
sitemap_collections_1.xml— published collections -
sitemap_pages_1.xml— active pages (About, Contact, etc.) -
sitemap_blogs_1.xml— blog posts
Each sub-sitemap can hold up to 5,000 URLs. If you have more than 5,000 products, Shopify creates sitemap_products_2.xml and so on.
What Shopify sitemaps include and exclude automatically
Included
- All published products
- All published collections
- Active pages (not noindex)
- Published blog posts
Excluded automatically
- Draft products
- Password-protected pages
- Pages set to noindex
- Checkout, cart, account pages
The automatic exclusions are mostly correct. The problem is the edge cases.
What Shopify sitemaps miss — and where errors creep in
1. Deleted products that left 404s behind — When you delete a product in Shopify, the page returns a 404 but may still appear in Google’s index. The sitemap won’t include the deleted URL, but Google can still have it cached from a previous crawl. You need a redirect from the old URL to a relevant collection or product page.
2. Products set to “noindex” by mistake — If an app or theme change accidentally adds a noindex meta tag to important pages, those pages will be excluded from indexing even though they’re in your sitemap. The sitemap and the noindex directive conflict — and the noindex wins.
3. Paginated collection pages — URLs like /collections/all?page=2 are not in your sitemap, and Google can struggle to discover them via crawl alone. For large catalogues, this means Google may not be indexing all your collection pages consistently.
Shero Commerce — Shopify SEO Audit Common Errors
Ahrefs — How Many Pages Get No Organic Traffic from Google?
How to submit your Shopify sitemap to Google Search Console
If you haven’t submitted your sitemap yet, Google will still eventually find it — but submitting speeds up indexing and gives you data on how many pages are actually being crawled.
Log into Google Search Console and select your property.
In the left sidebar, click Sitemaps (under Indexing).
In the “Add a new sitemap” field, type sitemap.xml and click Submit.
Google will fetch your sitemap and report back on how many URLs were submitted vs. indexed. Check back after a few days to see the status.
If your sitemap shows errors: The most common issue is “Couldn’t fetch” — meaning Google tried to access your sitemap and got an error. Check that your store isn’t password-protected and that the URL resolves correctly.
What to check after submission
Once your sitemap is submitted, watch two numbers in Search Console:
Submitted vs. Indexed — If you submitted 500 URLs but only 200 are indexed, Google is deciding not to index 300 pages. This could be: thin content, duplicate content, slow pages, or noindex tags. Dig into the Coverage report to see why.
Errors and warnings — A “Submitted URL not found (404)” error means a URL was in a previous sitemap but now returns a 404. Add a redirect from the old URL to a live equivalent.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify automatically create a sitemap?
Yes. Every Shopify store has a sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, generated automatically and updated whenever you add or publish content. You don’t need to install anything or create it manually.
Do I need to submit my Shopify sitemap to Google?
You don’t have to — Google will eventually discover it on its own. But submitting it directly in Google Search Console speeds up indexing and gives you data on how many pages are being indexed vs. submitted. It takes 30 seconds and there’s no downside to doing it.
Why are some of my pages not showing up in Google even though they’re on my sitemap?
A few reasons: the pages may have a noindex tag (either added by mistake or by an app), they may be too similar to other pages and treated as duplicates, or they may be new and Google just hasn’t gotten to them yet. Check your Google Search Console Coverage report to see the specific reason.
Can I remove pages from my Shopify sitemap?
Not directly — Shopify controls what goes in the sitemap. To exclude a page, you add a noindex meta tag to it. The page will still exist but Google won’t index it, and it won’t appear in the sitemap either.
What’s the difference between sitemap.xml and the individual sub-sitemaps?
The sitemap.xml is an index file that links to the individual sub-sitemaps (products, collections, pages, blogs). You only need to submit sitemap.xml to Google — it will follow the links to all the sub-sitemaps automatically.
Find what Google can’t see in your store
Plug In SEO audits your store for indexing issues — missing meta data, broken pages, noindex conflicts, and more — and tells you what to fix first.