If you have a website and aim to rank SERP to make it more visible on Google, the first step should be using the Google Search Console (GSC). One of the features that stands out is the ability to submit sitemaps, but as always, many users ask:
What sitemap should I submit in Google Search Console?
In this blog, we’ll delve into discussions around what sitemaps are, their types, and which one works best for you.
What is a Sitemap?
Sitemap is a file containing all important webpage listings – this aids Google in discovering and crawling content of the webpage.
There are two major types of sitemaps:
XML sitemaps
Created for search engines that aid in discerning the structure of your webpage.
HTML sitemaps
A type of map mostly used by people visiting larger websites.
When it comes to search engines, SEO, and Google Search Console, the focus should be on XML sitemaps.
What is the importance of submitting a sitemap?
Google has a pretty good job at discovering appropriate web pages, but submitting a sitemap ensures that:
Freshly created or updated content is indexed much faster.
Deeper or harder to find pages are crawled.
You can keep track of sitemap issues using Google Search Console.
Which Sitemaps Can You Submit?
Based on your website and its content, you will have one or more XML sitemaps:
General Sitemap (sitemap.xml)
This is the default sitemap where you can find all important pages with links.
Sitemap Index File
Large websites often have a sitemap index file that combines several sitemap files into one document. This comes in handy in case your site has over 50,000 URLs or is larger than 50MB.
Image Sitemap
Enables images to be more easily discovered on Google Images by including them from your site.
Video Sitemap
For websites that have video content, this allows for more accuracy in the Google indexing and displaying of video content.
News Sitemap
For publishers that are Google-News approved, this sitemap marks features on recent news articles.
Custom Post Type Sitemaps
When using Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress, the sitemaps can also be categorized by custom post types like posts, pages, products, etc.
Which Sitemap Should You Add?
For Most Websites:
You must submit your main XML sitemap
If you have a wordpress site that uses an SEO plugin (Yoast SEO, All in One SEO, Rank Math), the plugin usually creates a sitemap for you. You can usually find it at:
This is a sitemap index file containing links to smaller, and individual sitemaps (posts, pages, categories, etc.).
For E-Commerce Sites:
Alongside your primary sitemap, consider submitting:
- Product sitemaps
- Category sitemaps
- Image sitemaps – for visual product listings.
For News or Video Sites:
If you operate a news portal, or video heavy website:
- Submit a news sitemap (submit it only if you are accepted in google news)
- Submit a video sitemap to enhance visibility of multimedia.
How to Submit a Sitemap to Google Search Console
- Sign in to your Google Search Console.
- Select the property (your website)
- On the left side menu, click on “Sitemaps”.
- Under Add a new sitemap, you enter the sitemap URL. E.g sitemap_index.xml
- Click on the Submit button.
Google will now begin crawling your sitemap. Any errors, warning, or indexing status will be provided in the dashboard.
Submission Tips for Optimizing Sitemap Efficiently
Keep it organized:
Your sitemap should only contain canonical URLs that return status 200.
Update regularly:
Your sitemap should automatically refresh when new content is published.
Use plugins wisely:
SEO plugins such as Yoast, Rank Math or All in One SEO can automate the creation of sitemaps.
Avoid duplication:
Avoid submitting multiple sitemaps containing similar URLs.
Monitor performance:
Monitor errors and see how many URL’s indexed using Google Search Console.
Conclusion
The sitemap submission process within the Google Search Console is one of the most straightforward ways to improve a website’s SEO, alongside other methods. In most cases, a primary sitemap or a sitemap index suffices, although other site types may benefit from tailored sitemaps, including maps designed specifically for images, videos, and news.
The most important aspect of a sitemap is completeness, regular updates, accuracy, and accessibility. Google will ensure users and the internet easily discover and index pages, allowing for increased visibility of submitted URL’s.
