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Shopify is absolutely one of the best CMS platforms for you to create an eCommerce website. However, nothing is perfect, and it has a certain technical SEO limitation. It’s because it automatically creates XML sitemaps split by page type. And then basically Shopify doesn’t allow you to manually change or customize unless you install a paid App through the Shopify marketplace.

Regarding Shopify XML Sitemap, recently there is an update from Shopify in 2021. Now the Shopify allows that the Shopify site robot.txt is editable. Basically, Shopify claims sellers can go to the theme, and click action, and then the edit code. In the theme’s liquid section, Shopify recommends adding the Shopify sitemap by adding a template and selecting a robot option. However, I am not able to see the robot template option yet.

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However, for some more advanced SEO use cases, this can be limit since you can’t create a new sitemap on the CMS. Then it’s automatically updating to the Search Console.

In this piece regarding Shopify XML Sitemap, I’m going to show you how to create and upload a custom Shopify XML Sitemap. You can upload it indexed by the Google search console and Bing webmaster. The key point is totally free, and you don’t need to pay for any third-party plugin. By the end of the article, you can learn where to create, how to upload and check if the indexation is successful.

How to find default Shopify sitemaps?

Default sitemaps created by Shopify can be accessed via the sitemap index at example.com/sitemap.xml.

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This sitemap index URL is also referenced in the Shopify website’s robots.txt file. Shopify didn’t allow to edited the defau. lt robot.txt file, although recently they said it’s editable now. But I can’t see yet. So the custom sitemap won’t be linked from there.

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You can upload the default XML sitemap to Google Search Console to check if pages are correctly indexed.

Why we need a custom Shopify XML Sitemap and create a Shopify Sitemap

  1. If you migrate to Shopify and change URL structure, this could be used to help to process redirects and remove old URLs from the index.
  2. If you consolidate sections of your site it can be useful. It’s because it includes old URLs in a sitemap to help Google process redirects that are in place and remove these URLs from their index.
  3. This method could be used to upload hreflang sitemaps. (Be careful as these would not be referenced in your robots.txt file).
  4. You have customized your Shopify CMS and have product variants. The Shopify sitemap does not include the product variants. So you can add them to the sitemap.

(Note: Some Shopify Apps can facilitate you to create and manage a custom Shopify XML sitemap. However, normally the apps charge monthly fees. Personally, I can’t see the value if you only need to custom a custom XML sitemap)

How To Create a Custom Shopify XML Sitemap:

  • If you migrate to Shopify and change URL structure, this could be used to help to process redirects and remove old URLs from the index.
  • FAQ
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  • Create an XML file using the Sitemap option in Screaming Frog (if your URLs are canonicalized or no-indexed, make sure to select th. ese options. You’re creating your sitemap in Screaming Frog, otherwise those URLs won’t be included)
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  • Add, or reduce the pages by using sublime text coding edition software (Free)
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Upload XML Sitemap to Shopify as a File

  • Upload this to Shopify as a File – this will sit on the Shopify CDN.
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Create a Redirect

  • Create a redirect from a new XML URL

(Online Store>Navigation>URL Redirects>Create URL Redirect)

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In Shopify, you cannot redirect from a URL that is still alive. so you have to redirect the 404 URLs. Shopify returns a 404 for any URL that doesn’t currently exist. So you can just make up any URL that isn’t currently live to use for your redirect.

When you are adding the redirect, the first URL must be on your domain. And this can just be the relative URL. However, the URL you are redirecting to should be the absolute URL as this sits on the CDN.

After you uploaded the custom XML sitemap to the Google search console, it might show the status in “couldn’t fetch”. However, within 24 hours, you should be able to see the status changed to “success”, and an index coverage report for your sitemap.

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I hope you enjoy reading How To Create A Custom Sh. opify XML Sitemap for your eCommerce Website and find it helpful. if you did, please support us by doing one of the things listed below, because it always helps out our channel.

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FAQ

A XML sitemap is a file that lists all the pages of a website and helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of the site.
XML sitemap is important for SEO as it helps search engines discover and crawl all the pages on your website, ensuring that they are indexed and appear in search results.
Shopify XML Sitemap automatically generates and updates a sitemap for your Shopify store, including all the pages, products, collections, and blog posts. It provides a structured format for search engines to easily crawl and index your site.
Yes, you can customize the XML sitemap generated by Shopify by excluding specific pages or URLs that you don’t want to be included in the sitemap. This can be done through the Shopify admin settings.
While it is not necessary to manually submit the XML sitemap to search engines, it is recommended to submit it through the search engine’s webmaster tools to ensure that the sitemap is crawled and indexed correctly.
Yes, Shopify XML Sitemap includes images and videos if they are properly optimized and included on your website. This can help enhance the visibility of your multimedia content in search engine results.
While XML sitemap alone may not directly improve your website’s ranking, it can help search engines discover and index your content more efficiently, which can indirectly benefit your SEO efforts.
Shopify XML Sitemap automatically updates whenever there are changes made to your website’s pages, products, collections, or blog posts. This ensures that search engines have the most up-to-date information about your site.
Yes, XML sitemap is relevant for all types of websites, including ecommerce stores, blogs, news sites, and more. It helps search engines navigate and understand the content structure of your site.
Yes, there are limitations to the size of XML sitemap. It should not exceed 50,000 URLs or 50MB in size. If your website has more pages or products, you can split the s. itemap into multiple files and create a sitemap index file.

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