When convenient

Your site has no sitemap

What it means

A sitemap is a file that lists the pages on your site, so search engines do not have to discover every page by following links. It usually lives at https://example.com/sitemap.xml, which is the address EverThread checks.

We asked for that address and got "not found". Either your site has no sitemap, or it has one at a different address, such as /wp-sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml, with nothing at /sitemap.xml.

Search engines do not require that exact address. They can find a sitemap through your robots.txt or when you submit it. But /sitemap.xml is the address people and tools try first, so it is worth making it work.

Why it matters

A sitemap helps search engines find new and updated pages sooner. It helps most on new sites, sites with few links from other websites, and sites with pages that are hard to reach from the menu. Without one, a new service page or product can take longer to appear in search.

It will not raise your rankings on its own. It helps search engines find and refresh your pages. The pages still have to be worth listing.

How to check your own site

1. Open https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. A working sitemap shows a list of links or a page of code. A "page not found" message means there is none at that address.
2. Open https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt and look for a line starting with Sitemap:. It may point to a sitemap at a different address.
3. On WordPress, also try /wp-sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml.
4. If you use Google Search Console, the Sitemaps report lists any sitemap you or a plugin submitted.

How to fix it

Any website

1. If your platform or a plugin can generate a sitemap, use that. It updates itself when you add pages. Writing one by hand only makes sense for a small site that rarely changes.
2. For a hand-made sitemap, create a file named sitemap.xml like the example below, with one entry per page, and upload it to the top folder of your site.
3. Use full addresses that start with https://, and list only pages you want in search results. Leave out login, cart, thank-you and duplicate pages.
4. Add a line to your robots.txt that points to it, such as Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml.
5. Submit it once in Google Search Console, under Sitemaps, and in Bing Webmaster Tools if you use it.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-01</lastmod>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/contact</loc>
  </url>
</urlset>

WordPress

1. WordPress 5.5 and later includes a basic sitemap at /wp-sitemap.xml. It is switched off when "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" is ticked under Settings, Reading. If that box is ticked on your live site, untick it, because it also asks search engines to stay away from your whole site.
2. Most SEO plugins replace the built-in sitemap with their own, often at /sitemap_index.xml, and many redirect /sitemap.xml to it. Check that the plugin's sitemap setting is on.
3. If /sitemap.xml still shows "not found" while another sitemap address works, add a redirect from /sitemap.xml to it. Use your host's redirect tool, a redirect plugin, or the rules in the Apache or Nginx section.

Shopify, Squarespace, Wix and other hosted builders

1. These platforms create a sitemap at /sitemap.xml automatically and keep it up to date. You cannot upload your own.
2. If it is missing, check that the site is published, that it is not password-protected or set to hide from search engines, and that your domain is connected to the platform.
3. If all of that looks right, contact the platform's support.

cPanel hosting

1. cPanel does not create sitemaps itself. Use your site software to generate one (see WordPress above), or upload a hand-made sitemap.xml to public_html with "File Manager".
2. If your sitemap lives at another address, open "Redirects" in cPanel and add a permanent (301) redirect from /sitemap.xml to it.

Apache or Nginx

1. If your application or CMS generates a sitemap at a different path, redirect /sitemap.xml to it, as in the examples below.
2. If you build a static sitemap during deployment, place it in the document root and serve it with an XML content type.

# Apache (.htaccess or site configuration)
Redirect 301 /sitemap.xml /sitemap_index.xml

# Nginx
location = /sitemap.xml {
    return 301 /sitemap_index.xml;
}

What to send your developer

GET /sitemap.xml returned 404 or failed. Serve a sitemap there, or a 301 to your sitemap or sitemap index. Use absolute canonical https URLs, stay within 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed per file, and use a sitemap index above that. Include only indexable pages that return 200, keep lastmod accurate (Google ignores priority and changefreq), and reference the file from robots.txt with a Sitemap: line. Generate it from the CMS or at build time so it never drifts from the real page list. See Google's sitemap guide.

Common questions