How to Find Your Website's Sitemap in 60 Seconds (Any Platform)

You know you need a sitemap for SEO, but where the heck is it?

Don't worry—finding your sitemap is usually easier than you think. In most cases, it's sitting at a predictable URL that you can check right now.

The fastest way: Just type yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml into your browser and hit enter. If you see a bunch of XML code or a styled sitemap page, congratulations—you found it!

But if that doesn't work, or if you want to understand why it's there (or isn't), keep reading. I'll show you exactly how to find your sitemap on any platform, plus what to do if it's missing.

Method 1: Check the Standard Location (Works 80% of the Time)

Most websites put their sitemap at one of these URLs:

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap/

Just replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain and paste it into your browser.

What you'll see if it exists:

• Raw XML: A page full of code starting with <?xml version="1.0"...>
• Styled sitemap: Some plugins format it nicely with CSS
• List of sitemaps: If you have a sitemap index, you'll see links to multiple sitemap files

What you'll see if it doesn't exist:

• A 404 error page
• Your homepage (if your server redirects missing pages)
• An error message

Method 2: Check Your robots.txt File

The robots.txt file is a text file that tells search engines which parts of your site to crawl. It's also where you should declare your sitemap location.

How to check:

1. Go to: https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt
2. Look for a line that says Sitemap:

Example robots.txt:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

If you see a Sitemap: line, that's your sitemap URL! Click it or copy it into your browser.

Pro tip: Some sites have multiple sitemaps listed in robots.txt:

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap-products.xml
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap-blog.xml
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap-pages.xml

This is totally normal for large sites. The main one is usually called sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml.

Method 3: Platform-Specific Locations

Different website platforms put sitemaps in different places. Here's where to look based on what you're using:

WordPress

WordPress doesn't have a built-in sitemap by default (though WordPress 5.5+ added a basic one). Most people use SEO plugins.

How to check which plugin you're using:

1. Log into your WordPress admin
2. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Look for Yoast, Rank Math, or All in One SEO

If you're using Yoast:

• Go to SEO → General → Features
• Make sure "XML sitemaps" is enabled
• Click "See the XML sitemap" to view it

If you're using Rank Math:

• Go to Rank Math → Sitemap Settings
• The sitemap URL is shown at the top

Shopify

Shopify automatically generates sitemaps for all stores. No setup required!

Sitemap locations:

https://yourstore.myshopify.com/sitemap.xml

Or if you have a custom domain:

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

Shopify actually creates multiple sitemaps:

• /sitemap.xml - Main sitemap index
• /sitemap_products_1.xml - Product pages
• /sitemap_pages_1.xml - Regular pages
• /sitemap_blogs_1.xml - Blog posts
• /sitemap_collections_1.xml - Collection pages

You don't need to do anything—Shopify handles it all automatically.

Wix

Wix also generates sitemaps automatically.

Sitemap URL:

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

To verify it's working:

1. Log into your Wix dashboard
2. Go to Marketing & SEO → SEO Tools
3. Click "Get Found on Google"
4. Your sitemap URL is listed there

Squarespace

Squarespace generates sitemaps automatically for all sites.

Sitemap URL:

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

Note: Squarespace sitemaps are always enabled. You can't disable them or customize them much.

Webflow

Webflow generates sitemaps automatically when you publish your site.

Sitemap URL:

https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

To check settings:

1. Go to Project Settings → SEO
2. Your sitemap is listed under "Auto-generated sitemap"

Custom/Self-Hosted Sites

If you have a custom-built website, the sitemap location depends on how it was set up. Common locations:

/sitemap.xml
/sitemap_index.xml
/sitemap/
/sitemaps/sitemap.xml

If you can't find it, you might need to:

• Ask your developer
• Check your CMS documentation
• Generate a new sitemap (see our guide to creating sitemaps)

Method 4: Check Google Search Console

If you've already submitted your sitemap to Google, you can find it in Search Console.

Steps:

1. Log into Google Search Console
2. Select your property
3. Go to "Sitemaps" in the left sidebar
4. Any submitted sitemaps will be listed there

What you'll see:

• Sitemap URL
• Status (Success, Error, or Couldn't fetch)
• Number of discovered URLs
• Last read date

This method only works if someone already submitted the sitemap. If the Sitemaps section is empty, you'll need to use one of the other methods.

Method 5: Use a Sitemap Finder Tool

If all else fails, use an automated tool to discover your sitemap.

Our tool (shameless plug):

1. Go to the Sitemap Explorer
2. Enter your website URL
3. Click "Fetch Sitemap"
4. We'll automatically check common locations and robots.txt

Other tools:

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider - Desktop crawler
• Sitebulb - Website auditing tool
• Browser extensions like "SEO Minion" or "SEO Meta in 1 Click"

What If You Can't Find Your Sitemap?

If none of these methods work, your site probably doesn't have a sitemap. Here's what to do:

For WordPress Users

Install an SEO plugin:

1. Go to Plugins → Add New
2. Search for "Yoast SEO" or "Rank Math"
3. Install and activate
4. The plugin will automatically generate a sitemap

For Shopify/Wix/Squarespace Users

Your sitemap should exist automatically. If you can't find it:

• Make sure your site is published (not in preview mode)
• Check that you're using the correct domain
• Contact platform support if it's still missing

For Custom Sites

You'll need to generate a sitemap. Options:

• Use a sitemap generator tool like XML-Sitemaps.com
• Write a script to generate it from your database
• Hire a developer to set it up
• Follow our complete guide to creating sitemaps

How to Verify Your Sitemap is Working

Once you've found your sitemap, make sure it's actually functional:

1. Check the XML Format

Open the sitemap URL in your browser. You should see:

• Valid XML code (starts with <?xml version="1.0"?>)
• A list of <url> entries
• Each URL wrapped in <loc> tags

Bad sign: If you see HTML, a 404 error, or broken XML, something's wrong.

2. Validate the Sitemap

Use a sitemap validator:

• XML Sitemap Validator
• Google Search Console (submit it and check for errors)
• Our Sitemap Explorer (we'll highlight any issues)

3. Check for Common Issues

4. Submit to Search Engines

Once you've verified your sitemap works:

Google Search Console:

1. Go to Sitemaps section
2. Enter your sitemap URL
3. Click "Submit"

Bing Webmaster Tools:

1. Go to Sitemaps section
2. Enter your sitemap URL
3. Click "Submit"

robots.txt (tells all search engines):

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

Understanding Sitemap Index Files

If your sitemap URL shows a list of other sitemaps instead of URLs, you have a sitemap index.

Example:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://example.com/post-sitemap.xml</loc>
  </sitemap>
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://example.com/page-sitemap.xml</loc>
  </sitemap>
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://example.com/product-sitemap.xml</loc>
  </sitemap>
</sitemapindex>

This is normal for large sites! Each sub-sitemap contains URLs for a specific section:

• post-sitemap.xml - Blog posts
• page-sitemap.xml - Static pages
• product-sitemap.xml - Product pages

Why use a sitemap index?

• XML sitemaps are limited to 50,000 URLs (see index guide)
• Organizing by content type makes debugging easier
• You can update individual sitemaps without regenerating everything

Troubleshooting Common Problems

"I found my sitemap but it's empty"

Possible causes:

• Your site has no published content
• Your SEO plugin is misconfigured
• Pages are set to "noindex" (excluded from search engines)

Fix: Check your SEO plugin settings and make sure you have published content.

"My sitemap shows old/deleted pages"

Possible causes:

• Sitemap cache hasn't been cleared
• Static sitemap that wasn't regenerated
• Plugin not updating automatically

Fix:

• Clear your site's cache
• Regenerate the sitemap (usually a button in your SEO plugin)
• Check plugin settings for auto-update options

"I have multiple sitemaps—which one is correct?"

Answer: If you have a sitemap index (sitemap_index.xml), that's your main one. Submit that to Google Search Console. The individual sitemaps (like post-sitemap.xml) are sub-sitemaps that the index points to.

"My sitemap URL returns a 404"

Possible causes:

• No sitemap has been generated
• Permalink/URL structure changed
• Server configuration issue

Fix:

• Install/configure an SEO plugin
• Check your .htaccess file (WordPress)
• Verify your sitemap generator is working

Next Steps After Finding Your Sitemap

Now that you've found your sitemap:

1. Submit it to Google Search Console - This tells Google where to find it
2. Add it to robots.txt - This tells all search engines where to find it
3. Monitor for errors - Check Search Console regularly for sitemap issues
4. Visualize your site structure - Use our Sitemap Explorer to see your site's organization
5. Optimize your sitemap - Learn how to create an effective sitemap

Key Takeaways

• Most sitemaps are at /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml
• Check robots.txt for the official sitemap declaration
• WordPress, Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace all generate sitemaps automatically
• Use Google Search Console to verify your sitemap is working
• If you can't find a sitemap, you probably need to create one

Quick checklist:

• [ ] Found your sitemap URL
• [ ] Verified it contains valid XML
• [ ] Checked for errors (404s, redirects, etc.)
• [ ] Submitted to Google Search Console
• [ ] Added to robots.txt

Need help understanding what's in your sitemap? Explore it visually with our free sitemap visualization tool.