Are struggling with the problem of a sitemap XML not indicated in robots.txt file. If yes, then this digital column will provide you with all the easiest solutions to resolve your problem along with bonus tips. Please stay tuned with us till the end of the blog to uncover how to include sitemap in robots txt.
Why You Must Include Sitemap in Robots TXT File?
Improves Search Engine Crawling: The search engine bots completely rely on robots.txt file instructions. If your sitemap XML not indicated in robots.txt file it is difficult for search engines bots to identify new and updated content on your website.
Ensures Faster Indexing: The sitemap serves as a directory for search engines to identify new and updated content on your website. If you add sitemap XML in robots.txt file you are guide search bots. It will ensure faster indexing for your overall website.
Enhances Website Visibility: By guiding search engine bots to your sitemap, you increase the chance for all your pages visible in search results. It will directly or indirectly enhance your overall website visibility. Therefore, it is suggested by experts to always include sitemap in robots TXT file.
Boost SEO for Large & Complex Websites: If your website has thousands of pages then you must play smarter to index all deep links. Here including a sitemap to robots.txt act as route for search bots to determine your website structure index all webpages. This step will boost overall SEO for your complex and large website.
Bonus Tip: Use the GSC robots.txt validator to validate your website robots.txt file. Simply go to the settings tab and click on robots.txt to open the report button under the crawling section.
How to Add Sitemap in Robots TXT for Simple & Small Websites?
If you are an owner of a small website you simply need to add below mentioned line at the top of your robots.txt file. Remember to replace example.com with your original domain.
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Note: To identify whether robots.txt is added to your website or not. Go to the browser and search for https://example.com/robots.txt. If it is not already added create one and add it to the root directory in your hosting server.
How to Include Multiple Sitemaps in Robots TXT for Large Websites?
As per Google Search Central, the maximum limit for a sitemap is 50,000 URLs or 50 MB. So, if you are an owner of a large website you need to split your sitemap into multiple after every 50,000 URLs. Then, you need to create and sitemap index file and add it to robots.txt. Now, let us discuss how to solve sitemap XML not indicated in robots.txt in quick two phases.
Phase 1: Create Sitemap Index File
In the very first phase, use the below-mentioned format to create a sitemap index file for your large website. Upload all the sitemap and sitemap index file in the root folder of your hosting server.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<sitemap>
<loc>https://www.example.com/sitemap1.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2024-02-07</lastmod>
</sitemap>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://www.example.com/sitemap2.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2024-02-07</lastmod>
</sitemap>
</sitemapindex>
Phase 2: Add Sitemaps Index File URL in Robots TXT
Now add sitemap the sitemap index file URL to your robots.txt. You need to add the below-mentioned line to your robots.txt file. Secondly, save the file and upload it to your root folder in the hosting server.
Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap_index.xml
Bonus Tips to Boost SEO Performance
Regularly Update Your Sitemap: It is recommended to update the sitemap whenever you add or update any webpage on your website. It helps search bots discover new and updated web pages on your website.
Use Modern Sitemap Format: Another tip for SEO professionals is to use a modern sitemap generator tool that works on the latest format i.e. sitemap protocol 0.9 which is defined by sitemap.org.
Build and Submit Your Sitemap to Search Engines: Another important step to submit your sitemap to search engines webmaster tools like Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. It helps you to better understand how search engines crawl your website.
Leverage Multiple Sitemaps for Large Sites: As we discussed earlier Google Search Central only allows up to 50,000 URLs in a single sitemap. So, it is recommended to leverage multiple sitemap for large websites.
Monitor Sitemap Errors in Google Search Console: Regularly check for errors in search engine webmaster tools and fix them promptly to boost SEP performance.
To Sump Up
To sum up the above blog on the topic of sitemap XML not indicated in robots.txt. Firstly, we discussed the importance of the sitemap URL in the robots.txt file. Thereafter, we have seen a detailed step-by-step guide for how to add sitemap to robots.txt for both small and large websites. Lastly, we have seen some of the bonus tips to boost your SEO performance.
