How to Submit Sitemap in Google Search Console

Learn how to submit a sitemap in Google Search Console to help Google index your website effectively and improve search visibility.

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Local SEO Services and have written clear, actionable instructions on how to submit a sitemap in Google Search Console, making sure your content is indexed and discoverable by Google.

Submitting a sitemap to Google Search Console is one of the most important steps in ensuring your website is indexed and visible in search results. A sitemap helps Google’s crawlers understand your website structure, discover new pages, and prioritise important content. Whether you manage a local business website or a large ecommerce platform, adding your sitemap correctly can significantly improve search performance and crawling efficiency.

What Is a Sitemap?

A sitemap is a file, usually written in XML format, that lists all the important pages on your website. It acts as a roadmap for search engines, helping them find, understand, and index your content more effectively.

Most sitemaps include URLs for:

  • Main website pages

  • Blog posts or articles

  • Product or service pages

  • Categories and collections

Sitemaps also provide information such as when a page was last updated and how often it changes. This helps search engines prioritise crawling your most relevant content.

For WordPress and other CMS users, sitemaps are often created automatically through SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All in One SEO.

Why Submitting a Sitemap Matters

While Google can crawl your website without a sitemap, submitting one ensures faster and more accurate indexing. It is especially beneficial if your website:

  • Has a large number of pages

  • Contains deep navigation structures

  • Includes new or updated content frequently

  • Has limited internal linking

  • Is new and doesn’t have many backlinks

Submitting a sitemap gives Google a clear path to discover every part of your site, improving visibility and preventing missed pages.

Step 1: Create Your Sitemap

Before you can submit a sitemap, you need to generate one. Most modern websites already have one automatically created. Common sitemap URLs include:

  • https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

  • https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml

To check if yours exists, enter one of the above URLs into your browser. If a list of links or sitemap index files appears, it’s already active.

If you don’t have one, you can create it manually or use an SEO plugin. For example, in WordPress:

  • Yoast SEO: Automatically generates a sitemap at yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml.

  • Rank Math: Provides a sitemap in similar format and allows you to customise which pages are included.

For other platforms, such as Shopify or Wix, sitemaps are usually built-in and can be accessed in your settings or directly from your domain.

Step 2: Log in to Google Search Console

Visit search.google.com/search-console and log in with your Google Account.

If you haven’t already added your website, click Add Property, then choose either:

  • Domain property: Tracks all URLs under your domain, including subdomains and protocols (e.g., https, http).

  • URL prefix property: Tracks only URLs starting with a specific address (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com).

Domain properties are more comprehensive, but they require DNS verification. URL prefix properties are easier to set up using HTML tags or Google Analytics.

Step 3: Access the Sitemaps Section

Once your property is verified, navigate to the Sitemaps section in the left-hand menu of Google Search Console.

You’ll see a field labelled “Add a new sitemap.” This is where you enter your sitemap URL.

Step 4: Submit Your Sitemap

  1. In the provided field, type the end part of your sitemap URL, such as sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml.

  2. Click Submit.

  3. Google will process your request and confirm whether the sitemap has been successfully submitted.

If your sitemap loads correctly, the status will show as “Success.” If there are errors, you’ll see details such as “Couldn’t fetch” or “Invalid format.”

Step 5: Verify Submission Results

After submission, you can review the sitemap’s status in the Submitted sitemaps list. Here, you’ll find details such as:

  • The date it was submitted

  • The last read date

  • The number of discovered URLs

  • Any crawl or indexing errors

Google automatically checks submitted sitemaps periodically, so you don’t need to resubmit unless major structural changes are made to your website.

Step 6: Monitor Index Coverage

Once your sitemap is submitted, visit the Indexing > Pages report within Search Console. This report shows how many URLs are indexed, which are excluded, and whether any technical issues are preventing certain pages from appearing in search results.

Common indexing issues include:

  • “Crawled – currently not indexed” (Google found the page but didn’t add it yet)

  • “Duplicate without user-selected canonical” (multiple pages with the same content)

  • “Soft 404” (page returns content but signals a not-found status)

Regularly reviewing these reports helps you maintain healthy site visibility and ensure that important pages stay indexed.

Troubleshooting Sitemap Errors

Your sitemap plays an essential role in helping Google crawl and understand your website’s structure. When errors appear in Google Search Console, they can prevent pages from being indexed properly, which in turn affects visibility and rankings. Fortunately, most sitemap issues are simple to fix once you identify their cause. Below are common errors and how to resolve them effectively to keep your site fully crawlable and search-friendly.

Couldn’t Fetch the Sitemap

This error means that Google cannot access your sitemap URL. The first step is to open your sitemap link directly in a browser to check whether it loads correctly. If it doesn’t, there might be an issue with your hosting configuration, server permissions, or an incorrect URL path. Also, ensure that your sitemap is not restricted by your robots.txt file. You can check this by visiting yoursite.com/robots.txt and confirming that there is no line blocking Googlebot from accessing the sitemap. If the sitemap is behind authentication or requires login access, move it to a public directory so search engines can reach it. Once the issue is fixed, test the sitemap again in Search Console to confirm that Google can fetch it successfully.

Invalid Format

A sitemap must follow a precise XML structure for Google to read it properly. If your sitemap has an invalid format error, it likely means there’s a syntax issue or an incorrect encoding type. Open the file and make sure it uses valid XML markup, beginning with the standard XML declaration (<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>). You can validate your sitemap by using online XML validators or sitemap testing tools to identify broken tags or missing elements. Also, ensure that the sitemap file is encoded in UTF-8, as other formats can cause compatibility issues. Many SEO plugins or CMS tools, such as WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO, automatically generate valid sitemaps, so updating or regenerating the file through these tools can also resolve formatting problems.

Submitted URL Not Found (404 Error)

If Google reports a 404 error, it means the submitted sitemap link cannot be found. This typically happens when the file has been moved, renamed, or deleted after being submitted to Search Console. Double-check that the sitemap’s location matches the one listed in Search Console. For example, if your sitemap was previously at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml but has been moved to yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml, update the submission accordingly. It’s also worth confirming that your hosting service or content management system hasn’t changed the URL structure. After fixing the issue, resubmit the correct sitemap URL in Google Search Console.

Submitted URL Blocked by Robots.txt

If you receive a warning that your sitemap is blocked by robots.txt, it means your file is being restricted from crawling. Your robots.txt file controls which areas of your site search engines can access, and if the sitemap path is disallowed, Google will not be able to read it. To fix this, open your robots.txt file and look for any line that includes “Disallow: /sitemap.xml” or similar wording. Remove that line or replace it with “Allow: /sitemap.xml” to grant access. After making the changes, re-upload the robots.txt file to your root directory and test it in Search Console using the “robots.txt Tester” tool to ensure Google can now crawl the sitemap successfully.

How to Resubmit Your Sitemap in Search Console

After you’ve corrected the issue, it’s important to let Google know your sitemap is ready for reprocessing. To do this, log in to Google Search Console, navigate to “Sitemaps” under the “Indexing” section, and enter your sitemap URL. Click “Submit” to notify Google. Within a few days, check the report again to confirm the issue has been resolved.

Additional Tips for Avoiding Future Sitemap Errors

To prevent recurring sitemap issues, ensure your sitemap updates automatically whenever new pages are published or old ones are removed. Many website platforms and SEO plugins handle this automatically. Keep your sitemap under 50,000 URLs or 50MB per file to comply with Google’s limits, and split larger sites into multiple sitemap files if needed. Also, make sure your sitemap includes only canonical URLs and doesn’t list duplicate or redirecting pages.

How Often to Update Your Sitemap

Sitemaps should automatically update if generated through your CMS or plugin. However, if you manually manage one, update it whenever:

  • You add new pages or products

  • You remove old or outdated content

  • You change URL structures

Google regularly rechecks sitemaps, but manual submission after large updates can speed up indexing.

Best Practices for Sitemaps

  1. Include only canonical, live URLs that return a 200 status.

  2. Avoid including duplicate or redirected pages.

  3. Keep your sitemap size under 50,000 URLs per file or 50 MB uncompressed.

  4. Use a sitemap index if you have multiple sitemap files.

  5. Submit your sitemap through both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for full coverage.

These best practices help ensure that search engines crawl your site efficiently and prioritise your most valuable pages.

Summary

Submitting a sitemap in Google Search Console is a simple but crucial step in strengthening your SEO foundation. It tells Google exactly where to find your most important pages and ensures they’re indexed quickly and accurately. Whether your site is a small local business or a growing ecommerce platform, a properly submitted sitemap supports better search visibility and long-term growth.

If you need expert help setting up or optimising your Google Search Console, Lillian Purge offers professional SEO support tailored to your business goals. We make sure every page of your website is ready to perform in search.

We have also written in depth articles on Common Google Search Console errors and how to fix them and How to use Google Search Console to improve Local SEO as well as our Google Search Console Hub to give you further guidance.