Checking XML Sitemap for Required and Recommended Tags
Ensuring your XML sitemap contains the required and recommended tags is crucial for effective SEO. Below are the steps to verify and update your XML sitemap for Shopify and WooCommerce.
Shopify
- Shopify automatically generates an XML sitemap for your store. You can access it by appending
/sitemap.xml
to your store’s URL (e.g.,https://yourstore.myshopify.com/sitemap.xml
). - Open the sitemap in a browser or XML viewer to inspect the tags. Ensure it includes the following required tags:
– The root element.
– Encapsulates each URL entry.
– Specifies the URL of the page.
– Indicates the last modification date of the page.
- Recommended tags to include:
– Suggests how frequently the page is likely to change.
– Indicates the priority of the page relative to other URLs on your site.
- If any tags are missing, you may need to use a Shopify app like “SEO Manager” or “Smart SEO” to customize your sitemap.
WooCommerce (WordPress)
- Install and activate the “Yoast SEO” plugin, which automatically generates an XML sitemap for your WooCommerce store.
- Access the sitemap by appending
/sitemap_index.xml
to your site’s URL (e.g.,https://yourstore.com/sitemap_index.xml
). - Open the sitemap in a browser or XML viewer to inspect the tags. Ensure it includes the following required tags:
– The root element.
– Encapsulates each URL entry.
– Specifies the URL of the page.
– Indicates the last modification date of the page.
- Recommended tags to include:
– Suggests how frequently the page is likely to change.
– Indicates the priority of the page relative to other URLs on your site.
- If any tags are missing, navigate to the Yoast SEO settings to customize your sitemap.
By ensuring your XML sitemap contains these tags, you help search engines better understand and index your eCommerce site, improving your SEO performance.