Confusion about sitemap_index.xml

seo sitemap
Teflon Ted picture Teflon Ted · Mar 27, 2009 · Viewed 12.1k times · Source

I've read the Google docs on sitemap formats but there's one thing they don't make clear: will search engines automatically look for and find /sitemap_index.xml or do you have to tell them about it via /robots.txt or the main /sitemap.xml? Can you not have a /sitemap.xml and still rely on /sitemap_index.xml to be found and harvested?

Answer

Liam picture Liam · Mar 27, 2009

In your robots.txt you can point to a sitemap or a sitemap index file using the same syntax:

Sitemap: <location>

Search engines will know by looking at the file what kind it is.

It is worth noting also that sitemap.xml and sitemap_index.xml are only suggested filenames, you may use any names you wish. Unlike the known location of robots.txt, search engines will not check any location such as sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml without you telling it that there is something at that location.

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