How to find a website sitemap in 5 easy steps

5 ways to find a website sitemap

Finding a sitemap is often quick work and there are several ways to crack the case:

1. Check common sitemap locations
2. Visit the robots.txt file
3. Use Google search operators
4. Online tools
5. Look at your CMS

1. Check the most common XML sitemap locations

Unlike your HTML sitemap, which is going to live in your website’s footer, your XML sitemap won’t be as visible since it’s designed for a search engine to use.

The most common XML sitemap location is the root directory of your domain, which is why common paths like /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml are usually the best places to start.

The simplest way to check for a sitemap file quickly is by adding the following paths to your website’s domain:

• slickplan.com/sitemap
• slickplan.com/sitemap_index.xml (the word “index” tells us this is a list of all the sitemaps for a site)
• slickplan.com/sitemap.xml (this is where ours is)

Those are the most common sitemap URL paths, but if it doesn’t pop up you can try others, like:

• /sitemap1.xml
• /sitemap/sitemap.xml
• /sitemapindex.xml
• /atom.xml
• /rss.xml
• .xml.gz (a compressed sitemap file)

2. Investigate the robots.txt file

The robots.txt file is a text file that lives in your root directory that tells search engine web crawlers which pages they can access and other instructions.

It’s also an ideal place to find a website’s sitemap file. To see if the sitemap of a website is there, type the URL and add /robots.txt, like this: slickplan.com/robots.txt.

If it is, you’ll see the location clearly labeled after “Sitemap”.

3. Use Google search operators to find your sitemap

If you’re still unable to locate the sitemap file, don’t fret, Google has your back.

By using search operators, those commands that let you narrow down search results based on file types or keywords, you can sometimes find sitemap XML files that are publicly indexed.

Just keep in mind that Google search operators are a backup method, not a complete sitemap inventory. If nothing useful shows up, check common sitemap paths above, robots.txt or your CMS instead.

Here’s how it works:

• Use the site: operator followed by the website domain, then filetype:xml to narrow results to XML files.

For the NFL, it would look like this:

• Use site: plus ext:xml

• Use site: plus inurl:xml

• Use site: plus ext:xml plus inurl:sitemap

4. Online tools to find your sitemap

If the above methods aren’t cutting it, you can go the more advanced route of using an online tool to get to the sitemap view.

SEO Site Checkup

Designed specifically for sitemap discovery and site search, SEO Site Checkup is a simple sitemap checker tool that confirms a sitemap’s presence on a website and provides its URL.

Just enter your website URL, click “Checkup” and the tool will then analyze your site and find the sitemap location (plus a ton of other search engine optimization info), saving you the effort of manually searching for it.

But keep in mind that SEO Site Checkup is not a free sitemap finder.

Check Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools

On the other hand, free tools from Google and Bing are both indispensable for website management. These platforms are also where you’ll submit your own sitemaps to improve the effectiveness of search engine crawlers in getting your site properly indexed.

Navigating them is straightforward. In both Bing and GSC, here’s the process to view a website sitemap:

• Login
• Pick your site
• Click “Sitemaps”
• See the list of submitted sitemaps

5. Take a look at the CMS

The content management system (CMS) a site uses can give you clues about where its sitemap lives. If you do not know the CMS, enter the site into a tool like WhatCMS and it can usually identify the platform in a few seconds.

Most CMS platforms create and update XML sitemaps automatically. The exact sitemap URL depends on the platform, but these are the common places to check.

WordPress sitemap URL

WordPress sites often use one of three sitemap paths:

• /sitemap.xml
• /sitemap_index.xml
• /wp-sitemap.xml

If the site uses an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, start with /sitemap_index.xml. Native WordPress sitemaps often live at /wp-sitemap.xml.

Wix sitemap URL

For Wix sites, start with /sitemap.xml. This usually opens the main sitemap index. Depending on the site, Wix may also include separate sitemap files for pages, products, blog posts or other content types.

Shopify sitemap URL

Shopify stores usually use /sitemap.xml. That file links to separate sitemaps for products, collections, pages and blog posts.

Squarespace sitemap URL

Squarespace sites usually generate a sitemap automatically at /sitemap.xml, either on the custom domain or the Squarespace subdomain.

These CMS-generated sitemap files typically update automatically when pages, products, collections or posts are added, changed or removed.

Once you find your sitemap, you can use a sitemap validator to check for errors.

🎥 Recap: 5 ways to find a sitemap in 3.5 minutes

If you want to see an explanation of how to find a website’s sitemap visually, we cover each method (plus, how to submit it to GSC) in this video:

What if my site doesn’t have a sitemap?

If you can’t find one, you can create one with tools like Yoast SEO or Rank Math for WordPress, use our free XML Sitemap Generator or plan your site structure with our Sitemap Builder. You can also build a sitemap manually by listing all site URLs in XML format and placing it in your site’s root directory.

Check out our guide on how to create a sitemap for a detailed walkthrough for building HTML, XML and visual sitemaps.

If you’re going to use any sitemap, and not all websites have them, make it an XML sitemap. If you have a large site, one that’s over 50,000 pages, you’ll need to break it up into multiple sitemaps and submit a sitemap index file.

Beyond XML: Exploring alternative sitemap formats

While XML is the most common sitemap format for a search engine to use, there are more:

• HTML
• RSS feed
• mRSS feed
• Atom feed
• UX sitemap
• News sitemap
• Video sitemap
• Image sitemap

These alternative formats can also be useful for website navigation and SEO. Other than HTML and visual sitemaps, what markup language is used for sitemap design? Mainly XML or extensible markup language.

An HTML sitemap, for instance, enhances user experience by providing a navigable layout for real-life visitors, not search engine robots. As mentioned earlier, these are most often found in the footer of a website.

RSS, mRSS and Atom are also in the XML code format and are more limited and most frequently used with syndicated content.

Same goes for news, video and image; they’re very specific in what they tell search engines.

A UX sitemap, also known as a visual sitemap, is a visual representation of your site’s hierarchy. They’re an essential tool for website planning and aren’t usually publicly available. To get one for your site, pop your URL into our visual sitemap generator and in seconds you’ll have your entire site structure laid out and editable.

See an example of a sitemap like this on our sitemap templates page.

Integrating sitemaps with search engines

With your sitemap prepared, the final step is to inform search engines and submit it.

Submitting your sitemap isn’t mandatory, but it can help Google, Bing and other search engines discover and process your URLs more efficiently. It’s especially useful for new sites, large sites, recently updated sites or sites with weak internal linking.

In Google Search Console, you can submit your sitemap in the Sitemaps section and the same goes for a Bing Webmaster Tools account.

Just select your site, find your sitemap URL and add the extension.

Regularly updating your sitemap submissions on search platforms is recommended to ensure that your website’s new pages are promptly indexed.

Locate and leverage your sitemap

Sitemaps play a crucial role in website navigation and SEO. Whether it’s helping search engines locate and index your site’s pages, like an XML sitemap does, or enhancing UX, as an HTML sitemap does, a sitemap is a key tool in the digital arena.

They’re more than a technical requirement — they’re your site’s roadmap for search engines and, in the case of HTML, for visitors too.

Now that you know how to find the sitemap of a website, put it to work: check for errors, submit it to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools or use it to spot gaps in your site’s structure. Those few minutes of (minimal) effort can lead to faster indexing, stronger SEO and a better experience for your audience.

Frequently asked questions