Sitemap files

Use the Sitemap file to inform Yandex about the current structure of the site: specify a special directive in robots.txt or add it in Yandex.Webmaster.

With Yandex.Webmaster, you can:

Uploading Sitemap

In the Sitemap files section:

  1. Choose the site from the list.
  2. Enter the file URL. For example,
  3. Click the Add button.

The file is put into the processing queue. The robot will download it within two weeks. Every added file, including the ones listed in the Sitemap index file, is handled by the robot separately.

Once the file is downloaded you will see one of the statuses:

Status Description Note
“OK” The file is formed correctly and loaded into the robot's database.

The date of the last download is displayed next to the file.

Indexed pages appear in the search results within two weeks.

“Redirect” The URL redirects to another address. Remove the redirect and inform the robot about the update
“Error” File is formed incorrectly Click the Error link to view the details. Edit the file and inform the robot about the update
“Not indexed.” When the robot tries to download the Sitemap file, the server returns HTTP status other than 200

Check if the file is available to the robot. To do it, use the Server response check tool. Specify the full path to the file.

If the file is unavailable, contact the site or the hosting server administrator.

If the file is available, notify the robot about the update

The access to the file is denied in robots.txt with the Disallow directive Allow access to Sitemap and inform the robot about the update

Updating Sitemap

If you changed Sitemap file added to Yandex.Webmaster, there is no need to delete it and upload it again. The robot regularly checks the file for updates and errors.

To speed up the file indexing, click the icon. If you use the Sitemap index file you can launch the processing of each file listed in it. The robot will download the data within two weeks. You can use this function up to 10 times for each host.

When you run out of all attempts, you will be able to try again 30 days after the first try. The exact date is shown in Yandex.Webmaster.

Removing Sitemap

Files added in the Sitemap files section can be removed from Yandex.Webmaster.
  1. Choose the file from the list.
  2. Click the icon next to the file.
If the Sitemap directive was added in the robots.txt file, delete it.