If you're adding a website to maptrics and you don't have a sitemap yet, you're not alone. A lot of sites run without one, especially smaller ones. But here's the thing: a sitemap makes life easier for search engines, and it's basically required for how maptrics works. Let me explain both sides.
What is a sitemap?
A sitemap is a file (usually at something like yoursite.com/sitemap.xml) that lists the addresses of your site's pages. It's not for visitors—it's for search engines. Think of it as a table of contents you hand to Google: "These are the pages I care about. Here's where they live."
It can include extra info too, like when a page was last updated, which helps search engines decide what to re-crawl. Simple idea, big impact when you have more than a handful of pages.
Why you need one for SEO
Google discovers pages by following links. If a page isn't linked from anywhere else on your site—new posts, deep product pages, or older pages that got left behind—it might get found late or not at all. A sitemap tells Google "these pages exist." It doesn't guarantee they'll show up in search, but it speeds up discovery.
For bigger sites, or sites that change often, a sitemap also helps. Google can see your structure and decide what to check first instead of guessing. So you get more and faster discovery, and Google can cover more of your site without wasting time. That's why it's recommended for most sites and practically a given for anything large or frequently updated.
Submit it in Google Search Console
Once you have a sitemap, add it in Google Search Console. Under "Sitemaps" you paste the URL of your sitemap (e.g. https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml). Google then uses it to discover and crawl your pages. You also get to see if there are errors—missing URLs, invalid formats—so you can fix them. It's optional in the sense that Google might still find your pages without it, but it's the standard way to say "here's my full list."
Why maptrics needs your sitemap
maptrics crawls your site to catch SEO problems like broken links, missing page titles, or pages accidentally hidden from Google. To do that, we need to know which pages to check. We don't guess—we use your sitemap. We read it, get the list of URLs, and then we monitor those pages over time. No sitemap means we have no reliable way to build that list. So for us, the sitemap isn't just nice to have; it's how we discover every page we're supposed to track.
If you don't have one yet, the good news is they're usually straightforward to add.
How to get a sitemap
Many platforms create one for you. WordPress (with plugins like Yoast), Webflow, Shopify, and most website builders either ship with a sitemap or offer a one-click option. If you built your site with a developer tool like Next.js or Astro, there's usually a plugin or built-in option. For custom setups, tools like Screaming Frog can generate a sitemap from your live site, or your developer can build one from your content. Once it's at a stable address, add that URL in the maptrics wizard and in Search Console, and you're set.
Not sure where yours is? Check out Where to find your sitemap for common locations.
Add your website to maptrics and paste your sitemap URL when prompted—we'll take it from there.