Short answer: Shopify's sitemap lists each product once, at its main URL, and leaves variant URLs out. That is the right behavior for almost every store. A variant link like ?variant=123 shows the same page with a different option preselected, and its canonical tag points back to the main product. Listing those links in the sitemap would only send Google mixed signals. This guide explains what the sitemap contains, how to check it, and the few cases where variants deserve more attention.
Default behavior
Every Shopify store gets a sitemap at /sitemap.xml automatically. It is an index file that points to smaller sitemaps by type:
| Included | Left out |
|---|---|
| Home page | Variant URLs (?variant=) |
| Published products, at their main URL | Draft and unpublished products |
| Collections | Cart, checkout and account pages |
| Blog posts and blog pages | Search result pages and filtered collection URLs |
| Pages (About, Contact, FAQ) | Anything you've hidden from search |
So a hoodie with 40 variants appears in the sitemap as one URL. Google finds the page through the sitemap and your internal links, reads the variant prices and availability from the product's structured data, and indexes the main URL. Our guide to rich results for variants explains how that structured data works.
Why variants stay out
Variant URLs aren't separate pages. They share the same title, description, images and reviews, and only the preselected option changes. If each one were indexed, you'd have dozens of near-duplicate pages competing for the same search, with links and reviews spread thin across them. Keeping one strong URL per product is the cleaner setup.
The same logic applies to personalized products. A custom name necklace with Print It My Way fields has one product page; every customer's name lives on their order as line-item properties, never as a URL. There's nothing extra to add to the sitemap, which is one reason personalization fields are easier on SEO than a variant for every choice. Read more in our guide to SEO for product options.
Custom sitemap
You can't edit Shopify's sitemap.xml directly. What you can do:
- Hide a page. Products, pages and posts can be hidden from search engines with the
seo.hiddenmetafield, which also removes them from the sitemap. Useful for test products or thank-you pages. - Add an extra sitemap. Some SEO apps can generate an additional sitemap, which you then submit alongside the main one.
- Index chosen variants. If you deliberately give key variants their own indexable URLs, you'd also need to list them somewhere Google can find them. This is a rare, advanced setup; read unique URLs per variant before trying it.
For most stores, none of this is needed.
Submit to Google
- Verify your store's domain in Google Search Console.
- Open Sitemaps in the left menu.
- Enter
sitemap.xmland click Submit. - Come back after a few days and check that the status says "Success" and the discovered URL count looks right.
Submit the sitemap on your main domain, not the myshopify.com address. Shopify also lists the sitemap in your robots.txt, so search engines can find it even if you never submit it, but submitting gives you the reporting. For the bigger picture, see our SEO strategy guide for Shopify stores.
Multi-language sitemap
If you sell in several languages or regions with Shopify Markets, Shopify creates the translated URLs and adds hreflang tags so Google knows which version to show to whom. Submit the sitemap for each domain you use. Variants follow the same rules in every language: one URL per product per language. Our post on hreflang and variant URLs covers edge cases.
Checking your sitemap
- Open
yourstore.com/sitemap.xmlin a browser and click into the product sitemap. You should see product URLs only, no?variant=. - In Search Console, compare the number of submitted product URLs to the number of active products.
- If products are missing, check that they're published to the Online Store sales channel and not hidden from search.
Frequently asked questions
Are Shopify variants in the sitemap?
No. Shopify lists each product once at its main URL. Variant URLs point to that main URL with a canonical tag, so they are left out.
Should I include variants in sitemap?
For almost every store, no. Listing variant URLs would conflict with their canonical tags, and Google already reads variant details from the main product page.
Where is Shopify sitemap located?
It is at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml and is created automatically. Shopify also lists it in your robots.txt file.
How to submit sitemap to Google?
Open Google Search Console for your main domain, go to Sitemaps, enter sitemap.xml and submit. Check back after a few days for the status.
Custom sitemap possible on Shopify?
You can't edit the built-in sitemap file. You can hide pages from it with the seo.hidden metafield, and some SEO apps can generate an extra sitemap to submit alongside it.
Sitemap for multi-language stores?
With Shopify Markets, Shopify creates translated URLs and hreflang tags for you. Submit the sitemap for each domain you use.
Blog + collection URLs in sitemap?
Yes. Published blog posts, collections and pages are all included alongside products.
How often does Shopify update sitemap?
Automatically, as you publish, edit or remove products, collections, pages and posts. You don't need to resubmit it after each change.
Related reading
Sources & further reading
Primary sources referenced in this article. We link to official platform documentation and standards bodies rather than secondary summaries so you can verify claims directly.
- Shopify Help Center: Product variants
- Shopify.dev: Product variant limits
- Shopify Help Center: Line item properties (customization)
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