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StoreFronts Sitemaps locations

StoreFronts Sitemaps locations

Overview

Your sitemap helps search engines learn about your store.  The UltraCart StoreFront system will automatically create, update nightly and display URLs that you can register at various Search Engine sites. 

 

At StoreFronts, click on the Search Engine Optimization tab. Scroll to the bottom of the screen to the Sitemaps section. There you'll see three (3) URL's compatible for popular search engine sites  (Yahoo, Google.com & Sitemaps.org).

 

The URL for the sitemap will change if you change your StoreFront location. It is best to register these sitemap files with the search engines after you have changed your StoreFront location.

 

Registering your site map with a search engine

Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC), previously known as Google Webmaster Tools, is a free service provided by Google that helps UltraCart merchants monitor and maintain their store’s presence in Google Search results. It provides valuable insights into how Google crawls and indexes your UltraCart storefront, shows which search queries drive traffic, identifies technical issues, and allows you to submit sitemaps and individual URLs for indexing.

Connecting your UltraCart store to Google Search Console is strongly recommended for every merchant.

How do I connect my UltraCart store to Google Search Console?

  1. Log in to Google Search Console.

  2. Click Add property.

  3. Choose URL prefix and enter your storefront domain (e.g., https://www.mystore.com or your secure custom domain).

  4. Select one of the recommended verification methods:

    • HTML tag (recommended for UltraCart) – Copy the provided <meta> tag.

    • In UltraCart, go to Home → StoreFront → Settings → Advanced → Google Search Console Verification and paste the entire meta tag into the field.

    • Save changes.

  5. Return to GSC and click Verify.

Tip: Verification usually completes within seconds after saving in UltraCart.

Do I need to submit a sitemap?

Yes. UltraCart automatically generates a standards-compliant sitemap at: https://yourstore.com/sitemap.xml

After verification:

  1. In GSC, go to Sitemaps (under Index).

  2. Enter sitemap.xml and click Submit.

UltraCart updates this sitemap daily, so no further action is required.

My pages are not indexing / showing “Crawled – currently not indexed.” What should I do?

Common fixes for UltraCart stores:

  • Ensure the page is published and not set to “No Index” in StoreFront page settings.

  • Confirm the page has unique, descriptive content (avoid thin or duplicate content).

  • Check Coverage → Excluded in GSC for specific exclusion reasons.

Three Key Suggestions for Maintaining Good Visibility

  1. Keep Core Web Vitals healthy Use the Core Web Vitals report in GSC. UltraCart’s hosted StoreFront pages are optimized by default, but large unoptimized images or third-party scripts can hurt scores. Regularly review and fix “Poor” URLs.

  2. Monitor and fix mobile-usability issues UltraCart themes are mobile-responsive, but custom CSS or embedded widgets can cause problems. Address any errors shown in the Mobile Usability report promptly.

  3. Submit updated URLs after major changes After adding new collections, products, or blog posts, use the URL Inspection tool in GSC to “Request Indexing” for important pages so Google crawls them faster.

By connecting Google Search Console and reviewing it monthly, UltraCart merchants can catch issues early and maintain strong organic search performance.

Google provides the following page on sitemaps "Help Google crawl the right content" that you should read. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6065812?hl=en

Yahoo

Also, here's a link to Yahoo Help on how to submit your sitemap to Yahoo, Bing, and Google.

https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN19497.html