How to Add a Sitemap to Squarespace

What Is a Squarespace Sitemap?

A Squarespace sitemap is an XML file that lists every public page on your website. It tells search engines like Google which pages exist, when they were last updated, and how they relate to each other. Search engines use this file to crawl your site more efficiently - instead of following every link to discover pages, they can read the sitemap and find everything at once.

Your Squarespace XML sitemap is always located at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Open this URL in your browser to see the file. It updates automatically whenever you publish, edit, or delete a page. You never need to manually regenerate it.

What Does the Squarespace Sitemap Include?

The automatic sitemap includes all published pages, blog posts, product pages, and collection items. It excludes pages set to "Hide from search results" and password-protected pages. If you have a large site, Squarespace splits the sitemap into multiple files linked from a sitemap index file.

Each entry in the sitemap contains the page URL and the last modification date. Google uses the modification date to prioritize crawling recently updated content. This is why updating existing pages - not just publishing new ones - helps with SEO. For broader SEO strategy, our guide on whether Squarespace is good for SEO covers the platform's built-in capabilities.

How to Submit Your Squarespace Sitemap to Google Search Console

Squarespace generates the sitemap for you, but it does not submit it to Google automatically. You need a Google Search Console account to submit it. Here is the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Verify Your Site in Google Search Console

Go to Google Search Console and add your domain as a property. Google offers several verification methods - DNS record verification is the most reliable for Squarespace. In your Squarespace dashboard, go to Settings > Domains and add the DNS TXT record Google provides. Once verified, you have full access to Search Console data for your site.

Step 2: Navigate to the Sitemaps Section

In Google Search Console, click Sitemaps in the left sidebar under the Indexing section. This page shows any previously submitted sitemaps and their status.

Step 3: Submit Your Sitemap URL

In the "Add a new sitemap" field, enter sitemap.xml (the domain prefix is already filled in). Click Submit. Google will fetch and process your sitemap. The status will show "Success" once Google has read the file, along with the number of URLs discovered.

Step 4: Monitor for Errors

After submission, check back in a few days. Search Console reports any issues - pages that could not be crawled, redirect errors, or pages blocked by robots.txt. Address these issues as they appear. The Coverage (or Pages) report in Search Console provides detailed information about which pages are indexed and which are excluded.

How to Submit Your Sitemap to Bing

Google is not the only search engine worth submitting to. Bing Webmaster Tools accepts sitemap submissions using the same process. Create an account at Bing Webmaster Tools, verify your site, and submit your sitemap URL. Bing powers Yahoo search results as well, so one submission covers both search engines.

Common Squarespace Sitemap Issues and Fixes

If your sitemap is not working as expected, these are the most common problems and solutions. For other platform issues, our guide to Squarespace troubleshooting and issues covers common problems.

Pages Missing from the Sitemap

If a page does not appear in your sitemap, check whether it is set to "Hide from search results" in the page settings > SEO tab. Also check that the page is published, not in draft mode. Password-protected pages are excluded from the sitemap by design.

Sitemap Returns a 404 Error

If yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml returns a 404, verify that your custom domain is connected correctly in Settings > Domains. The sitemap is only accessible on your primary domain, not on the built-in .squarespace.com subdomain after a custom domain is connected.

Google Reports "Sitemap Could Not Be Read"

This usually means Google could not access the URL when it tried to fetch the sitemap. Check that your site is set to Public (not Private or Password Protected) in Settings > Site Availability. If your site was recently moved to a new domain, Google may need time to recognize the change.

Pages Indexed but Not in Sitemap

Google discovers pages through both sitemaps and links. A page can be indexed even if it is not in your sitemap - Google found it by following links from other pages or external sites. This is normal and not a problem.

Do You Need to Update Your Squarespace Sitemap Manually?

No. Squarespace updates the sitemap automatically whenever you make changes to your site. When you publish a new blog post, add a product, update a page, or delete content, the sitemap reflects those changes immediately. Google recrawls your sitemap periodically - you do not need to resubmit it after every change.

The only time you need to resubmit is if you change your domain name. In that case, add the new domain property in Search Console and submit the sitemap again under the new domain. For help with domain management, our guide on registering a domain with Squarespace covers the full process.

Sitemap Best Practices for Squarespace SEO

Submit to Search Console immediately after launch. Do not wait for Google to discover your site organically. Submitting the sitemap tells Google your site exists and provides a complete list of pages to crawl.

Check Search Console monthly. Review the Coverage report for new errors, warnings, or excluded pages. Fix issues promptly to maintain healthy indexing.

Keep your site public. A Private site blocks all search engine access, including sitemap crawling. Verify your site visibility in Settings > Site Availability.

Use page-level SEO settings. Only hide pages from search results that genuinely should not be indexed (admin pages, thank-you pages, etc.). Every page you hide is removed from the sitemap. For SEO optimization, our Squarespace SEO optimization guide covers on-page settings in detail.

Submit Your Sitemap and Monitor Your Indexing

Squarespace handles sitemap generation automatically - your job is to submit it to Google Search Console and monitor the results. Submit once after launch, check the Coverage report monthly, and fix any issues Google reports. This simple routine ensures Google always has an up-to-date map of your site.