How to Find Your XML Sitemap in Zibster
Overview
Your Zibster website automatically includes an XML sitemap that helps search engines discover your website pages. Zibster generates and updates this file for you, so you do not need to create or maintain it manually. Only pages listed in your Website Builder that are set to VISIBLE appear in the XML sitemap. This guide explains how to find your sitemap URL, control page inclusion, and submit your blog content separately through its RSS feed.
How Your XML Sitemap Works
An XML sitemap is a file containing website page URLs that search engines can use to discover and crawl your content.
Your Zibster sitemap:
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Includes Website Builder pages set to VISIBLE.
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Excludes pages set to HIDDEN or DISABLED, as well as deleted pages.
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Does not include individual blog post URLs.
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Uses the preferred
https://wwwversion of your website URLs, matching the URLs identified by your website’s canonical tags. -
Updates automatically when you add, remove, or change the visibility of your pages.
You cannot manually edit the URLs inside the sitemap. You control which Website Builder pages are included through their page visibility settings.
Sitemap inclusion does not guarantee that a page will appear in Google or other search results. Each search engine decides which pages to crawl and index.
STEP ONE
Log in to your Zibster account and click WEBSITE in the left-side menu to open your Website Builder.
STEP TWO
Click TRACKING at the top of the Website Builder to access your website tracking settings and sitemap URL.
FINAL STEP
Locate your sitemap URL in the Tracking section and copy it. Your sitemap URL follows this format:
https://www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Replace yourdomain.com with your website’s domain name. Use the URL shown in your account when submitting your sitemap.
You now have the URL for your automatically maintained Zibster sitemap. Zibster will continue updating it as you change your website pages.
Control Which Pages Appear in Your Sitemap
Use your page visibility settings to control both sitemap inclusion and visitor access:
- VISIBLE: The page is available online and included in your sitemap. It can appear in your main navigation unless it is inside a hidden dropdown.
- HIDDEN: The page is excluded from your sitemap and main navigation, but visitors can still access it through its direct URL.
- DISABLED: The page is excluded from your sitemap and cannot be viewed through its direct URL. Visitors receive a 404 page-not-found response. The page remains in your account so you can use it again later.
Save your page setting changes to apply them. PhotoBiz updates the sitemap automatically; you do not need to regenerate it.
For more information, see What Is the Difference Between Visible, Hidden, and Disabled in My Page Details?.
Important: Setting a page to HIDDEN does not make it private or prevent indexing. Search engines may discover it through links or previously collected information.
Keep a Page Out of Navigation but Include It in Your Sitemap
For a landing page that you want search engines to discover without displaying it in your main navigation, place the page inside a dropdown set to HIDDEN. Keep the individual page set to VISIBLE.
The hidden dropdown keeps the dropdown and its pages out of your main navigation. The visible page remains included in your sitemap and accessible through its direct URL.
Do not set the individual page to HIDDEN if you want it included in the sitemap.
Submit Your Sitemap to Google and Bing
Submitting your sitemap is optional. Your sitemap exists and updates automatically whether or not you submit it.
Submitting it through Google Search Console lets you monitor whether Google can retrieve and process the file and review reported errors. Submission does not guarantee indexing or improve rankings by itself.
For instructions, see How to Submit Your Website Sitemap to Google Search Console.
Once you have submitted the sitemap successfully, you do not need to resubmit it after each website change. Search engines determine when to read the sitemap and crawl your pages.
You can also submit your sitemap through Bing Webmaster Tools.
Blog Posts and Your Sitemap
Individual blog post URLs are not included in your Zibster XML sitemap. A visible Website Builder page containing a Blog Block can appear in the sitemap, but the individual posts displayed in that block are not added to it.
Your Zibster Blog provides a separate RSS feed containing recent blog content. You can submit this feed through Google Search Console to help Google discover your blog posts.
For instructions, see How to Submit Your Zibster Blog RSS Feed to Google Search Console.
You can submit both the XML sitemap and the Blog RSS feed. Neither submission guarantees that Google will index every included URL.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Why is a website page missing from my sitemap?
Confirm that the page is listed in your Website Builder, set to VISIBLE, and that you saved the setting. Hidden, disabled, and deleted pages are excluded. Individual blog posts are handled separately through the Blog RSS feed.
Why is a page in my sitemap but missing from Google?
Being listed in the sitemap does not mean Google has indexed the page. Use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to check the individual page URL and review any reported indexing issues.
Why does a hidden page still appear in search results?
Hidden pages remain accessible through their direct URLs. Removing a page from your sitemap does not prevent search engines from discovering or indexing it.
How do I take a page offline?
Set it to DISABLED if you want to keep it in your account for later use, or delete it if you no longer need it. A previously indexed URL may remain in search results temporarily while the search engine processes the change.
What if my sitemap URL does not open?
Copy the URL directly from TRACKING and confirm that your website loads at the domain shown in that URL. If the sitemap still does not open, contact Zibster Support.
Get Help with Your SEO
If you would like help with website optimization and Google Search Console, explore Zibster SEO Go.
Need Help?
Zibster Support Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm EST
Phone: 844.353.3412
Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket
