How to Generate an XML Sitemap in SuiteCommerce

An XML sitemap helps search engines discover important URLs on your ecommerce website, including product pages, commerce categories, and content pages.

If you're migrating to SuiteCommerce or adding new content to an existing store, keeping your sitemap updated can help search engines find the pages you want them to crawl.

NetSuite provides a native Site Map Generator that can create XML sitemaps for SuiteCommerce websites. You can also configure which types of pages are included, add URLs manually, and schedule sitemap generation.

Here's how to set it up.

What Is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that lists URLs on your website for search engines to discover.

For a SuiteCommerce store, this may include:

• The homepage.
• Product detail pages.
• Commerce category pages.
• Commerce subcategory pages.
• Site Management Tools (SMT) content pages.
• Other URLs added through the sitemap configuration.

A sitemap is particularly useful during a website migration, when you're transferring content and URLs from another ecommerce platform to SuiteCommerce.

It can also help you review which URLs your site is presenting to search engines.

However, including a URL in a sitemap does not guarantee that Google or another search engine will index it.

Step 1: Review Your SuiteCommerce Sitemap Prerequisites

Before generating a sitemap, review the visibility and configuration of your item and commerce category records.

NetSuite uses information from these records when determining which URLs to include.

Item Record Requirements

For product pages, review the relevant item settings, including:

• Whether the item is active.
• Whether the item has a valid website URL.
• Whether the item is configured to display in the webstore.
• Whether the item is excluded from the webstore.

Items that aren't intended to be accessible through the storefront generally shouldn't be included in the XML sitemap.

For stores using matrix items, the sitemap generator may include the parent item's URL rather than separate URLs for every child item.

Commerce Category Requirements

For commerce categories, review:

• Whether the category is active.
• Whether it has a valid URL.
• Whether it is configured to appear in the webstore.
• Whether the Commerce Categories feature is enabled.

These settings help determine which category and subcategory URLs are eligible for inclusion.

What Happens to Out-of-Stock Items?

An item going out of stock does not necessarily remove its URL from the sitemap.

This can be appropriate when the product page remains accessible and customers can still view product information.

If your business removes unavailable products from the storefront, review how those item settings affect both the website and sitemap.

Step 2: Open the NetSuite Site Map Generator

Navigate to:

Commerce > Marketing > SEO > Site Map Generator

The Site Map Generator displays the available website domains.

Select the domain for which you want to generate an XML sitemap.

Select the checkbox beside the desired domain and click Generate Site Map.

NetSuite will begin generating the XML sitemap for that domain.

Step 3: Check the Sitemap Generation Status

After starting the process, return to the Site Map Generator and review the status.

You may need to refresh the page while NetSuite processes the sitemap.

When generation is complete, the status should display Generated.

If the sitemap doesn't generate successfully, review the status message for more information.

NetSuite may display additional details that help identify configuration issues.

Once generation succeeds, use View Files to access the generated files in the NetSuite File Cabinet.

Step 4: Include Site Management Tools Pages

By default, the sitemap generator can include the homepage, eligible item URLs, and commerce category URLs.

However, content pages created through Site Management Tools may require an additional setting.

This is particularly important when migrating content landing pages from another ecommerce platform.

To include SMT pages:

1. Return to the Site Map Generator.
2. Find the relevant domain.
3. Select Edit in the Settings column.
4. Open the Site Map Content tab.
5. Enable the SMT Pages option.
6. Save the configuration.

The selected SMT pages can then be included during the next sitemap generation.

Adding Individual URLs

If you don't want to include every SMT page, the sitemap settings also provide a way to configure URLs manually.

This is useful when you want to include a specific content page without automatically adding all SMT content.

After saving the changes, regenerate the sitemap to include the updated URL selection.

Step 5: Schedule Automatic Sitemap Generation

You don't have to generate the XML sitemap manually every time your website changes.

NetSuite provides scheduling options for sitemap generation.

To configure a schedule:

1. Open the sitemap settings for the desired domain.
2. Select the Schedule tab.
3. Enable Scheduling for Sitemap Generation.
4. Choose the desired generation frequency.
5. Save the settings.

Scheduled generation can help keep the sitemap aligned with changes to your storefront, including newly published products, updated categories, and eligible content pages.

The appropriate frequency depends on how often your website changes.

Step 6: Review Advanced Sitemap Settings

The Site Map Generator also includes an Advanced tab.

These settings allow you to configure additional sitemap metadata.

Depending on the available settings, sitemap metadata may describe how frequently content changes or indicate relative URL priority.

These values are hints rather than guarantees of crawling or indexing behavior.

For example, Google does not use XML sitemap priority or changefreq values when determining how to crawl pages.

The most important consideration is that the sitemap contains the correct canonical, indexable URLs.

Step 7: Locate and Verify the Generated XML Sitemap

After generation, return to the Site Map Generator and click View Files.

This opens the generated sitemap files in the File Cabinet.

Locate the XML sitemap associated with your website's domain.

Open the file and verify that it contains the expected URLs.

Check that:

• The homepage is included.
• Eligible product URLs appear.
• Commerce category URLs appear.
• SMT pages are included if you enabled that option.
• URLs use the intended production domain.
• Unwanted or obsolete URLs aren't included.

The generated file's URL can also help you determine where the sitemap is accessible publicly.

Submit the Sitemap to Google Search Console

Once the XML sitemap is publicly accessible, you can submit its URL through Google Search Console.

This helps Google discover the sitemap and provides reporting about whether Google can read it.

You can also reference the sitemap URL in your website's robots.txt file where appropriate.

Does Your SuiteCommerce Store Need a Sitemap Footer Link?

An XML sitemap is intended primarily for search engines.

A link to the XML file in your website footer isn't required for search engines to discover it.

If you want to provide visitors with a browsable list of website pages, an HTML sitemap is usually a better option.

HTML sitemaps and XML sitemaps serve different purposes:

For most SuiteCommerce stores, the priority should be generating a correct XML sitemap, keeping it updated, and ensuring search engines can access it.

Final Thoughts

NetSuite's Site Map Generator provides a way to create and maintain XML sitemaps for SuiteCommerce websites.

By reviewing item and category eligibility, enabling SMT content where appropriate, and scheduling sitemap generation, you can make it easier for search engines to discover important storefront URLs.

For stores migrating from another platform, sitemap configuration is also a useful part of the broader SEO migration process.

A well-maintained sitemap won't guarantee search rankings, but it helps ensure that your website presents search engines with an accurate list of pages available for crawling.