Understanding Sitemap Submission Limits in Google Search Console
If you’re a website owner or SEO enthusiast, you’re likely familiar with Google Search Console (GSC). One of its key features is the ability to submit sitemaps, which can help improve your site’s visibility in search results. However, just like there’s a limit to the number of individual pages you can submit, you might be wondering if there are constraints on the quantity of sitemaps you can upload within a specific timeframe.
Recently, I’ve been actively submitting multiple sitemaps—a significant number—over the past week or so. However, I’ve encountered a troubling ‘cannot fetch’ error from Google. This raises questions about whether there’s a cap on how many sitemaps can be submitted at once, whether they’re published or not.
In this post, we will explore the guidelines surrounding sitemap submissions and how to troubleshoot potential issues that arise during the process.
Sitemap Submission Guidelines
Google allows webmasters to submit up to 500 individual sitemaps in a single GSC account. However, it’s essential to remember that each sitemap should not exceed 50,000 URLs or a file size of 50MB when uncompressed. If your use case involves a greater volume of pages, consider splitting your sitemaps into smaller sections to stay within these limits.
Common Issues When Submitting Sitemaps
Encountering ‘cannot fetch’ errors can be frustrating, especially after you’ve invested time in crafting your sitemaps. This issue may indicate several possible problems:
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Server Response: Ensure your server is running smoothly and can handle requests from Google’s bots. Downtime or slow responses can lead to fetch errors.
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Incorrect URL: Double-check that your sitemap URLs are accurate and accessible. Verify that there are no typos or broken links.
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Robots.txt Restrictions: Review your robots.txt file to confirm that it allows Google to crawl your sitemaps. A misconfigured file can block Googlebot from accessing your sitemaps.
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Overly Frequent Submissions: While there’s no officially stated limit on how many sitemaps can be submitted over a short period, excessive submissions may raise flags. Moderation is key in this area.
Best Practices for Submitting Sitemaps
To optimize the sitemap submission experience in GSC, consider the following best practices:
- Regularly Update Your Sitemaps: Instead of submitting new sitemaps frequently, focus