Resolving a Technical SEO Challenge: Sitebulb Crawl Map Only Displays the Root Domain
In the world of digital marketing, understanding how your website is perceived by search engines is crucial. Recently, I encountered a peculiar issue while running an SEO audit using SiteBulb. Upon examining the Site Visualization > Crawl Map feature, I was perplexed to find that it only displayed a single node representing my site’s main landing page. This was unexpected, as I have multiple blog entries, a FAQ section, Terms of Service, and more.
Despite being able to find all these pages through direct Google searches, I worried that the limited view in the crawl map might imply deeper issues with my site’s visibility. Given that I am utilizing Next.js, which employs server-side rendering (SSR) and Javascript, I ensured that Javascript crawling was enabled. However, I was still stumped by the lack of page nodes in the crawl map.
After some investigation, I discovered the root cause of the problem—one that may help others facing a similar situation. It turns out I had neglected to execute the command npx next-sitemap prior to deploying my site. This command is essential for generating an accurate sitemap for Next.js applications.
Once I integrated this step into my deployment process, the issue was resolved. The sitemap was generated correctly, allowing SiteBulb to properly index and visualize all the pages on my site. This small adjustment not only improved the crawl map but also ensured that my website was functioning optimally in terms of SEO.
If you find yourself in a similar predicament and your SiteBulb Crawl Map is not displaying all your pages, I encourage you to verify your sitemap generation process. Ensuring that your sitemap reflects the entirety of your site can make a significant difference in how search engines view and rank your content.
For those who are interested, I’m open to sharing the link to my site, along with my sitemap and robots.txt file, for further insights and assistance. Let’s work together to enhance our websites’ visibility and performance!