Why a sitemap goes stale
A typical case: an online shop in Tashkent launches with a clean sitemap, then spends six months adding products, renaming categories and pulling items after sales. Nobody opens the file in that time. Search bots end up with a list where some URLs return 404s or redirects, while fresh pages have to be found through links alone.
A sitemap tells search engines which pages you consider important and ready to be shown. The more accurate that signal, the less crawl effort is wasted and the faster new pages can reach search results. So the real question is not how to create the file, but how to keep it updated as the site changes.
Automate it instead of editing XML
Editing XML by hand only makes sense for a tiny, almost static site. Everywhere else the sitemap should be built from your database or page list, so a published page appears in it on its own.
There are two modes. A dynamic sitemap is generated on each request and is always fresh, but can be slow on a catalogue with thousands of products. A static one is rebuilt on a schedule, say overnight, and served instantly. A services website usually suits the first; a large catalogue suits the second, with a rebuild frequency matched to how often stock changes.
- WordPress: the built-in sitemap or an SEO plugin with the right post types enabled.
- Bitrix: a generation module that runs on a schedule.
- Tilda and other builders: the platform maintains the file; just confirm it is switched on.
- Custom sites and frameworks: a route or script that reads URLs from the database; Next.js has a dedicated sitemap file for this.
What to check when you add a page
A new page should appear in the file immediately or on the next rebuild. Confirm the following:
Review the last point in the generator settings. Some plugins include everything by default, including service sections and filter pages.
- the page is published and returns a 200 status;
- the canonical URL is listed, not a parameter variant;
- lastmod reflects the real change date, not the date of every rebuild;
- at least one internal link points to the page, since a sitemap does not replace internal linking;
- drafts, hidden entries and noindex pages are excluded.
Deleted pages, moved URLs and out-of-stock products
A deleted page leaves the sitemap along with the page itself. If a URL has changed, only the new one stays in the file and the old one gets a 301 redirect. The most common mistake after a restructure or CMS migration is a sitemap that still lists old URLs which now redirect.
Products are a separate case. An item may be gone from your site while its Uzum or OLX listing is still live and a Telegram channel post still links to it. Decide the rule in advance. Temporarily out of stock: keep the page and the sitemap entry, and show availability. Discontinued: redirect to a close product or category. No longer relevant: return 404 or 410 and drop it from the file.
Do you need to resubmit the sitemap
If the sitemap is listed in robots.txt and added to Google Search Console and Yandex Webmaster, search engines re-read it on their own. That covers everyday changes. Resubmit after big events: launching a section, a migration or a bulk catalogue update.
Do not rely on the sitemap ping. Google no longer supports it, so old scripts calling that address achieve nothing. For Yandex and some other engines you can set up IndexNow, a protocol that reports changed URLs right after an edit.
Monthly check and clear ownership
Once a month, compare the number of URLs in the sitemap with the indexed pages in the search engine reports. A large gap means either junk in the file or an indexing problem. Run the sitemap URLs through a crawler: there should be no 3xx or 4xx responses. After CMS or plugin updates, make sure the file format has not changed and no sections have vanished.
Often nobody owns the sitemap: a developer set it up once and the content manager does not know it exists. Write down which page types the generator covers, and add a “check the sitemap” step to every new section launch.
Where to start
Updating a sitemap is a small part of technical SEO, but stable indexing is built from details like this. If you are unsure about the state of your sitemap, or need SEO optimisation in Uzbekistan more broadly, the markdev team can audit the site and set up a routine. Tell us about your task and we will discuss where to begin.
FAQ
How often should a sitemap be updated?
The file should update itself whenever a page is published or removed. By hand, you only need to check the result once a month.
Do I need to submit the sitemap to Search Console after every new page?
No. It is enough that the sitemap is listed in robots.txt and added in the console. Resubmit after major changes such as a migration or a new section.
What should I do with out-of-stock products?
If the product will return, keep the page and its sitemap entry. If it is discontinued, redirect to an alternative or category and remove the URL from the sitemap.
Does the Google sitemap ping still work?
No, Google has stopped supporting it. Rely on an accurate file, robots.txt and the reports in Search Console.
Let’s look at your task for free
Leave your contact — in a 15-minute call we’ll show where leads get lost and what to fix first.