Manage Sitemaps
The Sitemap Manager centralises URL discovery and control for SEO tracking. It handles sitemap imports, URL activation, and organises pages into path-based groups for efficient bulk management.
Quick start
1. Select the target project from the dropdown
2. Click Discover Sitemaps to find available sitemaps automatically
3. Select the sitemaps to track and click Add Selected
4. Expand the sitemap row to view and manage individual URLs
5. Use path groups for bulk enable/disable operations
Understanding the display
The main table shows all tracked sitemaps with key information at a glance.
Sitemap row columns
| Column | Description |
| Sitemap URL | The sitemap location. Shows active/total URL count below. |
| Project | The project this sitemap belongs to. |
| Status | Enabled (sitemap is tracked) or Disabled (paused). |
| Mode | Auto (syncs automatically) or Manual (user-controlled sync). |
| Structure | Sitemap (URL path hierarchy) or AI Clustered (AI-generated topics). |
| Actions | Refresh (manual sync) and Delete options. |
Expanded view
Click the arrow beside any sitemap to expand and view its URLs. The expanded view provides:
• Path Groups: Visual breakdown of URLs by folder structure
• URL List: Individual pages with status toggles and last modified dates
• Filters: Search, status filter, and path filter for finding specific URLs
What should I do next?
| Situation | Action |
| New project needs URLs | Use Discover Sitemaps to find and add sitemaps automatically. |
| Too many URLs to track | Use path groups to disable entire sections. Focus on high-value pages. |
| Blog posts not relevant | Filter by /blog/ path group and bulk disable. |
| URLs missing from sitemap | Check if the page exists in the XML sitemap. Add manually if needed. |
| Want AI-organised content | Change Structure to AI Clustered. See Topical Clusters documentation. |
| Sitemap not updating | Check Mode is set to Auto. Use Refresh for immediate sync. |
Adding sitemaps
Automatic discovery
The discovery tool searches common sitemap locations including robots.txt, standard paths, and CMS-specific patterns.
6. Select the project from the dropdown
7. Enter the website URL (e.g., example.com)
8. Click Discover Sitemaps
9. Review the discovered sitemaps and select which to add
10. Click Add Selected to import
Manual addition
For sitemaps not found automatically, enter the direct URL and click Add Sitemap.
Managing URLs
Individual URL control
Each URL has a status toggle in the expanded view. Enabled URLs are tracked for rankings and included in analysis. Disabled URLs are ignored but remain in the system for later activation.
Path groups
Path groups organise URLs by their folder structure, enabling bulk operations on related content.
| Element | Description |
| Group name | The folder path (e.g., /blog/, /products/shoes/). |
| Count badge | Shows active/total URLs. Green = all active, orange = partial, grey = none. |
| Enable All | Activates all URLs in this path group. |
| Disable All | Deactivates all URLs in this path group. |
| Hierarchy levels | Groups show up to 4 levels deep with visual indentation. |
Path group preferences are saved. New URLs added to the sitemap inherit the enable/disable setting of their path group.
Processing modes
| Mode | Behaviour |
| Auto | SERP360 syncs the sitemap automatically every 6 hours. New URLs are added, removed URLs are deleted. Recommended for most sites. |
| Manual | No automatic syncing. Use the Refresh button to sync on demand. Useful for sites with frequent temporary changes. |
Structure modes
Structure mode determines how URLs are organised within the project.
| Mode | Description |
| Sitemap | URLs are organised by their path structure. Creates a hierarchy based on folder names in the URL. Fast and deterministic. |
| AI Clustered | AI analyses page content and groups URLs into topical clusters. Creates meaningful topic groupings regardless of URL structure. Processing takes longer. |
When using AI Clustered mode, the resulting topic structure appears in the Topical Clusters feature. See the Topical Clusters documentation for details on viewing and managing AI-generated clusters.
Filtering and search
Global filters
• Search: Find sitemaps by URL across all projects
• Project filter: Show sitemaps for a specific project only
URL filters (expanded view)
• URL search: Find specific pages within the sitemap
• Status filter: Show All, Active only, or Inactive only
• Path filter: Show URLs from a specific path group
• Per page: Control how many URLs display (10, 25, 50, or 100)
Troubleshooting
Sitemap not discovered
The sitemap may not be in a standard location. Check the website's robots.txt for the sitemap URL, then add it manually.
URLs not appearing after sync
Verify the URLs exist in the source XML sitemap. SERP360 only imports URLs that are present in the sitemap file.
Path group changes not applying
Path group bulk operations update immediately. If changes don't appear, refresh the page. For large sitemaps, updates may take a few seconds to complete.
Auto sync not running
Check that Mode is set to Auto and Status is Enabled. Auto sync runs every 6 hours. Use the Refresh button for immediate sync.
Discovery timeout
Large sitemaps or slow servers may cause timeouts. Try adding the sitemap URL directly instead of using discovery.
FAQ
How often does auto sync run?
Auto mode syncs every 6 hours. The exact timing depends on system load. Use Refresh for immediate updates.
What happens to disabled URLs?
Disabled URLs remain in the system but are excluded from ranking checks and analysis. They can be re-enabled at any time.
Can I track URLs not in a sitemap?
The Sitemap Manager works with XML sitemaps. For pages not in a sitemap, consider adding them to the site's sitemap or using manual keyword tracking.
What does the lastmod date show?
The lastmod column shows when the page was last modified according to the sitemap. This comes from the sitemap's lastmod tag, not from SERP360.
How do I see AI clustering results?
After setting Structure to AI Clustered, the generated topics appear in the Topical Clusters feature. Processing may take several minutes for large sites.
Are path group settings saved?
Yes. When a path group is set to disabled, new URLs added to that path inherit the disabled status automatically.
Getting help
Contact support for persistent issues with specific sitemaps