Mistake: relative sitemap path in robots.txt

Mistake: relative sitemap path in robots.txt

The Sitemap: directive in robots.txt requires a full absolute URL. A relative path like Sitemap: /sitemap.xml is silently ignored, and your sitemap goes undiscovered through that channel.

Fix checklist:
— ✅ Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml — full scheme + host
— ✅ The directive points to your index file, not one child sitemap
— Multiple Sitemap: lines are allowed; list each top-level index
— The line is order-independent and not tied to any user-agent block — keep it at the top for readability

Definition of done: fetch /robots.txt over HTTP, copy the Sitemap value, paste it into a browser. If it 200s and returns valid XML, pass. A relative path that resolves in your editor but not standalone is a fail.