Myth: put every URL in your XML sitemap

Myth: put every URL in your XML sitemap

'Q: Should my sitemap include all my URLs, including filters and out-of-stock pages, for full coverage?'

Short answer: No — a sitemap should list only the canonical URLs you actually want indexed.

The longer version: the "more is better" instinct backfires here. Your sitemap is a recommendation to Google about your best, canonical pages. Stuffing it with non-canonical facets, redirected URLs, noindexed pages, or out-of-stock products sends mixed signals — you're telling Google "index this" in the sitemap while telling it "don't" via canonical or robots elsewhere. That contradiction wastes crawl budget and muddies the picture, and GSC will start flagging "submitted URL not indexed" noise that buries real problems.

Keep the sitemap clean: only 200-status, self-canonical, indexable URLs. Drop anything you redirect, noindex, or canonical away.

Rule of thumb: a sitemap is a curated list of your best work, not a database dump.

Follow-up: yes, split large catalogs into multiple sitemaps so you can spot which section has indexing issues.

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