In short. Shopify generates a sitemap for each international domain and includes published languages automatically, with submission handled for each domain.
Definition: An international domain is a country- or region-specific store URL; a sitemap is a file listing store content URLs for search engines. As of October 2026, Shopify generates sitemaps for international domains and automatically includes published store languages.
Key facts
- Shopify's sitemap documentation states that stores on the Basic plan or higher have sitemaps for each additional domain used for international targeting.
- Shopify's international domains documentation supports separate domain names, subdomains and subfolders for localized store URLs.
- Shopify's language documentation states that publishing a language creates unique URLs for each translated page by adding a language code.
Where are the international sitemaps?
Shopify's sitemap instructions place the generated file at the root of each store domain. The documentation gives this example:
https://example.com/sitemap.xml
The file links to separate sitemaps for products, collections, blogs and webpages. Shopify updates the files automatically when new content, including images, is added to the online store.
Shopify's international domains guidance recommends submitting a sitemap for every domain and subdomain after regional URLs are configured. A subdomain is a prefix added to the primary domain, such as fr.example.com. A subfolder is a path within the primary domain, such as example.com/fr-fr.
How do language and market URLs fit together?
Shopify's language documentation gives French and German examples: publishing these languages on example.com creates example.com/fr and example.com/de. Languages are assigned to domains, and each market uses a domain. A market using a subfolder can have its own language settings, managed through its Domain / language customization.
Shopify's international domains documentation limits language-only subfolders, such as /fr, to the primary market. Secondary-market subfolders combine language and country codes, with /fr-ca as an example. These settings determine the localized store addresses whose language versions appear in the generated sitemaps.
How can sitemap coverage be checked?
Shopify's international troubleshooting guidance calls for checking domain connections under Settings > Domains, checking domain and language assignments in Markets, and reviewing the sitemap for all published languages.
Shopify's submission instructions require verification of each international domain in Google Search Console before submission. The relevant domain property is selected, then Indexing > Sitemaps accepts the filename sitemap.xml under Add a new sitemap. Submission is repeated for each international domain.
The same instructions state that a sitemap reader cannot access the sitemap while the website is in private mode. Store accessibility therefore forms part of the check alongside the domain and language settings.
Related terms
- XML sitemap
- How do I submit a Shopify sitemap to Search Console?
- How do I choose subfolders for Shopify markets?
FAQ
Do I need to add each translated URL to the sitemap manually?
No. Shopify's sitemap documentation states that languages are added automatically to each domain's sitemap files when you sell in multiple languages.
Does every language need a separate domain?
No. Shopify's language documentation shows French and German URLs under the same domain, using /fr and /de. You can also make different languages available on different domains through international domains.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center, "International domains", undated
- Shopify Help Center, "Finding and submitting your sitemap", undated
- Shopify Help Center, "Managing your store's languages", undated
Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer