Pingmap needs a publicly accessible sitemap to poll. Here's how to find the right URL for your platform.
Finding your sitemap URL
Most platforms generate a sitemap automatically. Try these common locations first:
| Platform | Default sitemap URL |
|---|---|
| WordPress (Yoast/RankMath) | /sitemap_index.xml |
| WordPress (default) | /sitemap.xml |
| Next.js | /sitemap.xml |
| Webflow | /sitemap.xml |
| Framer | /sitemap.xml |
| Ghost | /sitemap.xml |
| Shopify | /sitemap.xml |
| Squarespace | /sitemap.xml |
If none of those work, check your robots.txt file (https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt). It usually has a Sitemap: line pointing to the correct URL.
Sitemap index files
Some sites use a sitemap index: a top-level XML file that links to multiple child sitemaps rather than listing URLs directly. WordPress with Yoast or RankMath does this by default.
Pingmap handles sitemap index files automatically. Point it at the index URL and it follows all the child references on every poll. You don't need to add child sitemaps individually.
Adding multiple sitemaps for one domain
If your site has separate sitemaps for different content types (blog posts, products, pages) and they're not referenced by a shared index, you can add each sitemap as a separate entry in Pingmap. They'll share the same domain but poll independently.
Verifying your sitemap is accessible
Your sitemap must be publicly accessible without authentication. Pingmap fetches it from a server without any cookies or login sessions.
To check, open your sitemap URL in an incognito window. If you see XML, you're good. If you get a login page or a 403, the sitemap isn't public and Pingmap won't be able to poll it.
Sitemap update frequency
Pingmap compares the current sitemap snapshot against the previous one on every poll. For the diff to catch new pages, your platform needs to update the sitemap when you publish.
Most CMS platforms do this automatically. If you're generating a static sitemap manually, make sure your build process regenerates it on each deploy.