Sitemap Configuration for Bitrix CMS
Sitemap in Bitrix is generated by the seo module. It creates an XML file in Sitemap Protocol 0.9 format, followed by Google and Yandex. Without proper setup, the map either isn't generated, includes technical pages, or excludes important catalog sections.
Setup via Administrative Interface
Path: Marketing → Search Engine Optimization → Sitemap.
The sitemap consists of multiple sources. For each source, configure:
- Source type — site pages, infoblock elements, infoblock sections.
-
Update frequency (
changefreq) — always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, never. -
Priority (
priority) — from 0.0 to 1.0. -
Last modification date (
lastmod) — from element or section'sTIMESTAMP_Xfield.
For an online store, create at least two sources: catalog sections (with changefreq=weekly, priority=0.7) and products (changefreq=daily, priority=0.8).
What to Include and Exclude
Standard mistake — not excluding pages with URL parameters: /catalog/?sort=price, /catalog/?page=2. Search engines perceive them as separate URLs and waste crawl budget.
Configured through Exclusion conditions in sitemap configuration. Add URL patterns that shouldn't be included:
/catalog/*?*
/search/*
/bitrix/*
/local/*
/personal/*
/auth/*
Infoblock pages excluded through source settings: uncheck "Include elements with empty detail URL" — removes products without configured SEF URL.
Generation via Agent
Manual "Generate" button is suitable only for initial setup. In production, sitemap should be recreated automatically. In sitemap settings, enable Automatic creation using agent.
Agent CSeoSitemapAgent::generateSitemap() is called on schedule. Once daily is sufficient for most sites. For news resources — once hourly.
If the site is large and the agent doesn't complete generation within one hit, use cron:
0 3 * * * /usr/bin/php -f /home/bitrix/www/bitrix/modules/seo/lib/sitemap/generator.php
Sitemap Index
If the site contains over 50,000 URLs, the sitemap is split into multiple files and an index file sitemap_index.xml is created. Bitrix does this automatically when the limit is exceeded. In settings, you can set the maximum size of one file.
Example resulting structure:
/sitemap_index.xml → links to individual files
/sitemap_0.xml → site pages
/sitemap_1.xml → catalog sections
/sitemap_2.xml → products 1–50000
/sitemap_3.xml → products 50001–...
Registration in Webmaster Panels
After generation — submit sitemap URL to Yandex.Webmaster and Google Search Console. In Bitrix, this can be done directly from Marketing → Search Engine Optimization → Webmaster with verification codes added.
Also add line to robots.txt:
Sitemap: https://your-site.ru/sitemap_index.xml
Implementation Timeline
Sitemap setup with required sources and schedule — 1–2 hours.