Configuring Sitemap in 1C-Bitrix
On one project, we found that the sitemap included 120,000 URLs, 70% of which were duplicates with sorting parameters. After setting up exclusion rules, the number of URLs dropped to 35,000, and the indexing of key pages increased by 60% within two weeks. Without a correct sitemap, search engines index service pages while important categories remain unnoticed. Our team, with over 5 years of experience and 50+ Bitrix projects, helps avoid these mistakes. This article explains how to configure sitemap in 1C-Bitrix properly to speed up indexing by 2-3 times.
How is the sitemap generated in Bitrix?
The sitemap is created by the SEO module (seo). It generates an XML file according to the Sitemap Protocol 0.9. Configuration is done in the admin interface: Marketing → Search Optimization → Sitemap. Each source (ruleset) defines a set of URLs, update frequency (changefreq), priority (priority), and last modification date (lastmod).
| Source | Type | changefreq | priority | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog sections | Infoblock sections | weekly | 0.7 | For e-shop |
| Products | Infoblock elements | daily | 0.8 | Main content |
| Articles | Infoblock elements | monthly | 0.5 | Blog, news |
| Static pages | Site pages | yearly | 0.3 | Contacts, delivery |
For large catalogs, source configuration is critical: one wrong filter can add thousands of duplicates. For example, a source with type "Site pages" includes all URLs, including /bitrix/ and /local/, if no exclusions are set. Therefore, it's important to use exclusion patterns.
Why is it important to exclude technical pages?
A common mistake is not excluding pages with parameters: /catalog/?sort=price, /catalog/?page=2. Search engines treat these as separate URLs, wasting the crawl budget. Bitrix allows exclusion via patterns:
/catalog/*?* /search/* /bitrix/* /local/* /personal/* /auth/* Also disable the option "Include elements with empty detail URL" in the source settings — this removes products without SEO-friendly URLs. On one project, we eliminated 40,000 duplicates with just this action.
How to set up automatic generation?
Manual generation is only for testing. In production, the sitemap must be created automatically. Enable the option Automatic creation via agent. The agent CSeoSitemapAgent::generateSitemap() runs on schedule: once a day for most sites, once an hour for news sites. If the site is large and the agent doesn't complete, use cron. Configuring sitemap via cron is 2 times faster than the standard agent because it's not dependent on hit load.
0 3 * * * /usr/bin/php -f /home/bitrix/www/bitrix/modules/seo/lib/sitemap/generator.php Official 1C-Bitrix documentation: helpdesk.bitrix24.ru
What to do when exceeding 50,000 URLs?
Bitrix automatically splits the map into multiple files and creates an index sitemap_index.xml. In settings, you can specify the maximum size of one file. Example resulting structure:
/sitemap_index.xml → links to separate files /sitemap_0.xml → site pages /sitemap_1.xml → catalog sections /sitemap_2.xml → products 1–50000 /sitemap_3.xml → products 50001–... Generating 50,000 URLs takes about 10 seconds on a typical hosting. If your site has more than 200,000 pages, we recommend splitting sources by category for speed.
Registration in Webmaster Panels
After generation, submit the sitemap URL to Yandex.Webmaster and Google Search Console. In Bitrix, this can be done directly from the section Marketing → Search Optimization → Webmaster after adding verification codes. Also add a line to robots.txt:
Sitemap: https://your-site.ru/sitemap_index.xml Comparison of efficiency before and after configuration:
| Parameter | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Number of URLs in sitemap | 120,000 | 35,000 |
| Duplicate percentage | 70% | 5% |
| Indexing of key pages | 45% | 90% |
| Generation time | 30 min | 5 min |
What's included in turnkey sitemap configuration?
- Audit of current sitemap (identify duplicates, errors, missing sections).
- Configuration of sources with optimal changefreq and priority.
- Setting up exclusion rules for technical pages.
- Enabling automatic generation via agent or cron.
- Checking index file and submitting to search engines.
- Integration with robots.txt.
- Documentation of settings and recommendations for updates.
Timeline
Basic sitemap configuration takes 1 to 2 hours. For complex projects with thousands of sources, up to half a day. Cost is calculated individually based on the scope. Contact us for a free audit of your sitemap. Order turnkey sitemap configuration and get a consultation from certified specialists.
How we do it?
- Analyze current site structure and identify problem areas.
- Design source configuration considering business logic.
- Implement settings in the admin section.
- Test generation and verify correctness of sitemap_index.xml.
- Deploy to production server and monitor indexing.
Example source configuration for product catalog
- Type: Infoblock elements
- Infoblock: Product catalog (ID 5)
- Rules: exclude "Sale" section (ID 10)
- changefreq: daily
- priority: 0.8
- lastmod: by TIMESTAMP_X property
- Limit: 50000 URLs per file
Contact us — we'll evaluate your project and offer the optimal solution with a result guarantee. We guarantee the quality of sitemap configuration in Bitrix.