Sitemaps and indexing Manage sitemaps and indexing with Grok Bot
Managing sitemaps with Grok Bot means asking a Bot to list which Shopify resources StoreSEO leaves out of the XML sitemap or marks noindex or nofollow, then changing those flags one resource at a time after you confirm each one.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Grok Bot for StoreSEO
Skip this if Grok Bot is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Grok Bot page.
- 1
Ask your Bot to add StoreSEO
In a chat with your Bot, ask it to add a custom remote HTTPS MCP server with this URL. xAI's documentation says a plugin added from your own chat is personal and account-wide, so every Bot on your account can use it. Complete the StoreSEO sign-in when the browser opens: pick your Shopify store and approve access.
PromptAdd a custom remote HTTPS MCP server called StoreSEO with the URL https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp and sign me in.
- 2
Attach it and check it works
In a chat, type @ to attach the StoreSEO connector to the task, then ask this to confirm the connection.
PromptUse @StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
How does this work in Grok Bot?
A single noindex flag can take a page out of search results, so this job rewards a careful reader. You attach StoreSEO to a Bot chat with @ and ask what is currently hidden from search. The Bot calls storeseo_start and then storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps for one resource type at a time, filtering on sitemap, noindex or nofollow. It returns the flags for each product, collection, page or article, and you can ask it to group them, for instance every noindex page and every product left out of the sitemap, so you can decide which of them were intended.
Changes go through storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, one resource per call, and it writes Shopify metafields on that resource. In Grok Bot, that call is a write, so the Bot should name the resource and the flag, wait for your yes, and the client may add Allow once, Always allow or Deny. After each change the Bot should list the flags again before telling you the state. The HTML sitemap adds another thread: storeseo_update_html_sitemap generates it, you add the link to a menu in Shopify admin using the edit URL from storeseo_list_sitemap_menus, and the Bot then marks setup complete.
A weekly routine suits the read side of this job well. Ask the Bot to list noindex and sitemap-excluded resources each Monday and tell you what is new compared with the last report, which catches an accidental flag early. Keep that routine report only. Changing a flag from a routine would remove a page from search with no one watching, and a Test run would perform the change for real.
-
You: Use @StoreSEO to show me which pages are hidden from search.
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
-
Grok Bot: Illustrative result: two pages are noindex, and one of them is your Shipping Policy. Do you want me to turn noindex off for the Shipping Policy page?
-
You: Yes, turn it off.
- storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
-
Grok Bot: Confirmed: the Shipping Policy page is no longer marked noindex.
What to ask Grok Bot
Use @StoreSEO to list every page and product marked noindex or excluded from the sitemap, and ask me which of them are intentional.
Remove my Summer Sale page from the sitemap with StoreSEO, name the flag you will change and wait for my yes first.
Set up the HTML sitemap, then give me the menu edit link and tell me what I have to do in Shopify admin before you mark it complete.
- Which of my products are set to noindex or excluded from the sitemap?
- Exclude the product Gift Card Test from the sitemap and set it to noindex.
- Set up an HTML sitemap for my store and tell me which menu to add it to.
- Are any of my blog posts set to nofollow?
- Remove noindex from the page About Us.
What StoreSEO does: sitemaps and indexing
StoreSEO controls two things here: per-resource sitemap flags (left out of the XML sitemap, noindex, nofollow) and an HTML sitemap page. The agent lists flags, changes them one resource at a time and walks you through the HTML sitemap setup.
- 1
List the flags
The agent lists products, collections, pages or articles with their sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags, filtered as you ask.
- 2
Change one resource
After your yes it sets the flags on one resource, which writes the matching Shopify metafields.
- 3
Re-read before reporting
Flags can also change in the StoreSEO app, so the agent re-lists before telling you the current state.
- 4
Create the HTML sitemap
It reads the HTML sitemap settings, then generates and enables the page.
- 5
Add it to a menu
It lists your navigation menus with their edit links; you add the sitemap link to a menu in Shopify admin, then the agent marks setup complete.
Sitemaps and indexing reference
| Flags per resource | Excluded from sitemap, noindex, nofollow |
|---|---|
| Resource types | Products, collections, pages and articles |
| Where flags live | Shopify metafields on the resource |
| HTML sitemap steps | Generate and enable, add the link to a menu yourself, mark complete |
| HTML sitemap settings | Replaced wholesale on update; read first |
| Menus | Listed with edit links; the menu you choose is not stored |
| Plan | Every active plan |
Rules Grok Bot follows
- A noindex flag removes a page from search results, so the agent names the resource and waits for your yes.
- The agent re-lists flags in the same turn before telling you their current state.
- Adding the sitemap link to a menu is a step you do in Shopify admin; no tool does it.
- HTML sitemap settings are read before every update, because an update replaces them.
In Grok Bot
A noindex change takes a page out of search results, and a Bot that is allowed to flag resources unattended could hide the wrong ones. Do not give a sitemap routine write permission. If you save Always allow on storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, the client stops asking, and an Ask first rule in Auto-review is the way to keep a pause on every flag change. The Bot also cannot add the sitemap link to your menu, because that is a manual Shopify admin step.
What runs without asking. Reads such as SEO scores, store listings, settings and Google reports run straight away. Generating a preview spends AI credit but writes nothing, and StoreSEO tells the agent to say what a generation will cost before it runs one. Applying content, optimizing images, changing settings, publishing llms.txt or agents.md, writing a product description and deleting anything wait for your yes in the conversation. That yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server, so your client's own tool-approval setting is the hard stop.
Questions
Can a Grok Bot routine flag pages as noindex for me?
It can if you word it that way, but a scheduled run has nobody to approve the change and a Test run does the work for real. Keep routines to listing flags and reporting what is new.
Can Grok Bot add the HTML sitemap to my menu?
No. After it generates the sitemap, you add the link to a menu in Shopify admin yourself, using the edit link the Bot gives you, and then the Bot can mark setup complete.
What is the difference between excluding a page from the sitemap and noindex?
Excluding a resource leaves it out of your XML sitemap, so crawlers are not pointed at it. Noindex tells search engines not to show the page in results even if they find it. StoreSEO sets each flag separately per resource.
Can the agent add the HTML sitemap to my menu?
No. The agent generates the HTML sitemap and lists your menus with their edit links, and you add the sitemap link to a menu in Shopify admin. Then the agent can mark setup complete.
Do sitemap tools need a paid plan?
No. The sitemap tools work on every active StoreSEO plan.
Why does the agent check the flags again before answering?
Sitemap flags can also be changed in the StoreSEO app outside the conversation, so an earlier listing may be stale. Re-reading in the same turn keeps the answer accurate.
Keep going
Sitemaps and indexing with other agents
More Grok Bot guides