Removing our xml sitemap from google results

[ben1234zz]

Hi

We added a link from our HTML sitemap to our XML sitemap on google and are now finding that the XML sitemap is returned in google search results (not good as it just looks like code).

How can I remove the sitemap from google results, but ensure that google still crawls though it?

Thanks
B

 

[Foamcow]

1. Create a robots.txt file that tells Google to ignore the sitemap file.

2. Use the Google webmaster tools to request removal from its index.

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[ben1234zz]

Hi

Thanks for your post, will this mean that the sitemap itself will not be searched by google or will it follow the links in the map but not show it in the results?

Regards

B

 

[Foamcow]

Hmm, I'm not sure that if you create a robots file blocking the xml sitemap whether Google Sitemaps will then grab and crawl it. Logic tells me it won't.

However if you read up on the robots protocol you can ask the visiting agent to crawl but not index the sitemap file (I think).

There is a handy tool in Google Webmasters for testing robots files.

You also may just be able to ask Google to drop the file from it's index using the Webmaster tools without making the robots file. Though I believe you are supposed to generate a 404 or block access to the file.

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Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
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[roshaoar]

great question, I can't for the life of me think of an answer =). It's a common situation though. I'd try adding the sitemap=blahblah line into robots.txt followed by noinde instruction for the file on the next line. Failing that probably some .htaccess trickery would do it