About Sitemap Generator
Use Sitemap Generator to Build XML sitemaps from URL lists. The tool runs in your browser for fast results and keeps your data local.
How to Use
- 1. Add your input or data.
- 2. Adjust options if needed.
- 3. Review the result and copy it.
What is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all important URLs on a website to help search engines discover and crawl content efficiently. Sitemaps include URL location, last modification date (lastmod), change frequency (changefreq), and priority. Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yandex use sitemaps to understand site structure and find new or updated pages. Sitemaps are especially important for large sites, new sites with few backlinks, sites with dynamic content, and sites with pages not well-linked internally. The sitemap.xml file should be submitted to Google Search Console and referenced in robots.txt.
Common Use Cases
XML sitemaps are essential for SEO and search engine crawling. Web developers generate sitemaps for new website launches. SEO specialists update sitemaps after adding new content or pages. E-commerce sites generate sitemaps for product pages and categories. Blog platforms create sitemaps for articles and archives. Large websites use sitemap indexes to organize multiple sitemaps. Content management systems automatically generate sitemaps on updates. Migration projects create sitemaps to ensure all pages are indexed.
- New website launch indexing
- Content update notifications to search engines
- E-commerce product page discovery
- Blog article indexing
- Large site organization with indexes
- CMS automatic sitemap generation
- Website migration page discovery
- Ensuring orphaned pages are crawled
Best Practices & Tips
Include only canonical, indexable URLs—exclude duplicates and noindex pages. Keep sitemaps under 50MB and 50,000 URLs—use sitemap indexes for larger sites. Use absolute URLs with protocol (https://). Set lastmod dates accurately to help search engines prioritize crawling. Use priority sparingly—most pages should be 0.5, homepage 1.0. Submit sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Reference sitemap in robots.txt with "Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml". Update sitemaps regularly when content changes. Compress large sitemaps with gzip for faster transfer.
- Include only canonical, indexable URLs
- Keep under 50MB and 50,000 URLs per sitemap
- Use absolute URLs with https://
- Set accurate lastmod dates for crawl priority
- Use priority sparingly (0.5 default, 1.0 homepage)
- Submit to Google Search Console and Bing
- Reference in robots.txt with Sitemap: directive
- Update regularly when content changes
- Compress large sitemaps with gzip
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If sitemap is not discovered, submit it manually to Google Search Console. If URLs are not indexed, verify they are not blocked by robots.txt or noindex tags. If sitemap errors occur, validate XML syntax and ensure proper encoding. If lastmod dates are ignored, ensure they are in W3C Datetime format (YYYY-MM-DD). If sitemap is too large, split into multiple sitemaps and use a sitemap index. If relative URLs cause errors, convert to absolute URLs with full domain. If special characters break XML, use URL encoding or CDATA sections. If sitemap is not updated, automate generation on content changes.
- Sitemap not discovered by search engines
- URLs in sitemap not being indexed
- XML syntax errors breaking sitemap
- Lastmod dates in wrong format
- Sitemap exceeding 50MB or 50,000 URL limit
- Relative URLs causing validation errors
- Special characters breaking XML structure
- Sitemap not updating with new content
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sitemap Generator free to use?
Yes. Sitemap Generator is free and works directly in your browser.
Does Sitemap Generator upload my data?
No. Most processing happens locally. Any network requests are clearly indicated.
What formats does Sitemap Generator support?
Sitemap Generator supports the common formats described on the page. Convert uncommon formats before pasting.
How should I share results from Sitemap Generator?
Copy the output and review any sensitive data before sharing or publishing.