About Sitemap Index
Use Sitemap Index to Combine multiple sitemap files. 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 a Sitemap Index?
A sitemap index is an XML file that references multiple sitemap files, allowing large websites to organize sitemaps by section, content type, or date. Each sitemap is limited to 50MB or 50,000 URLs, so sites exceeding these limits need a sitemap index. The index file lists the location of each sitemap and optionally includes lastmod dates. Search engines crawl the index first, then follow links to individual sitemaps. Sitemap indexes are essential for large e-commerce sites, news sites, and any website with more than 50,000 pages. The index should be submitted to search engines and referenced in robots.txt.
Common Use Cases
Sitemap indexes are essential for large website organization. E-commerce sites organize sitemaps by product categories, brands, or collections. News sites create date-based sitemaps for articles by month or year. Multi-language sites separate sitemaps by language or region. Large blogs organize sitemaps by category or publication date. Enterprise sites split sitemaps by department or content type. Content-heavy sites exceed 50,000 URL limit and require indexes. Migration projects organize old and new content in separate sitemaps.
- E-commerce category-based sitemap organization
- News site date-based article sitemaps
- Multi-language site regional sitemaps
- Blog category and date organization
- Enterprise department-based sitemaps
- Sites exceeding 50,000 URL limit
- Migration old vs new content separation
- Content type segmentation (products, articles, pages)
Best Practices & Tips
Organize sitemaps logically by content type, date, or category for easier management. Keep individual sitemaps under 50MB and 50,000 URLs. Use absolute URLs for sitemap locations in the index. Include lastmod dates for each sitemap to indicate freshness. Submit the sitemap index (not individual sitemaps) to search engines. Reference the index in robots.txt with "Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap-index.xml". Update the index when adding or removing sitemaps. Use consistent naming conventions for sitemap files (sitemap-products.xml, sitemap-blog.xml).
- Organize logically by content type, date, or category
- Keep individual sitemaps under 50MB/50,000 URLs
- Use absolute URLs for sitemap locations
- Include lastmod dates for sitemap freshness
- Submit index (not individual sitemaps) to search engines
- Reference in robots.txt with Sitemap: directive
- Update index when adding/removing sitemaps
- Use consistent naming (sitemap-products.xml)
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If index is not discovered, submit it manually to Google Search Console. If individual sitemaps are not crawled, verify they are accessible and not blocked. If XML errors occur, validate syntax and ensure proper encoding. If lastmod dates are ignored, use W3C Datetime format (YYYY-MM-DD). If relative URLs cause errors, use absolute URLs with full domain. If sitemaps are not found, verify URLs in index are correct and accessible. If index is too large, it should not exceed 50MB—compress with gzip if needed. If changes are not reflected, update lastmod date in the index.
- Index not discovered by search engines
- Individual sitemaps not being crawled
- XML syntax errors in index file
- Lastmod dates in wrong format
- Relative URLs causing validation errors
- Sitemap URLs in index not accessible
- Index file exceeding 50MB limit
- Changes not reflected without lastmod update
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sitemap Index free to use?
Yes. Sitemap Index is free and works directly in your browser.
Does Sitemap Index upload my data?
No. Most processing happens locally. Any network requests are clearly indicated.
What formats does Sitemap Index support?
Sitemap Index supports the common formats described on the page. Convert uncommon formats before pasting.
How should I share results from Sitemap Index?
Copy the output and review any sensitive data before sharing or publishing.