All tools
Free SEO tool

XML sitemap generator

Paste your URLs, pick a change frequency and priority, and get a sitemaps.org-compliant sitemap.xml — ready to copy or download.

5 URLs
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-22</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/blog/light-roast-guide</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-22</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/blog/pour-over-basics</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-22</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/shop</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-22</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/about</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-22</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

What an XML sitemap is for

An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl and index. It's a discovery aid, not an index command — submitting a URL doesn't guarantee it ranks, but it does make sure Google knows the page exists.

Sitemaps matter most where internal linking is thin: brand-new sites with little authority, large sites with deep pages, and pages that aren't linked from the main navigation. If a page has no path in from your other content, the sitemap may be the only way a crawler finds it. For a small, well-linked site, the benefit is smaller — but a clean sitemap never hurts.

How to create and submit your sitemap

Paste your URLs into the generator — one per line — and it produces a sitemaps.org-compliant file you can copy or download as sitemap.xml. Then it needs to go live and get registered.

  • Include only canonical, indexable URLs that return a 200 status.
  • Upload the file to your site root so it resolves at example.com/sitemap.xml.
  • Add a 'Sitemap:' line pointing to it in your robots.txt.
  • Submit the sitemap URL in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
  • Regenerate it whenever you add or remove pages so it stays current.

Sitemap best practices and limits

A single sitemap file can hold up to 50,000 URLs and must stay under 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites split into multiple sitemaps tied together by a sitemap index file.

The cardinal rule is that a sitemap should only contain URLs you genuinely want indexed — no redirects, no 404s, no noindexed or canonicalized-away pages. A sitemap full of junk URLs sends mixed signals and wastes crawl budget. Keep <loc> accurate and current; treat changefreq and priority as low-stakes hints, since Google mostly ignores them.

FAQ

What is an XML sitemap for?+

A sitemap lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl, with optional hints about how often each changes. It doesn't guarantee indexing, but it helps Google discover pages quickly — especially on newer sites or deep pages with few internal links.

Where do I put sitemap.xml?+

Upload it to your site root (example.com/sitemap.xml), then reference it in robots.txt with a 'Sitemap:' line and submit it in Google Search Console.

Do changefreq and priority actually matter?+

Google has said it largely ignores both — they're hints, not directives. Keep them roughly honest (your homepage at 1.0, blog posts weekly) but don't over-think them. The <loc> URLs are what counts.

Want this checked sitewide, automatically?

7-day trial. From $29/mo. Cancel from the dashboard.