XML Sitemap Generator
Turn a list of URLs into a valid XML sitemap, ready to submit to search engines.
3 URLs · sitemap.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/</loc>
<changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
<priority>0.8</priority>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/about</loc>
<changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
<priority>0.7</priority>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/blog/first-post</loc>
<changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
<priority>0.6</priority>
</url>
</urlset>Upload the downloaded file to your site's root and submit it in Google Search Console. Google treats <priority> and <changefreq> as hints it may ignore; <lastmod> it does use, so keep it honest — a date that always says “today” gets discounted.
Generate a valid XML sitemap from a list of URLs, with optional last-modified dates, change frequencies and priorities — the file search engines use to discover pages they might not otherwise reach by following links.
A sitemap doesn't make pages rank. It makes them findable, which matters most for large sites, new sites with few inbound links, and pages buried deep in a navigation hierarchy.
What each field actually does
| Field | Required | How much Google cares |
|---|---|---|
| <loc> | Yes | Entirely — this is the URL |
| <lastmod> | No | A lot, if it's accurate and you don't lie |
| <changefreq> | No | Ignored |
| <priority> | No | Ignored |
Google has stated it ignores changefreq and priority. lastmod is used — but only from sites that set it honestly. Stamping every URL with today's date teaches the crawler to disregard it.
Rules and limits
- Maximum 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per sitemap file. Beyond that, split into multiple files and list them in a sitemap index.
- URLs must be absolute and fully qualified, and must all be on the same host as the sitemap.
- Special characters must be XML-escaped — & becomes &, which is the single most common validation failure.
- Only include canonical URLs. Listing both a page and its duplicate sends a contradictory signal.
- Never include URLs that return a 404, redirect, or are blocked by robots.txt or noindex. A sitemap full of errors reduces trust in the whole file.
- Reference the sitemap from robots.txt and submit it in Search Console — both, not one or the other.
Who actually needs one
A small, well-linked site of twenty pages is discovered perfectly well by crawling. The sites that genuinely benefit are large ones, sites where pages aren't reachable through internal links, brand-new sites with no inbound links, and sites with rich media or news content where extra metadata helps.
The most valuable thing a sitemap gives most site owners isn't crawling at all — it's the Search Console coverage report, which tells you which of your submitted URLs were indexed and, when they weren't, why. That feedback loop is hard to get any other way.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I actually need a sitemap?
- If your site is small and every page is reachable through internal links, crawlers will find it anyway. Sitemaps matter for large sites, new sites with few inbound links, and pages that aren't well linked internally.
- Does a sitemap improve my rankings?
- No. It helps pages get discovered and indexed, which is a prerequisite for ranking, but it isn't a ranking signal in itself.
- Does Google use the priority and changefreq values?
- No — Google has said it ignores both. lastmod is used, but only when a site sets it accurately; sites that stamp every URL with the current date get it discounted.
- How many URLs can one sitemap hold?
- 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed, whichever comes first. Larger sites split into multiple files referenced by a sitemap index file.
- Should I include pages that are noindexed?
- No. A sitemap is a list of pages you want indexed. Including noindexed, redirecting or 404 URLs sends contradictory signals and reduces confidence in the file.
- How often should I update it?
- Whenever pages are added, removed or meaningfully changed. Most content management systems and frameworks can generate it automatically on build, which is more reliable than remembering to do it.