Google ignores change frequency and priority, and only uses last modified when it is accurate. Leave them out unless another tool needs them.
sitemap.xml
Upload the file to the root of your site, mention it in robots.txt with a Sitemap: line, and submit it in Google Search Console.
This XML sitemap generator turns a list of URLs into a valid sitemap.xml file. Paste your page addresses, choose the optional tags, and download a file that is ready to upload and submit in Google Search Console. Duplicates are removed and bad lines are flagged.
How to use the XML Sitemap Generator
- 1 Paste your page URLs, one per line. Add a base URL if you want to use short paths such as /about.
- 2 Choose whether to include a last modified date. Change frequency and priority are optional.
- 3 Download sitemap.xml, upload it to the root of your site, and submit it in Google Search Console.
Worked examples
Input: https://example.com/ · /about · /contact (base URL set)
Result: A urlset with three url entries
Paths are joined to the base URL.
Input: A repeated URL and a line that is not a URL
Result: 1 duplicate removed, 1 line skipped with a reason
The sitemap only contains valid, unique addresses.
What an XML sitemap is for
A sitemap is a file that lists the pages you want search engines to find. It helps most on new sites, large sites and sites where some pages have few links pointing to them. It does not guarantee that a page is indexed, but it makes discovery faster and shows Google which URLs you consider important.
What belongs in it
- Pages that return a normal 200 status and that you want in search results.
- The canonical version of each URL, with the same protocol, host and trailing-slash style you use everywhere else.
- Leave out redirected pages, error pages,
noindexpages, internal search results and duplicate variations.
The limits
A single sitemap file can hold up to 50,000 URLs and must be no larger than 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites split their URLs across several files and list them in a sitemap index. This tool writes at most 50,000 URLs and tells you when you go over.
Optional tags
- lastmod: the date a page last changed in a meaningful way. Google uses it only when it has proved accurate, so leave it out rather than setting every page to today.
- changefreq and priority: Google ignores both, so they are optional here and off by default.
After you create it
Upload sitemap.xml to the root of your site, add a Sitemap: line to your robots.txt file, and submit the URL in the Sitemaps report in Google Search Console. Bing Webmaster Tools accepts the same file.
Frequently asked questions
How many URLs can a sitemap contain?
Up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per file. For more, create several sitemaps and combine them with a sitemap index file.
Does a sitemap improve my rankings?
Not directly. It helps search engines discover and recrawl your pages, which can speed up indexing, but ranking depends on the pages themselves.
Should I include priority and changefreq?
There is no need. Google ignores both. Include lastmod only if you can keep it accurate.
Where should I upload sitemap.xml?
In the root of your site, for example https://example.com/sitemap.xml. A sitemap can only list URLs on the same host it is served from.
Can this tool crawl my site for me?
No. It builds the file from the list you paste, so nothing is fetched from your site. Export URLs from your CMS, analytics or a crawler and paste them in.
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