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Sitemap Generator

Build an XML sitemap from a list of page URLs.

Use full URLs including https://. Duplicates are removed automatically.

sitemap.xml

 

When to use it

Use this tool to create a sitemap.xml file, the list of pages you want search engines to find. It is handy for new websites, small sites without a plugin that does it automatically, static sites, and quick fixes when a site’s built-in sitemap is missing pages.

How to use it

  1. Paste your Page URLs, one per line. Use full addresses including https://. Duplicates are removed for you.
  2. Choose Last modified: Today or Leave out.
  3. Choose a Change frequency, from daily to yearly, or Leave out.
  4. Choose a Priority: Automatic (by depth), 0.5 for all or Leave out.
  5. Check the sitemap.xml preview, then Copy sitemap or Download sitemap.xml.

If a line is not a full URL, the tool skips it and tells you which one.

Worked example

The example lists four pages: the home page, an about page, a blog post and a contact page with tracking parameters. With automatic priority, the home page gets 1.0, top-level pages like /about and /contact get 0.8, and the deeper blog post gets 0.6. Every page gets today’s date as last modified, and monthly as change frequency.

The contact URL contains ?ref=footer&lang=en. In the sitemap it is written with &, which is how XML requires an ampersand to be stored.

Collecting your URLs

For a small site, copy the links from your navigation menu and footer. For a larger site, export them from your content management system, or from a crawler tool, and paste them in. Leave out pages you do not want in search, such as thank-you pages, logins and duplicates.

Tips

  • List only canonical URLs. Use the main version of each page, not copies with tracking tags.
  • Keep it current. Regenerate the sitemap when you add or remove pages, and upload the new file over the old one.
  • Check it in Search Console. The Sitemaps report shows how many pages Google read and any errors it found.
  • Point to it from robots.txt. Add a Sitemap line using the Robots.txt Generator.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing http and https, or www and non-www. Use the same version your site actually uses.
  • Including blocked or noindex pages. A sitemap should only list pages you want indexed.
  • Setting every page to priority 1.0. It tells search engines nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a sitemap?

Small, well-linked sites can be found without one, but a sitemap helps search engines discover new pages faster and find pages that few links point to. It is especially useful for new sites and large sites.

Where do I put sitemap.xml?

Upload it to the root of your site, so it opens at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Then add a Sitemap line to robots.txt and submit the address in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Does Google use priority and change frequency?

Google says it ignores both and relies on its own signals. Some other search engines may still read them. Last modified is useful if you keep it accurate.

Why is the & in my URL written as &?

XML has special characters that must be escaped. An & inside a sitemap URL must be written as &, and the tool does this for you, so the file stays valid.

How many URLs can a sitemap have?

Up to 50,000 URLs per file. Larger sites split their pages across several sitemaps and list them in a sitemap index.