How to use the xml sitemap generator
- Paste one full URL per line. Include only pages you want indexed: real, canonical, 200-status pages.
- If you have relative paths such as /about, enter your site address so they are completed for you.
- Choose whether to add a lastmod date. Only add one if it reflects when the page really changed.
- Download sitemap.xml, upload it to your site root, reference it in robots.txt and submit it in Google Search Console.
What a sitemap does
A sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to find. It helps most on new sites, large sites, and sites with pages that few other pages link to. It does not guarantee that a page is crawled or indexed, and it does not improve rankings on its own. Think of it as a helpful hint rather than an instruction.
Which URLs belong in a sitemap
List only canonical URLs that return a 200 status and that you want people to find in search. Leave out redirects, 404 pages, pages marked noindex, URLs blocked in robots.txt, duplicate versions with tracking parameters, and thin internal search pages. A clean sitemap helps you spot indexing problems, because the pages Google does not index are the ones to investigate.
lastmod, priority and changefreq
Google uses the lastmod date only if it is consistently accurate, meaning it matches when the page content actually changed. Setting every page to today's date teaches Google to ignore it. Google ignores priority and changefreq entirely, so this tool does not add them. See Google's sitemap guidance.
Sitemap limits and rules
- A single sitemap file can hold up to 50,000 URLs and be up to 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites use several files listed in a sitemap index.
- The file must be UTF-8, and special characters such as & must be escaped, which this tool does for you.
- URLs must be absolute and on the same host as the sitemap, including the same protocol and subdomain.
- Put the file at your site root and add
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xmlto your robots.txt.
Submit and monitor
In Google Search Console, open Sitemaps, enter the file's address and submit it. The report shows how many URLs Google discovered and any errors. For ongoing checks of titles, canonicals and indexability across your site, run the free SEO audit.
When to use a generated sitemap
This tool suits small and medium sites, new projects and static sites where you can list the pages by hand or export them from a spreadsheet. If your site runs on a content management system with a sitemap plugin, the plugin will keep the file up to date automatically and is usually the better choice. For very large or fast-changing sites, generate the sitemap from your database or build process instead.
A quick way to gather URLs is to export them from your crawler, copy them from your CMS page list, or paste the addresses from your navigation and blog archive. Paste them in, let the tool clean and validate the list, then download the result.
Sitemap index files for large sites
A single sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and be up to 50 MB uncompressed. If you exceed either limit, split the URLs into several sitemap files and list them in a sitemap index file, which is a small XML file that points to each one. A common split is by section, such as one file for blog posts, one for products and one for pages, which also makes problems easier to spot in Search Console.
Submit only the index in Search Console and Google will discover the rest. Keep every child sitemap on the same host as the index.
Troubleshooting sitemap errors
Search Console reports problems with clear labels. "Couldn't fetch" usually means the file is blocked, returns an error or is on a different host. "Invalid URL" means an address is not fully qualified or contains characters that need escaping. "URL not allowed" means the address is outside the folder or host the sitemap covers. "Submitted URL marked noindex" means you listed a page you also told Google not to index, which is a contradiction to fix.
The validator built into this tool catches many of these before you upload: invalid addresses, duplicates, mixed protocols and mixed hosts.
Sitemaps, indexing and crawl budget
A sitemap does not force Google to index a page. Google decides what to index based on quality, duplication and other factors. If many of your submitted URLs show as "discovered, currently not indexed" or "crawled, currently not indexed", the usual cause is thin, duplicate or low value pages rather than a problem with the file.
Crawl budget matters mainly for very large sites. For most sites the best use of a sitemap is simple: list the pages you care about, keep the file accurate and let it help you monitor what is and is not getting indexed.
A short checklist before you submit
- Every URL is the final, canonical address with a 200 status.
- No URL is blocked in robots.txt or marked noindex.
- All addresses use the same protocol and host.
- The file is saved as sitemap.xml at the root and opens in a browser.
- The Sitemap line is added to robots.txt.
- You submitted the file in Google Search Console and checked the report a few days later.
Repeat the process whenever you add or remove a large number of pages, or switch to a plugin that keeps it up to date for you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a sitemap?
Small, well-linked sites often do fine without one. A sitemap helps most with new, large or poorly linked sites, and it makes indexing problems easier to diagnose.
Does a sitemap improve rankings?
Not directly. It helps search engines discover pages. Ranking still depends on content quality, links and many other signals.
Should I include priority and changefreq?
No. Google ignores both values, so they only add file size. This tool leaves them out.
What if I have more than 50,000 URLs?
Split them into several sitemap files and list those in a sitemap index. This tool creates one file and warns you when you exceed the limit.
Are my URLs uploaded?
No. The sitemap is generated in your browser.