XML Sitemap Generator

How to use the XML Sitemap Generator

1. 1Paste your page addresses, one per line, or press Try a sample.
2. 2Choose whether to add a last modified date, change frequency or priority.
3. 3Check the list of skipped lines, then copy the XML or download sitemap.xml.
4. 4Upload the file to your site's top folder and submit it in Google Search Console.

What goes in a sitemap

A sitemap lists the pages you want search engines to find. Include pages that return a normal page, are meant to be found in search and use the address you prefer, for example the https version with or without www. Leave out redirects, pages blocked from indexing, login pages and duplicates.

Each entry has a location. It can also have a last modified date, a change frequency and a priority. Only the location is required.

Making a sitemap from a list of URLs

Export your page addresses from your CMS, your analytics or a spreadsheet, and paste them in with one address on each line. The tool tidies each address: the scheme and host are put in lower case, the fragment after a # is removed and default ports are dropped. Special characters such as an ampersand are escaped so the XML stays valid.

By default the tool keeps only addresses from the same website as the first address, and removes duplicates, so one stray line can't spoil the file. Change those options if you need to.

Uploading and submitting it

• Save the file as sitemap.xml and upload it to your site's root folder.
• Open your-site.com/sitemap.xml in a browser to check that it loads.
• In Google Search Console, open Sitemaps and submit the address.
• Add the line Sitemap: followed by the address to your robots.txt so other crawlers find it.
• Update the file when you add or remove pages.

Sitemap mistakes to avoid

Common mistakes are listing pages that redirect or return errors, mixing http and https versions of the same page, adding a last modified date that changes on every visit and putting addresses from another domain in the file. A sitemap also doesn't override a noindex tag or a robots.txt block.

For the crawl rules themselves, see Robots.txt Generator. To create the tags that go on each page, use Meta Tag Generator, and to check or tidy the finished XML, try XML Formatter.

Features

• Builds a standard sitemap.xml
• Removes duplicate addresses
• Keeps only addresses from the first address's website
• Explains every skipped line with its line number
• Optional lastmod, changefreq and priority
• Gives you the robots.txt Sitemap line

Frequently asked questions