Sitemap XML Generator
Create XML sitemaps for search engines
Input & options
Pages
Your inputs are never uploaded or stored.
XML sitemap
Enter your URLs to generate the output.
About Sitemap XML Generator
The Sitemap XML Generator is a free online tool that creates properly formatted XML sitemaps for your website. An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages of your site, helping search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo discover, crawl, and index your content more efficiently. It is one of the most fundamental components of technical SEO and can significantly improve your website's search engine visibility.
Every website benefits from having an XML sitemap, but they are especially critical for new websites with few external links, large sites with thousands of pages, sites with complex navigation structures, and websites that update content frequently. Our generator lets you define URLs with metadata including priority, change frequency, and last modification date, then produces a standards-compliant XML file ready for deployment.
For a basic website, a blog, or an online store, the sitemap generator starts from a template for that site type, takes as many URLs as you add, and shows the generated XML as you edit. Copy the output or download it, then submit it to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.
Key Features
- Quick templates for basic websites, blogs, and e-commerce stores
- Unlimited URL entries with individual priority, change frequency, and last modified date settings
- Base URL configuration for automatic full-URL construction from relative paths
- Priority values from 0.1 to 1.0 to indicate relative page importance
- Change frequency options: always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and never
- Last modification date picker for accurate content freshness signaling
- Real-time XML preview that updates as you add or modify URL entries
- One-click copy to clipboard and direct file download options
- Standards-compliant XML output following the Sitemaps.org protocol specification
How to Use
- Set your base URL: Enter your website's base URL (e.g., https://example.com) so the generator can construct complete URLs from relative paths.
- Choose a template: Select a quick template (Basic, Blog, or E-commerce) to pre-fill common URL structures, or start from scratch.
- Add URL entries: For each page, enter the path, set the priority (0.1-1.0), choose the change frequency, and select the last modified date.
- Review the preview: Check the generated XML in the real-time preview panel to verify the output is correct.
- Copy or download: Click Copy to copy the XML to your clipboard, or use the Download button to save it as a sitemap.xml file.
- Deploy and submit: Upload the file to your website's root directory and submit it through Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.
Use Cases
- New website launches: Create a sitemap before launch to ensure search engines discover all your pages from day one.
- SEO audits & optimization: Generate an updated sitemap as part of your regular SEO audit workflow to keep indexing current.
- Content-heavy blogs: Map hundreds of blog posts with proper priorities and update frequencies to guide crawlers to your latest content.
- E-commerce catalogs: List product pages, category pages, and collection pages with accurate change frequencies for dynamic pricing.
- Site migrations: Generate a new sitemap with updated URLs after domain changes, CMS migrations, or URL structure updates.
- Multi-language sites: Create sitemaps that help search engines discover all language versions of your pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I place the sitemap.xml file?
Place the sitemap.xml file in the root directory of your website so it is accessible at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Also reference it in your robots.txt file.
How many URLs can a sitemap contain?
A single XML sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50MB uncompressed. For larger sites, use a sitemap index file that references multiple sitemaps.
Does the priority value affect search rankings?
No. Google ignores the priority and changefreq values entirely and relies on an accurate lastmod instead. Other crawlers may read them as a weak hint about which pages matter most relative to each other.
How often should I update my sitemap?
Update your sitemap whenever you add new pages, remove old ones, or make significant content changes. For dynamic sites, consider automating sitemap generation to keep it current.
Tips & Best Practices
- Include only canonical URLs: List only the canonical version of each page to avoid confusing search engines with duplicate content.
- Use accurate lastmod dates: Only update the lastmod date when the page content actually changes, not on every sitemap regeneration.
- Set realistic priorities: Google ignores priority, but if you set it for other crawlers, reserve 1.0 for your homepage and most important pages, 0.5-0.8 for secondary pages, and 0.3-0.5 for less critical content.
- Reference in robots.txt: Always add a Sitemap directive in your robots.txt file pointing to your sitemap location for automatic discovery.
- Submit to search engines: After deploying your sitemap, submit it through Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for faster indexing.
- Use HTTPS URLs: If your site supports SSL, ensure all URLs in the sitemap use HTTPS to match your canonical protocol.