What Is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the pages on your site you want search engines to find. It does not guarantee indexing, but it helps Google discover new and updated pages faster, especially on large sites, new sites and pages with few internal links.
Most sitemap generators crawl your site from their own servers. This one works the other way: you paste the URLs you already know you want indexed, for example from your CMS, a spreadsheet or a crawl export, and it builds the file in your browser.
How to Use the XML Sitemap Generator
- Paste your URLs, one per line. Add a date after a space if you know when the page last changed, like
2026-10-30. - Set your site address so short paths like
/contact/become full URLs. - Choose how to handle dates. Only add a date that reflects a real change to the page.
- Check the warnings for duplicates, other domains and URLs with parameters.
- Download the file, upload it to your site root and submit it in Search Console.
Sitemap Tags and Limits
| Item | Rule | Used by Google |
|---|---|---|
loc | Full URL with https, under 2,048 characters, special characters escaped | Yes, required |
lastmod | Date in W3C format, like 2026-11-04 | Yes, if it is accurate |
changefreq | always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or never | No, ignored |
priority | 0.0 to 1.0, default 0.5 | No, ignored |
| File size | Up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed | Larger files must be split |
These limits come from Google's sitemap guide and the sitemaps.org protocol. The generator escapes characters like & for you, which is the most common reason a hand made sitemap fails.
Tips for a Better Sitemap
- List canonical URLs only. Leave out redirects, error pages, noindex pages and filtered duplicates.
- Be honest with lastmod. Google stops trusting dates that change on every page every day.
- Pick one version of your domain. Do not mix http and https, or www and non www.
- Split big sites by type, such as posts, products and categories, so Search Console reports are easier to read.
Learn More About Sitemaps
Read what an XML sitemap is in the AI search era, compare HTML and XML sitemaps, and automate the job with our guide to building a sitemap generator in PHP. Already have a sitemap? Check it with the XML sitemap validator.
Frequently Asked Questions
1How many URLs can one sitemap hold?
Up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. For more, split the list into several files and list them in a sitemap index. The generator does this for you.
2Should I add priority and changefreq?
You can, but Google ignores both. A correct lastmod date is far more useful, so the generator leaves the other two out unless you turn them on.
3Where do I upload my sitemap?
Upload it to the root of your site, such as yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, add a Sitemap line to your robots.txt file, and submit the URL in Google Search Console.
4Does a sitemap get my pages indexed?
It helps Google find them, but it is only a hint. Pages still need to be useful, crawlable and not blocked or marked noindex to be indexed.