XML Sitemap Generator

Why you need an XML sitemap (and what it fixes)

An XML sitemap is a machine-readable file (sitemap.xml) that lists your site’s important, canonical URLs with optional metadata like lastmod, changefreq, and priority.
It helps search engines discover and crawl pages more efficiently—especially on large, new, or complex sites. Search engines are good at crawling—but they’re not perfect. An XML sitemap acts as your “master list” of canonical, indexable URLs. It helps:

• New or large sites surface important pages faster.
• Media-heavy pages expose images to Google images with an image sitemap.
• Publishers get timely visibility for recent articles with a news sitemap.
• Complex sites control freshness by sending accurate lastmod dates.
• Multifile sites stay organized with a sitemap index that links child sitemaps.

How to use this XML Sitemap Generator (3 quick steps)

1. Paste URLs: Add absolute URLs, one per line (e.g., https://example.com/).
2. Choose options: Set default changefreq and priority, tick “Validate URLs (HTTP 200 only),” and enable Image Sitemap or News Sitemap if needed.
3. Generate & download: Click Generate Sitemaps, then download sitemap.xml (and image-sitemap.xml, news-sitemap.xml, plus sitemap_index.xml if multiple files are produced). Add the final sitemap URL to robots.txt like:
   Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
   Finally, submit the URL in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

What this sitemap tool includes

• Standards-compliant XML: Outputs <urlset> with loc, lastmod, optional changefreq and priority, following sitemap protocol.
• Auto-lastmod: Optionally tries HTTP HEAD to set ISO 8601 dates for fresher crawling signals.
• Image Sitemap: Fetches pages server-side and extracts up to 10 <img> sources per URL (absolute links), then writes them into image-sitemap.xml.
• News Sitemap: For the last 48–72 hours (or a custom “N days”), with publication name, language, and optional genres.
• Sitemap Index: If more than one file is generated, a sitemap index (sitemap_index.xml) links them all—useful for images, news, or big sites.
• Validation option: Skip non-200 pages to keep the sitemap clean and crawl-worthy.
• Download & ship: Files are generated for download—host them where you prefer and submit the live URL.

Best practices for sitemap.xml (quick wins)

• List only canonical, indexable 200 URLs. Avoid noindex, parameter duplicates, or redirects.
• Keep it fresh. Regenerate or update lastmod whenever a page meaningfully changes.
• Don’t obsess over changefreq/priority. They’re hints; accurate lastmod matters more.
• Use a sitemap index when you have multiple files (images/news/sections or >50k URLs).
• Robots.txt helper: Add the final line Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml so crawlers find it automatically.
• Submit and monitor: In Google Search Console, go to Indexing → Sitemaps, paste the URL, and check for parsing errors. Repeat in Bing Webmaster Tools.

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FAQs

What is an XML sitemap?
A machine-readable file (sitemap.xml) that lists your site’s key URLs for search engines, with optional metadata like lastmod.

Do I need an image sitemap?
Use an image sitemap if visuals are important (product, portfolio, blog). It can improve discovery in Google Images when your images are in <img src=""> tags.

When should I use a news sitemap?
Publishers with timely content should use a news sitemap to surface fresh stories from the last 48–72 hours. It’s not needed for evergreen posts.

What’s a sitemap index?
A parent file (sitemap_index.xml) that links multiple sitemaps—ideal for splitting large sites, or when you generate separate image/news sitemaps.

How often should I update sitemap.xml?
Update whenever URLs are added/removed or content changes substantially. Keeping lastmod accurate is the priority.

Can I ping Google?
Google’s ping endpoint was deprecated. Submit your sitemap URL in Search Console and keep lastmod current.