🗺️ Sitemap.xml Generator

Generate an XML sitemap from a list of URLs. Add priority, change frequency, and last-modified date. Download the sitemap.xml file. Free online sitemap generator.

URLs (one per line)

Change Frequency

Priority

Last Modified

XML Output

How to Use

Enter your URLs

Paste your URLs, one per line, into the input area. Add optional lastmod, changefreq, and priority.

Configure options

Set the change frequency (daily, weekly, etc.) and priority (0.0–1.0) for all URLs at once.

Download your sitemap

Click Generate, then Download XML to get your sitemap.xml file, ready to submit to Google Search Console.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a sitemap.xml? +

A sitemap.xml is an XML file that lists all the URLs of your website. It helps search engines like Google discover and crawl your pages more efficiently, especially new pages or pages not linked from elsewhere.

How do I submit a sitemap to Google? +

Go to Google Search Console → Sitemaps → enter your sitemap URL (e.g. https://example.com/sitemap.xml) → Submit. Google will then crawl the URLs listed in your sitemap.

What is changefreq and should I use it? +

changefreq hints how often the page content changes (always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, never). Google states they use it as a hint, not a directive. Daily for blogs, weekly for product pages, monthly for static content is a common practice.

What is the priority field in sitemap.xml? +

Priority (0.0 to 1.0) indicates the relative importance of pages within your site. The default is 0.5. Set homepage to 1.0, main category pages to 0.8, and individual posts/products to 0.6. Google has stated it largely ignores this field.

How many URLs can a sitemap contain? +

A single sitemap file can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must be under 50MB. For larger sites, use a sitemap index file that references multiple sitemap files.

Complete Guide: XML Sitemap Generator

An XML sitemap is a structured file that tells search engines which URLs on your website are available for crawling and indexing. While search engines can discover pages by following links, a sitemap provides a direct, authoritative list of your content — especially valuable for new sites, pages with few inbound links, or large sites with thousands of URLs.

The Sitemaps.org Protocol

The sitemap specification, maintained at sitemaps.org and supported by Google, Bing, and other major engines, defines a simple XML vocabulary. A minimal valid sitemap looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/about/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-03-15</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

Required vs Optional Fields

<loc> (required) — The absolute URL. Must use the same protocol and subdomain as your canonical domain. Ampersands in query strings must be escaped as &.
<lastmod> (optional) — ISO 8601 date of last modification. Use accurate dates; guessing or setting all pages to today's date trains search engines to distrust the field.
<changefreq> (optional) — A hint, not a directive. Values: always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, never. Google largely ignores this field.
<priority> (optional) — A number from 0.0 to 1.0, relative to other pages on your site. Default is 0.5. Google has stated this field carries minimal weight.

Sitemap Index Files for Large Sites

A single sitemap file is limited to 50,000 URLs and a maximum compressed size of 50 MB. Sites exceeding either limit should use a sitemap index file, which lists multiple child sitemaps:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://example.com/sitemap-pages.xml</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-01</lastmod>
  </sitemap>
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://example.com/sitemap-posts.xml</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-05-08</lastmod>
  </sitemap>
</sitemapindex>

Image and Video Sitemaps

Google supports extended sitemap namespaces for rich media. An image sitemap extension adds image metadata to each <url> entry, helping Google index images that are loaded via JavaScript or that would otherwise be hard to discover:

<url>
  <loc>https://example.com/gallery/</loc>
  <image:image>
    <image:loc>https://example.com/img/hero.jpg</image:loc>
    <image:caption>Team photo 2026</image:caption>
  </image:image>
</url>

Video sitemaps similarly use the video: namespace and can specify duration, thumbnail URL, expiration date, and platform restrictions.

Submitting to Google Search Console

Place your sitemap at a memorable path, typically /sitemap.xml.
Open Google Search Console → Sitemaps in the left sidebar.
Enter your sitemap URL and click Submit.
Monitor the Discovered URLs count and any parsing errors over the following days.

robots.txt Sitemap Directive

Add a Sitemap: directive to your robots.txt file so crawlers that never visit Google Search Console can discover your sitemap automatically:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Dynamic vs Static Sitemaps

Static sitemaps are pre-generated files. Dynamic sitemaps are served by a server-side script that queries your database and outputs XML on demand. Dynamic sitemaps are always current but add server load. A hybrid approach — regenerating a static sitemap via cron job whenever content is published — offers the best of both worlds.

Crawl Budget Considerations

Google allocates a finite crawl budget per domain, representing how many pages Googlebot will crawl within a given timeframe. Large sitemaps listing low-value pages (thin content, duplicate pages, faceted navigation) can waste crawl budget. Include only canonical, indexable URLs — exclude paginated parameters, session IDs, and URLs blocked by noindex.

Pair your sitemap with a well-configured Robots.txt Generator.
Ensure your pages have proper <title> and description meta tags using the Meta Tag Generator.