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Sitemap XML Builder

Generate a sitemap.xml for any static site. Paste your domain and URL paths to get a ready-to-upload XML sitemap. Runs in your browser.

Sitemap XML Builder

Runs entirely in your browser — no server calls, no tracking.

Fill in the fields and click Build sitemap.

🔒 Your data never leaves this tab. This tool has no backend.

About this tool

About the Sitemap XML Builder

A sitemap.xml is a file you place at the root of your domain that lists every URL on your site you want search engines to crawl and index. For a static HTML site, the sitemap is your primary way to tell Google what pages exist, when they were last updated, and how frequently they change. Submit it to Google Search Console after uploading.

How to use this builder

Enter your domain (with https://), then paste your URL paths one per line. The tool generates a correctly formatted XML sitemap with today's date as lastmod, a priority of 1.0 for the homepage and 0.8 for top-level pages, and 0.7 for blog posts. Copy the output and save it as sitemap.xml in your site root.

After generating

Upload the sitemap to your server root so it is accessible at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Then add a reference in your robots.txt: Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Submit the URL to Google Search Console (Sitemaps section) and Bing Webmaster Tools to accelerate crawling of new and updated pages.

The changefreq value is a hint, not a guarantee — Google ignores it if it does not match the actual update frequency of the page. Use daily for news feeds, weekly for blogs, monthly for service pages, and yearly for legal and privacy pages.

Sitemaps

What a sitemap does, and what it does not

An XML sitemap lists the URLs you want indexed, with optional metadata about each. It is a hint, not an instruction: including a URL does not guarantee indexing, and excluding one does not prevent it.

ElementPurposeDoes Google use it?
<loc>The absolute URLYes — required
<lastmod>Last meaningful changeYes, if consistently accurate
<changefreq>Expected update rateEffectively ignored
<priority>Relative importanceEffectively ignored

lastmod is the one worth getting right. Google uses it when it is trustworthy — and stops trusting it entirely if every URL claims to have changed today. Only update it when the content genuinely changed.

Who benefits most

Sitemaps matter most for large sites, new sites with few inbound links, sites with pages that are not well linked internally, and sites with rich media. A small, well-linked site will be crawled fine without one — but a sitemap still costs nothing and gives you a coverage report in Search Console.

Rules and limits

Maximum 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed per file; beyond that, split into several files behind a sitemap index. Every URL must be absolute, on the same host, and use the same protocol. Include only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200 — listing redirects, 404s or noindex pages sends contradictory signals and wastes crawl budget.

Submitting it

Reference it in robots.txt with a Sitemap: line and submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Search Console's coverage report then tells you which submitted URLs were indexed and, more usefully, why the others were not.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does an XML sitemap improve my rankings?

No, not directly. A sitemap helps search engines discover pages; it does not make them rank better. Its real value is discovery on large or poorly linked sites, and the coverage report it unlocks in Search Console, which tells you which pages were indexed and why the rest were not.

Do changefreq and priority matter?

Not really. Google has said it effectively ignores both, because site owners set them arbitrarily. Concentrate on accurate lastmod values instead — those are used, but only while they stay trustworthy.

How many URLs can one sitemap contain?

Up to 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed, whichever comes first. Larger sites split across multiple sitemap files referenced by a sitemap index file, which is itself submitted to Search Console.

Should I include every page in my sitemap?

Only canonical, indexable pages that return a 200 status. Leave out redirects, 404s, noindex pages and non-canonical duplicates — listing them sends contradictory signals and wastes crawl budget on URLs you have already said you do not want indexed.

How do I submit a sitemap?

Add a Sitemap: line with the absolute URL to your robots.txt, then submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Search Console will then report how many submitted URLs were indexed and give reasons for the ones that were not.

How many URLs can a sitemap contain?
The sitemap protocol limits a single sitemap file to 50,000 URLs and 50MB uncompressed. Sites with more pages should split into multiple sitemaps and reference them from a sitemap index file. For most small and medium sites a single sitemap is fine.
Should I include URLs with query parameters in my sitemap?
Generally no — only include the canonical version of each URL. Query parameters like UTM tags, session IDs, and sort filters create duplicate content. If your CMS generates faceted navigation URLs (e.g. /products?colour=blue), exclude them from the sitemap and add a canonical tag pointing to the parameterless URL.
How often does Google re-crawl a sitemap?
Google fetches sitemaps periodically and when you manually submit or ping them. There's no guaranteed frequency. After a major content update, re-submit the sitemap URL in Google Search Console to prompt a crawl. The lastmod date helps Google prioritise fresh content.
Does a sitemap guarantee Google indexes my pages?
No — a sitemap is a crawl hint, not a guarantee. Google still decides what to index based on content quality, duplicate content, crawl budget, and other factors. Pages with thin content, blocked by robots.txt, or blocked by noindex meta tags will not be indexed regardless of sitemap inclusion.
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