SEO Tools

XML Sitemap Generator

Build a basic XML sitemap from a list of absolute page URLs.

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How this tool works

Validates absolute HTTP or HTTPS URLs, removes duplicates, XML-escapes values, and writes one url element per accepted line.

How to use it

  1. Paste one absolute URL per line.
  2. Remove redirects, errors, and non-canonical URLs yourself.
  3. Download or copy the XML, publish it, then submit it in Search Console.

Limits to keep in mind

It does not crawl a site, confirm status codes, discover pages, or promise indexing. Keep sitemap entries consistent with canonical URLs.

Frequently asked questions

Does a sitemap guarantee indexing?

No. Sitemap submission is a hint and does not guarantee crawling or indexing.

How many URLs can one sitemap hold?

Google documents a limit of 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed per sitemap.

Which URLs should I put in a sitemap?

Only canonical, indexable pages that return a successful status. Leave out redirects, error pages, duplicates and URLs you have marked noindex.

How do I submit the sitemap to Google?

Upload the file to your site, add its URL to robots.txt if you like, and submit it under Sitemaps in Google Search Console. Submission helps discovery but does not guarantee indexing.

What an XML sitemap is for

An XML sitemap is a file that lists URLs you want search engines to know about. It helps crawlers discover pages, especially on new sites, large sites, or sites where some pages have few internal links. It does not force a search engine to crawl or index anything. Think of it as a clear, tidy list you hand to the crawler, not an instruction it must follow.

The XML Sitemap Generator takes a list of URLs, one per line, and builds a valid sitemap file from them. It checks that each entry is an absolute address beginning with http or https, removes duplicates, escapes special characters so the XML stays valid, and writes one url entry for each accepted line. It does not crawl your website, so the quality of the sitemap depends entirely on the list you provide.

Build the right list of URLs

A good sitemap lists only pages you want to appear in search. Include canonical, indexable pages that return a successful response and are useful for visitors: your main pages, articles, products, categories and tools. Leave out redirected URLs, pages that return errors, pages marked noindex, duplicate versions with tracking parameters, internal search results and login pages.

A practical way to collect URLs is to export them from your CMS, from your analytics landing pages, or from a crawl of your own site, and then clean the list. Keep every URL on the same host as the sitemap and use the exact version you prefer, including https and the same www choice as your canonical tags. If your list mixes http and https or www and non-www versions, search engines receive conflicting signals about which version is real.

Keep sitemap and canonical signals consistent

Sitemaps work best when they agree with the rest of your site. If a page is in the sitemap, its canonical tag should point to itself, it should be indexable, and it should return a normal successful response. A sitemap full of redirects, errors and non-canonical URLs teaches search engines to trust it less.

Check for common conflicts. A URL listed in the sitemap but blocked by robots.txt sends a contradictory message, because the crawler is told the page matters but is not allowed to read it. A URL in the sitemap that carries a noindex tag asks to be discovered and then rejected. Run a sample of your list through the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, and fix the pages or remove them from the file.

Size limits and optional fields

A single sitemap file can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB uncompressed. If your site is larger, split it into several sitemap files and list them in a sitemap index file. The generator creates one sitemap, so for big sites you would generate several lists and reference them from an index.

Sitemaps can include optional values such as a last modified date. Google has said it uses the last modified value only when it is consistently accurate, and it ignores the priority and change frequency values. If you add dates, use the real date the page content changed in a meaningful way, not the date the file was generated. Dates that always show today teach crawlers to disregard the field. When in doubt, leave optional fields out.

Publish and submit the file

Save the generated XML in a file named sitemap.xml and upload it to your site, usually at the root, for example https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Open the address in a browser to confirm it loads. You can then tell search engines about it in two ways. Add a Sitemap line to your robots.txt file, and submit the URL in the Sitemaps report in Google Search Console and in Bing Webmaster Tools.

After submission, Search Console shows when the file was last read, how many URLs were discovered, and any errors. Submission helps discovery, but it does not guarantee that every listed URL will be indexed. Pages can be left out if they are duplicates, have low value, or are blocked in other ways. Use the page indexing report to see the reason for each excluded URL.

Keep the sitemap fresh

A sitemap is not a one-time task. Update it when you publish new pages, remove old ones, change URLs, or migrate your site. If your site changes often, use your CMS or a plugin to generate the file automatically, and use this generator for small sites, one-off projects, new sections, staging checks, or quick drafts.

When you retire a page, remove it from the sitemap and make sure the old URL redirects or returns the right status. After a redesign or a move to a new domain, build a new sitemap that lists only the new canonical URLs. Review the Sitemaps report in Search Console every few weeks while the site is new, then monthly. Sudden drops in discovered URLs often point to a broken template or a blocked folder.

What this generator does not do

The tool does not crawl your site, find pages you forgot, check status codes, confirm that URLs are reachable, or predict whether a page will be indexed. It also does not create image, video or news sitemaps, and it does not split large lists into multiple files for you. It validates the format of each line, not the quality of the page behind it.

Because of this, the final check is yours. Before publishing, scan the list for staging addresses, test pages, parameter URLs and anything private. Remember that a sitemap is public, so anything you list can be seen by others. A short, accurate, well-maintained sitemap is more useful than a large one filled with weak or duplicate pages.

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