Small site
- Input
- 12 URLs, weekly, priority 0.8
- Output
- <urlset> with 12 <url> entries
For a site this size one sitemap is plenty. The 50,000 URL limit only matters for large catalogues.
XML Sitemap Generator
An XML sitemap is a file listing the URLs on your site that you want search engines to crawl. This generator turns a plain list of addresses into a valid sitemap, escaping special characters and validating each URL as you paste it. Add your dates and priorities, then download the file and submit it in Search Console.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded.
One absolute URL per line. Include only canonical pages that return 200.
Use the real date content changed.
Google ignores this field.
Relative within your own site.
Paste at least one absolute URL to generate the sitemap.
How to
How to use the Sitemap Generator
- 1
Paste your URLs
One absolute URL per line. Invalid or duplicate entries are flagged as you paste.
- 2
Set defaults
Choose a last-modified date, change frequency and priority to apply to every URL.
- 3
Adjust individual pages
Give your most important pages a higher priority than the rest. Relative importance is all that matters.
- 4
Download and submit
Save sitemap.xml to your site root, reference it in robots.txt, and submit it in Search Console.
Examples
Sitemap Generator examples
URL with query parameters
- Input
- https://example.com/search?q=shoes&size=10
- Output
- …?q=shoes&size=10
Ampersands must be escaped or the XML is invalid. This is handled automatically and is a common cause of rejected sitemaps.
Homepage priority
- Input
- Homepage 1.0, everything else 0.5
- Output
- <priority>1.0</priority>
Priority is relative within your own sitemap. It tells Google which of your pages matter most, not how you rank against other sites.
Why use it
What the Sitemap Generator gives you
Valid XML every time
Ampersands, angle brackets and quotes in URLs are escaped correctly, which is the single most common reason a sitemap is rejected.
URLs validated as you paste
Malformed addresses, relative paths and duplicates are flagged before they reach the file.
Limits enforced
The 50,000 URL and 50 MB caps are checked, with guidance on splitting into a sitemap index when you exceed them.
Per-page control
Set a sensible default for everything, then raise the priority on the handful of pages that matter most.
Runs in your browser
Your URL list is never uploaded, which matters when a site is not public yet.
Good to know
Sitemap Generator limitations
- A sitemap helps crawlers discover URLs; it does not guarantee they will be indexed. Google decides what is worth keeping.
- One file holds at most 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed. Beyond that you need several sitemaps and a sitemap index.
- Google ignores changefreq entirely and treats priority as a weak hint. Both are safe to include but neither does much.
- Only include canonical URLs that return 200. Listing redirects, 404s or non-canonical duplicates wastes crawl budget and can trigger warnings.
Summary
Sitemap Generator in short
- An XML sitemap lists the URLs you want crawled, and belongs at your site root.
- One file holds up to 50,000 URLs or 50 MB before you need a sitemap index.
- Ampersands and angle brackets in URLs must be XML-escaped or the file is invalid.
- Google ignores changefreq and treats priority as a weak hint at best.
FAQ
Sitemap Generator questions
What is an XML sitemap?
A file listing the URLs on your site you want search engines to crawl, along with optional metadata such as when each page last changed. It helps crawlers find pages that internal linking alone might not surface.
Does my site need a sitemap?
Small, well-linked sites often manage without one. Sitemaps matter most for large sites, new sites with few external links, and sites with pages that are not reachable through normal navigation.
Where do I put it?
Usually at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Reference it from robots.txt with a Sitemap: line and submit it in Google Search Console so it is picked up promptly.
How many URLs can one sitemap hold?
50,000 URLs, or 50 MB uncompressed, whichever comes first. Past that, split into several files and list them in a sitemap index, which itself can reference up to 50,000 sitemaps.
Does priority affect rankings?
No. Priority only expresses which of your own pages you consider most important, and Google has said it largely ignores the field. It never affects how you compare with other sites.
Should I set changefreq?
It does no harm, but Google ignores it and relies on observed change patterns instead. Keeping lastmod accurate is far more useful than guessing at a frequency.
What should lastmod be?
The date the page's content genuinely last changed. Google does use it, but only when it proves trustworthy — setting every page to today on every build teaches it to ignore the field.
Which URLs should I include?
Only canonical URLs that return 200 and that you want indexed. Leave out redirects, error pages, noindex pages and non-canonical duplicates — including them wastes crawl budget and creates Search Console warnings.
Will submitting a sitemap get my pages indexed?
It helps them be discovered, which is a prerequisite, but not indexed. Google still judges whether each page is worth keeping, and thin or duplicate pages are commonly crawled and then dropped.
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