XML Sitemap Generator Online

Generate professional XML sitemaps for your website quickly and easily with our free online sitemap generator. Whether you're a website owner improving SEO, a blogger organizing content, a small business owner managing your site, or a developer building a new website, this tool helps you create properly formatted XML sitemaps that search engines can read and understand. The sitemap generator works entirely in your browser, ensuring your website structure and URLs remain completely private.

XML sitemaps are essential files that help search engines like Google, Bing, and others discover and index your website's pages more efficiently. Think of a sitemap as a roadmap of your website that you provide to search engines, listing all the important pages you want them to know about. Without a sitemap, search engines must rely solely on following links throughout your site, which can result in some pages being missed or taking longer to be discovered and indexed. This is especially problematic for new websites, large sites with many pages, sites with complex navigation, or pages that aren't well-linked internally.

Our sitemap generator simplifies the creation process. Instead of manually writing XML code or installing complex tools, you simply enter your website's base URL and list the pages you want to include. The tool generates a properly formatted XML sitemap following the official sitemaps.org protocol that all major search engines support. You can customize settings like change frequency (how often pages are updated) and priority (the relative importance of pages on your site), giving search engines helpful hints about how to crawl your content most effectively.

This tool is designed with privacy and simplicity in mind. All sitemap generation happens locally in your web browser using JavaScript—your URLs are never uploaded to our servers, transmitted over the network, or stored anywhere except temporarily in your browser's memory. This means you can safely generate sitemaps for private projects, staging sites, or confidential websites without any security concerns. Once generated, you can copy the XML to your clipboard or download it as a sitemap.xml file ready to upload to your website's root directory. No registration required, no privacy risks, and no complexity—just straightforward sitemap generation whenever you need it.

Generate Your XML Sitemap

Enter your website's base URL (e.g., https://example.com). Don't include trailing slash.

Enter page paths relative to your base URL. Start paths with / or enter full URLs. Maximum 50,000 URLs.

How often pages typically change (optional hint for search engines).

Relative importance of pages (0.0 = low, 1.0 = high). Optional.

Privacy Guarantee: All sitemap generation happens locally in your browser. Your URLs and website structure are never uploaded, transmitted, or stored on our servers. When you close this page, all data is completely gone.

What Is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on your website in a structured format that search engines can easily read and process. The "XML" stands for Extensible Markup Language, a format designed for storing and transporting data in a way that's both human-readable and machine-readable. XML sitemaps follow a specific protocol defined at sitemaps.org, which all major search engines including Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex support and respect.

The sitemap acts as a communication channel between you (the website owner) and search engines. Through your sitemap, you're explicitly telling search engines: "These are all the pages on my website that I want you to know about and potentially index in search results." Each URL entry in the sitemap can include additional metadata—when the page was last modified (lastmod), how frequently it typically changes (changefreq), and its priority relative to other pages on your site (priority). While search engines treat this metadata as hints rather than commands, providing accurate information helps them crawl your site more intelligently.

XML sitemaps are particularly valuable for certain types of websites. New websites benefit because search engines discover them faster—instead of waiting for external links or random crawling, you can submit your sitemap directly to search engines through their webmaster tools. Large websites with hundreds or thousands of pages benefit because sitemaps ensure nothing gets missed. Websites with complex navigation or many pages that aren't well-linked benefit because the sitemap provides direct paths to content. Dynamic websites that frequently add new content benefit because updated sitemaps alert search engines to changes. Even small websites benefit from sitemaps because they provide a clear, organized view of site structure.

It's important to understand that having a sitemap doesn't guarantee that all your pages will be indexed or rank well in search results. Search engines use sitemaps as one of many signals and still must crawl, evaluate, and decide whether to index each page based on content quality, relevance, and other ranking factors. However, a properly configured sitemap removes one barrier to indexing by ensuring search engines know about all your important pages and can access them efficiently. Think of it as making your website's structure transparent and navigable for search engine crawlers.

How This Sitemap Generator Works

Our XML sitemap generator prioritizes privacy and simplicity by performing all sitemap creation entirely within your web browser using JavaScript. Unlike some sitemap tools that crawl websites automatically by visiting pages and following links, this tool takes a manual approach—you provide the list of URLs you want to include, and the generator creates the properly formatted XML file. This manual approach ensures complete privacy because your website structure and URLs never leave your device.

The generation process is straightforward: You enter your website's base URL (like https://example.com) and then list the pages you want to include in your sitemap. You can enter paths relative to your base URL (like /about or /blog/article-1) or full URLs if you prefer. The tool then combines your base URL with each path to create complete URLs, formats them according to the XML sitemap protocol, adds the optional metadata you specified (change frequency and priority), and generates the complete XML document ready for use.

The XML output follows the official sitemaps.org specification exactly. It includes the required XML declaration, the urlset namespace that identifies the document as a sitemap, and proper URL entries with loc (location), lastmod (last modified date, automatically set to today), and your optional changefreq and priority values. The tool also escapes special XML characters properly to ensure the generated sitemap is valid and won't cause parsing errors when search engines read it.

Because all processing happens in your browser's JavaScript environment, there are no network requests, no data transmission, and no server-side storage. You can safely generate sitemaps for private websites, staging environments, or confidential projects without any privacy concerns. The tool works offline once the page loads, and all data disappears when you close the page. After generating your sitemap, you can copy the XML to your clipboard for pasting into a file, or download it directly as sitemap.xml ready to upload to your website.

How to Use the Sitemap Generator

Creating an XML sitemap with our tool is simple and takes just a few minutes:

  1. Enter Your Base URL: Type your website's main URL in the "Website Base URL" field. Include the protocol (https:// or http://) and domain name. For example: https://example.com. Don't include a trailing slash—the tool handles path construction automatically.
  2. List Your Pages: In the "Page URLs" textarea, enter the paths to the pages you want to include in your sitemap, one per line. You have several options for formatting:
    • Root-relative paths: /about, /contact, /blog/article-1
    • Paths without leading slash: about, contact, blog/article-1 (tool adds the slash)
    • Full URLs: https://example.com/about (useful if including different domains)
    Include your homepage by adding / on its own line. You can include up to 50,000 URLs (the sitemap protocol maximum).
  3. Configure Optional Settings:
    • Change Frequency: Select how often your pages typically update. This is a hint to search engines—choose "weekly" for regularly updated content, "monthly" for stable pages, "daily" for news or time-sensitive content, or "never" for archived content. You can leave this unspecified if unsure.
    • Priority: Set the relative importance of your pages from 0.0 (least important) to 1.0 (most important). The default 0.5 works well for most pages. Use higher values (0.8-1.0) only for your most important pages like the homepage or key landing pages. This affects how search engines prioritize crawling but doesn't directly impact rankings.
  4. Generate the Sitemap: Click "Generate Sitemap" to create your XML file. The tool validates your inputs, constructs complete URLs, formats everything according to XML sitemap specifications, and displays the result below. You'll see a success message showing how many URLs were included.
  5. Copy or Download: Once generated, you have two options:
    • Copy to Clipboard: Click "Copy XML to Clipboard" to copy the entire sitemap XML. You can then paste it into a text editor and save as sitemap.xml.
    • Download File: Click "Download sitemap.xml" to download the sitemap as a properly named XML file ready to upload to your website.
  6. Upload to Your Website: Upload the sitemap.xml file to your website's root directory (the same location as your homepage). The sitemap should be accessible at https://example.com/sitemap.xml. Most hosting providers let you upload files via FTP, SFTP, or through control panels like cPanel.
  7. Submit to Search Engines: After uploading, submit your sitemap to search engines:
    • Google: Use Google Search Console, go to Sitemaps section, enter "sitemap.xml" and submit
    • Bing: Use Bing Webmaster Tools, go to Sitemaps section and submit your sitemap URL
    • Alternatively: Add sitemap location to your robots.txt file: Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Pro Tip: Click "Load Example" to see a sample sitemap configuration. This helps you understand the format before entering your own URLs. Update your sitemap whenever you add significant new content to your website, then resubmit to search engines.

Best Practices for XML Sitemaps

Keep Sitemaps Under Size Limits

XML sitemaps have two important limits: maximum 50,000 URLs per sitemap file, and maximum 50MB uncompressed file size. If your website exceeds these limits, you need to create multiple sitemap files and use a sitemap index file that references them all. Most small to medium websites stay well under these limits with a single sitemap.

Include Only Indexable Pages

Your sitemap should only include pages you want search engines to index. Don't include pages blocked by robots.txt, pages with noindex meta tags, duplicate content pages, paginated pages (unless they contain unique content), or temporary/private pages. Include your important, public-facing content pages, blog posts, product pages, and category pages.

Use Accurate Last Modified Dates

The lastmod (last modified) date tells search engines when a page was last changed. This helps them prioritize crawling recently updated content. Our generator automatically uses today's date, which works for new sitemaps. If you update your sitemap regularly, consider using actual modification dates for each page if you have that information available.

Be Realistic with Priority Values

Priority indicates relative importance within your site, not across the web. Many site owners make the mistake of marking every page as high priority (0.9 or 1.0), which defeats the purpose. Use priority sparingly: homepage and key landing pages might be 0.8-1.0, main category pages 0.6-0.8, and individual content pages 0.4-0.6. Most pages can use the default 0.5.

Choose Appropriate Change Frequencies

The changefreq hint helps search engines decide how often to recrawl pages. Be honest: if your blog posts rarely change after publication, use "monthly" or "yearly." If you have a news section updated multiple times daily, use "hourly" or "daily." For most business websites, "weekly" or "monthly" is appropriate for most pages. Don't claim pages update more frequently than they actually do.

Keep Your Sitemap Updated

When you add significant new content—new blog posts, product pages, or major site sections—update your sitemap and resubmit it to search engines. You don't need to update for minor text edits, but new URLs should be added promptly. Many content management systems can automatically update sitemaps, but if you're managing manually, set a reminder to review monthly.

Upload to Root Directory

Place your sitemap.xml file in your website's root directory so it's accessible at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. This is the standard location where search engines expect to find it. You can also specify the sitemap location in your robots.txt file or submit it directly through search engine webmaster tools.

Validate Your Sitemap

After creating your sitemap, validate it before submission. You can use online XML validators or submit to Google Search Console, which will report any errors. Common issues include invalid URLs, broken links, or malformed XML. Fix any reported errors to ensure search engines can read your sitemap correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my website structure and URL list safe and private?

Absolutely. All sitemap generation happens entirely within your web browser using JavaScript. Your URLs, website structure, and any other information you enter are never uploaded to our servers, never transmitted over the network, and never stored anywhere except temporarily in your browser's memory while using the tool. When you close or refresh the page, all data is completely gone. This client-side architecture ensures maximum privacy—we literally cannot see your URLs because they never reach our servers. You can safely generate sitemaps for private projects, staging sites, or confidential websites.

Will having a sitemap improve my search rankings?

Having a sitemap doesn't directly improve rankings, but it can indirectly help by ensuring search engines discover and index all your important pages. An XML sitemap makes it easier for search engines to find your content, especially new pages, deeply nested pages, or pages with few internal links. Better indexing means your pages have the opportunity to appear in search results. However, rankings depend on content quality, relevance, user experience, backlinks, and hundreds of other factors. Think of a sitemap as removing barriers to indexing, not as a ranking boost itself.

How often should I update my sitemap?

Update your sitemap whenever you make significant changes to your website structure—adding new pages, removing old pages, or restructuring navigation. For blogs and news sites that publish frequently, consider updating weekly or whenever you publish new content. For relatively static business websites, monthly or quarterly updates may suffice. Most content management systems (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) can automatically update sitemaps using plugins, eliminating manual work. After updating your sitemap, resubmit it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to notify search engines of changes.

Should I include images, videos, or PDFs in my sitemap?

Standard XML sitemaps primarily list web pages (HTML documents). However, you can create specialized sitemaps for other content types: image sitemaps for photos, video sitemaps for video content, and news sitemaps for news articles. These use extended XML schemas with additional tags specific to each media type. Our basic sitemap generator creates standard page sitemaps. For specialized content sitemaps, you may need dedicated tools or plugins for your content management system. Most websites start with a standard page sitemap and add specialized sitemaps only if they have substantial image/video content they want to optimize.

What's the difference between XML sitemaps and HTML sitemaps?

XML sitemaps are designed for search engines—they're machine-readable files that search engine crawlers use to discover pages. HTML sitemaps are regular web pages designed for human visitors, typically containing links to all major pages organized hierarchically or by category. Both serve different purposes: XML sitemaps help with SEO and indexing, while HTML sitemaps help users navigate your site. Most websites should have both—an XML sitemap (sitemap.xml) for search engines and an HTML sitemap page (/sitemap or /sitemap.html) for users. The XML sitemap is more critical for SEO.

Can I have multiple sitemaps for one website?

Yes, and it's often beneficial for large websites. If your site has more than 50,000 URLs (the single sitemap limit) or your sitemap would exceed 50MB, you must split it into multiple sitemaps. Even smaller sites sometimes create separate sitemaps for different content types (blog posts, products, static pages) for better organization. When you have multiple sitemaps, create a sitemap index file (usually sitemap_index.xml) that lists all your individual sitemaps. Submit the index to search engines, and they'll automatically discover all your sitemaps. This approach keeps files manageable and makes updates easier.

Do I need a sitemap if I have a small website?

Even small websites benefit from XML sitemaps, especially new sites without many external links. A sitemap ensures search engines discover all your pages quickly rather than relying on organic crawling, which can take weeks or months for new sites. Small sites (under 50 pages) with clear navigation and good internal linking might get indexed eventually without a sitemap, but having one speeds up the process and provides certainty that search engines know about all your pages. Since creating a sitemap takes just a few minutes, it's worthwhile even for the smallest sites.

Start Generating Your Sitemap Now

Whether you're launching a new website, improving SEO for an existing site, reorganizing your content structure, or simply ensuring search engines can find all your important pages, an XML sitemap is an essential tool in your SEO toolkit. Our free sitemap generator provides instant, properly formatted sitemaps without compromising your privacy or requiring technical expertise. No registration, no uploads, no complexity—just enter your URLs and generate a professional sitemap ready for search engine submission.

The tool handles all technical formatting automatically, validates your inputs, and produces XML that follows the official sitemaps.org specification. Whether you need a simple sitemap for a small business site or a comprehensive sitemap for a large content-rich website, this generator provides the foundation for better search engine visibility. Bookmark this page for whenever you need to create or update your sitemap.

Explore our other free SEO and development tools designed to make your work more efficient: check out our URL slug generator for creating SEO-friendly URLs, JavaScript validator for checking code syntax, CSS beautifier for formatting stylesheets, JSON viewer for validating data, word counter for tracking content length, and text case converter for formatting text. All our tools share the same commitment to privacy, simplicity, and usefulness.