Understanding sitemap.xml: A quick guide

What is sitemap.xml

A sitemap.xml is an XML file that lists the pages on your website. It helps search engines discover and crawl your content, especially new or updated pages. While having a sitemap is not a guarantee that every page will be indexed, it makes it easier for search engines to find all your important URLs.

What it looks like

A typical sitemap contains entries like the following:

<url> <loc>https://example.com/</loc> <lastmod>2024-09-01</lastmod> <changefreq>monthly</changefreq> <priority>0.8</priority> </url>

Why sitemap.xml matters

For larger sites, or sites with rich media and dynamic pages, a sitemap helps search engines discover content that might be hard to reach through links alone. It also signals new or updated content, which can speed up indexing.

How sitemap.xml works

A sitemap.xml is hosted on your site, usually at the root (for example, https://example.com/sitemap.xml). Search engines fetch the file, read the listed URLs, and schedule crawling accordingly. You can also use a sitemap index to reference multiple sitemap files.

What is a sitemap index

A sitemap index is a file (often sitemap_index.xml) that lists several sitemap files. This is useful for large sites with many URLs, keeping each sitemap smaller and easier to manage.

Types of sitemaps

• XML sitemap: the standard format for listing URLs.
• Image sitemap: lists pages with images that you want crawled.
• Video sitemap: lists pages with embedded videos.
• News sitemap: for rapid indexing of news content.
• Mobile sitemap: historically used for mobile content; many sites now rely on XML sitemaps with mobile-friendly URLs instead.

Creating and submitting a sitemap

Methods to create a sitemap

• Use a CMS plugin (for example, WordPress plugins that generate and update sitemaps automatically).
• Use an online sitemap generator or a build script for static sites.
• Create and maintain the file manually if you have a small site.

Submitting to search engines

• Google Search Console: add your sitemap URL and submit it.
• Bing Webmaster Tools: submit your sitemap to help Bing crawl your site.
• Other search engines can also accept sitemap submissions.

Keeping it up to date

Update the sitemap whenever you add or remove pages, and consider setting <lastmod> timestamps to reflect changes.

Best practices

• Include only canonical URLs and avoid duplicate pages.
• Keep the sitemap size reasonable: up to 50,000 URLs per sitemap and up to 50MB uncompressed.
• Use a sitemap index if you have many sitemaps.
• Compress sitemap files with gzip to save bandwidth.
• Reference your sitemap in robots.txt and submit it to search engines.
• Validate the XML to ensure proper formatting and syntax.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to submit the sitemap or keeping it outdated.
• Including non-canonical or blocked pages.
• Broken or redirected URLs listed in the sitemap.
• Incorrect XML syntax or missing required tags.

Getting started quickly

Step-by-step

1. List your important URLs (new and updated pages).
2. Create a sitemap.xml following the standard <loc>, <lastmod>, <changefreq>, and <priority> tags.
3. Upload sitemap.xml to your site root (https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
4. Submit the sitemap URL to Google Search Console and other search engines.
5. Monitor indexing and update as your site changes.

Conclusion

A sitemap.xml is a simple, effective tool to help search engines discover and crawl your site. By keeping it current and well-structured, you can improve the chances that your important pages are found and indexed promptly.