What is an XML sitemap?

Search engines find pages mainly by following links. An XML sitemap gives them a direct list instead, which helps with new pages, large sites, and pages that aren't well linked. Google, Bing and other search engines all read the same format.

What an XML sitemap looks like

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-11-04</lastmod>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/trail-shoes/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-10-28</lastmod>
  </url>
</urlset>

Each <url> entry has a <loc> (the full address) and, optionally, a <lastmod> (when the page last changed meaningfully).

What Google uses and ignores

Only set lastmod when the main content changes. If every page always shows today's date, Google learns to ignore it.

Limits

• Up to 50,000 URLs per sitemap.
• Up to 50 MB uncompressed.
• Larger sites split into several sitemaps listed in a sitemap index file.

What to include

• Every page you want in search results.
• Only the canonical version of each page.
• Only pages that return 200 and aren't noindexed.

What to leave out

• Redirects, 404s and error pages.
• Noindexed pages.
• Duplicate and parameter URLs.
• Pages blocked by robots.txt.

A sitemap full of addresses that don't work sends mixed signals and makes Search Console reports harder to read.

Do I need a sitemap?

Google says sitemaps are most useful for:

• Large sites, where some pages might be missed.
• New sites with few backlinks.
• Sites with lots of content that isn't well linked.
• Sites with videos, images or news.

A small, well-linked site may not strictly need one, but there's no downside, and most platforms create it automatically.

How to create a sitemap

Most platforms generate one for you:

• WordPress: built in at /wp-sitemap.xml, or via an SEO plugin.
• Shopify: automatic at /sitemap.xml.
• Wix, Squarespace, Webflow: automatic.
• Custom sites: generate it in your build process or with a crawler.

How to submit a sitemap

1. Add it to robots.txt: Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
2. Submit it in Google Search Console under Indexing, then Sitemaps.
3. Submit it in Bing Webmaster Tools.

Check your sitemap for errors

Enter your site in the checker on this page. It finds your sitemap (from robots.txt or the usual locations), validates the XML, counts the URLs, checks a sample for redirects, errors and noindex tags, and flags stale or missing lastmod dates.