How to Create & Optimize an XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is a crucial element of technical SEO, helping search engines like Google and Bing efficiently crawl and index your website. A well-structured sitemap improves search engine visibility, ensuring all important pages are discovered and ranked.

This guide will walk you through what an XML sitemap is, how to create one, and best practices for optimization.

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What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all important URLs of a website, helping search engines understand its structure and prioritize indexing.

Why XML Sitemaps Are Important for SEO

Improves Indexing – Helps search engines find and index pages faster.

Enhances Crawlability – Ensures search bots can navigate complex site structures.

Prioritizes Important Pages – Assigns priority levels to critical content.

Assists with Large Sites – Vital for websites with thousands of pages. Helps Identify Issues – Google Search Console reports sitemap errors.

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How to Create an XML Sitemap

1. Use an Online Sitemap Generator

If you have a small website (under 500 pages), you can use free online tools to generate a sitemap.

Popular Free Sitemap Generators:

• XML-Sitemaps.com

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Best For: Static websites with few pages.

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2. Generate a Sitemap Using a CMS Plugin

For WordPress, Joomla, or Shopify, use a plugin to create and update sitemaps automatically.

Best Sitemap Plugins:

• WordPress – Yoast SEO, Rank Math

• Joomla – JSitemap

• Shopify – Built-in XML sitemap (auto-generated at /sitemap.xml)

Best For: Websites that frequently update content.

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3. Manually Create an XML Sitemap

For custom-built websites, you can manually create an XML file using a text editor.

Basic XML Sitemap Format:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
    <url>
        <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
        <lastmod>2024-03-04</lastmod>
        <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
        <priority>1.0</priority>
    </url>
    <url>
        <loc>https://example.com/blog/</loc>
        <lastmod>2024-03-02</lastmod>
        <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
        <priority>0.8</priority>
    </url>
</urlset>

Best For: Developers managing large or custom-coded websites.

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How to Optimize an XML Sitemap

1. Include Only Important URLs

• Avoid duplicate, low-quality, or thin-content pages.

• Do not include admin pages, login pages, or thank-you pages.

Best Practice: List only indexable pages that provide value.

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2. Use Proper Sitemap Segmentation for Large Websites

If your website has more than 50,000 URLs, break it into multiple sitemaps.

How to Create Multiple Sitemaps:

1. Divide URLs into categories (e.g., blog posts, product pages, videos).

2. Create a separate XML file for each category.

3. Use a Sitemap Index File to link all sitemaps.

Example of a Sitemap Index File:

<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
    <sitemap>
        <loc>https://example.com/sitemap-posts.xml</loc>
    </sitemap>
    <sitemap>
        <loc>https://example.com/sitemap-products.xml</loc>
    </sitemap>
</sitemapindex>

Best For: E-commerce or large websites with thousands of URLs.

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3. Optimize URL Structure

• Ensure all URLs are clean, descriptive, and SEO-friendly.

• Use HTTPS URLs (secure pages rank higher).

Example of an SEO-Friendly URL:

https://example.com/best-seo-tips

Avoid URLs Like:

https://example.com/index.php?id=456&session=123

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4. Update Sitemap Regularly

• Set update frequencies (changefreq) based on content updates.

• Use lastmod to indicate the last modification date of each page.

Recommended Change Frequencies:

Page Type	Changefreq
Homepage	Daily
Blog Posts	Weekly
Product Pages	Weekly
Contact Page	Monthly
Category Pages	Monthly

Best Practice: Automate sitemap updates using a plugin or script.

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How to Submit an XML Sitemap to Google

Once your sitemap is ready, submit it to Google Search Console to help search engines crawl your site faster.

Steps to Submit a Sitemap in Google Search Console:

1. Go to Google Search Console.

2. Select your website.

3. Click “Sitemaps” in the left menu.

4. Enter your sitemap URL (e.g., https://example.com/sitemap.xml).

5. Click Submit.

Tip: Use Bing Webmaster Tools to submit your sitemap to Bing as well.

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Common XML Sitemap Mistakes to Avoid

Including Noindex Pages – Only include indexable content.

Broken Links in Sitemap – Use tools like Screaming Frog to validate links.

Using Non-Canonical URLs – Ensure the correct version of URLs is listed.

Forgetting to Update Sitemaps – Keep sitemaps up to date with content changes.

Not Submitting to Google Search Console – Google may not find your sitemap without submission.

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Tools to Generate & Manage Sitemaps

• Google Search Console – Monitor sitemap indexing status.

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider – Crawl websites and generate sitemaps.

• Yoast SEO Plugin – Auto-generates sitemaps for WordPress.

• XML-Sitemaps.com – Free sitemap generator for small sites.