This XML sitemap generator turns a plain list of your page addresses into a sitemap.xml file that Google and Bing can read. Paste full URLs or paths plus your domain, and the tool removes copies, checks every address, escapes special characters and adds dates if you want them. You get the file, the robots.txt line and the steps to submit it.
What is an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the pages you want search engines to find. It does not push a page into Google, but it helps crawlers find new and deep pages sooner. That matters most for new sites with few links, large sites, and pages that menus do not link to.
A small sitemap looks like this: a urlset tag, then one url block per page with a loc tag that holds the full address. That is all Google needs.
How to use the XML sitemap generator
- Collect your pages. Copy them from your CMS, a crawler export or a spreadsheet. Only list pages you want in Google: no login pages, search results or thank-you pages.
- Choose what you paste. Pick "Full URLs" for complete addresses, or "Paths" if your list looks like
/about/and fill in your site address. - Choose a date option. Pick none, today, or a date per line written as
url,YYYY-MM-DD. - Read the notes. The tool tells you what it fixed and what it left out.
- Download sitemap.xml and upload it to your main folder, usually public_html.
- Add the Sitemap line to robots.txt and submit the sitemap in Google Search Console.
What the tool checks
A sitemap with errors can be ignored in part or in full, so the tool cleans your list before it writes the file.
- Full addresses only. Google asks for absolute URLs, such as
https://www.example.com/about/, not/about/. Paths get your domain added. - One host. A sitemap may only list pages on its own host. www.example.com and example.com count as two different hosts, so the tool leaves out the ones that do not match and tells you.
- One protocol. If your site uses https, the tool can change old http:// addresses to https://. Make sure your server redirects http to https as well.
- No #fragments. The part after # points to a spot on a page, and crawlers ignore it. The tool removes it and merges the copies.
- No duplicates. The same address twice is removed. If both
/pageand/page/show up, you get a note to keep only the version your site really uses. - Escaped characters. An address with
&in it must be written as&inside XML. The tool does this for you, as well as for quotes and angle brackets. - Valid dates. Dates must use the form YYYY-MM-DD. Wrong dates are dropped, and future dates get a warning.
Big sites: 50,000 URLs and 50 MB
One sitemap file may hold at most 50,000 URLs and 50 MB before compression. If your list is bigger, the tool splits it into sitemap-1.xml, sitemap-2.xml and so on. It also writes a sitemap index, a short file that lists all the parts. Upload every file, then submit only the index. Google reads the parts from there.
Why no changefreq or priority?
Many old generators add changefreq and priority tags to every URL. Google says it ignores both, so they only make the file bigger. This tool leaves them out.
The lastmod date is different. Google uses it when the dates are steady and match real changes on the page. If you set every page to today each time you build the file, Google learns that your dates mean nothing. Use real dates per line, or leave lastmod off.
Where to put the sitemap and how to submit it
Upload sitemap.xml to the root of your site so it opens at https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml. Then add this line anywhere in robots.txt:
Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml
If you do not have a robots.txt file yet, make one with the robots.txt generator. Next, open Google Search Console, go to Sitemaps, type the address and press Submit. After a few days the report should say "Success" and show how many URLs Google found. Bing Webmaster Tools has the same option.
Finally, run the Website SEO Checkup again. Its sitemap check looks for /sitemap.xml and for the Sitemap line in robots.txt.
Do I need this if my CMS makes a sitemap?
Often you do not. WordPress, Shopify, Wix and the Bloghints CMS build a sitemap for you and keep it up to date. Open /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml on your site to check. A hand-made file is useful for plain HTML sites, sites built by hand, or extra pages your CMS does not know about. Keep in mind that a hand-made file does not update itself. Build it again when you add or remove pages.
For a full walkthrough of each step, read our guide on how to create an XML sitemap. With a clean list, the XML sitemap generator gives you a file that search engines can read on the first try.
Frequently asked questions
Does a sitemap get my pages indexed?
No, it only helps Google find them. Google still decides which pages to index based on quality and links. A sitemap is most helpful for new pages and pages with few internal links.
Should I list every page of my site?
List only the pages you want people to find in search. Leave out pages with noindex, redirects, error pages, login pages and internal search results. Each URL should be the main version of the page, the same one in its canonical tag.
Is my URL list uploaded anywhere?
No. The sitemap is built in your browser, and your list is only saved on your own device so you can come back to it. Nothing is sent to Bloghints.