XML Sitemap Generator
Generate valid XML sitemaps from a list of URLs with priority, change frequency, and last modified dates.
About This Tool
The XML Sitemap Generator is a free browser-based tool that helps webmasters, developers, and SEO professionals create properly formatted XML sitemaps. A sitemap is a structured file that lists the URLs on your website, helping search engines like Google, Bing, and Yandex discover, crawl, and index your pages more efficiently.
The tool follows the <a href="https://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="text-primary underline"
Sitemap protocol
defined at sitemaps.org, generating valid XML output with the
correct namespace declaration. You can set per-URL attributes
including <priority>,
<changefreq>, and <lastmod>,
or apply default values across all URLs for faster configuration.
For large websites with more than 50,000 URLs, the tool automatically generates a sitemap index file that references multiple individual sitemap files, following the protocol's requirement that each sitemap file contain no more than 50,000 URLs and not exceed 50 MB in size. This ensures your sitemap remains valid regardless of how large your site grows.
All processing happens entirely in your browser. No URLs or data
are transmitted to any server, making this tool safe for internal
projects, staging environments, or any scenario where privacy is a
concern. The generated XML can be copied to clipboard or
downloaded directly as a sitemap.xml file. Special
characters in URLs such as ampersands, angle brackets, and quotes
are properly XML-escaped to produce valid output.
How to Use
- Paste your URLs into the input area, one URL per line. Each URL must start with
http://orhttps://. - Alternatively, click Import or drag-and-drop a text file containing your URLs to bulk import them.
- Set default values for priority, change frequency, and last modified date using the controls above the input area. These defaults apply to all URLs unless overridden individually.
- For fine-grained control, adjust per-URL settings in the list below the input. You can set a different priority, change frequency, or last modified date for each URL.
- Toggle the XML declaration checkbox to include or exclude the
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>header. Toggle Include lastmod to add or remove last modified dates from the output. - Click Copy to copy the generated XML to your clipboard, or click Download to save it as a
sitemap.xmlfile. Use Ctrl+Shift+C as a keyboard shortcut to copy.
FAQ
What is an XML sitemap and why do I need one?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs on your website so search engines like Google, Bing, and others can discover and crawl your pages more efficiently. It acts as a roadmap for crawlers, especially for sites with many pages, new content, or complex link structures. Having a sitemap improves the chances that all your important pages get indexed.
How many URLs can a single sitemap file contain?
According to the Sitemap protocol (sitemaps.org), a single sitemap file can contain a maximum of 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB (uncompressed). If your site has more URLs, you need to split them across multiple sitemap files and reference them from a sitemap index file. This tool automatically generates a sitemap index when you exceed 50,000 URLs.
What does the priority field mean in a sitemap?
The priority field is a hint to search engines about the relative importance of a URL compared to other URLs on your site. It ranges from 0.0 (least important) to 1.0 (most important), with 0.5 as the default. Note that priority only affects crawling within your own site -- it does not influence how your pages rank compared to pages on other sites. Google has stated they largely ignore the priority field, but other search engines may use it.
What is changefreq and does Google use it?
The changefreq (change frequency) field tells search engines how often a page is likely to change. Valid values are: always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and never. Google has publicly stated that they ignore the changefreq and priority values in sitemaps, relying instead on their own crawl scheduling algorithms. However, other search engines like Bing and Yandex may still use these hints.
Should I include the lastmod date in my sitemap?
Yes, including an accurate lastmod (last modified) date is recommended. Unlike priority and changefreq, Google does use the lastmod field to decide when to recrawl a page. However, the date must be accurate -- if you set lastmod to the current date every time you regenerate the sitemap without actually changing the page content, search engines will learn to ignore it.
Where should I place my sitemap.xml file?
The sitemap should be placed at the root of your website, typically at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. You should also reference it in your robots.txt file with a Sitemap directive (e.g., Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml). You can also submit it directly through Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools for faster discovery.
Is my data safe when using this tool?
Yes. This tool runs entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. No URLs or data are sent to any server. You can verify this by checking your browser's network tab while using the tool -- there are zero outbound requests containing your input data.
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