Free XML Sitemap Generator – Create sitemap.xml Online
Create an XML sitemap for your website with the free Dommy Tools
Sitemap Generator. Add your website URLs, generate a valid
sitemap.xml file, preview the generated XML, copy the result, or
download it ready to upload to your website.
An XML sitemap helps search engines discover important pages on your
website. It is especially useful for new websites, larger websites,
websites with many pages, and pages that may not be easily discovered
through internal links.
What Is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that contains a list of important URLs from
a website in a format that search engines can read. The sitemap
provides a structured way to tell search engines about pages that
you want them to discover and crawl.
A typical XML sitemap is saved as
sitemap.xml and is commonly placed in the root
directory of a website. For example:
https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Search engines can discover a sitemap through your website's
robots.txt file or through search engine webmaster tools such as
Google Search Console.
Free Sitemap Generator Features
Dommy Tools provides a simple way to create an XML sitemap without
manually writing XML markup. Use the generator to prepare a sitemap
from your website URLs and download the resulting sitemap.xml file.
Generate sitemap.xml
Create a structured XML sitemap from your website URLs in a few
steps.
URL Validation
Check entered URLs and avoid generating invalid sitemap entries
where supported by the tool.
XML Preview
Review the generated sitemap XML before copying or downloading
the final file.
Copy XML
Copy the generated sitemap markup directly to your clipboard for
further use.
Download sitemap.xml
Download the generated XML sitemap as a sitemap.xml file ready
for deployment.
Browser-Based Tool
Generate your sitemap directly from a modern web browser without
installing desktop sitemap software.
How to Generate an XML Sitemap
Creating a sitemap.xml file does not require you to manually write
every XML tag. Use the Dommy Tools sitemap generator to prepare the
file from your website URLs.
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Enter or paste the URLs that you want to include in your sitemap.
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Review the URLs and remove pages that should not be included.
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Configure the available sitemap options if required.
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Generate the XML sitemap.
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Review the generated sitemap.xml output.
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Copy the XML or download the sitemap.xml file.
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Upload sitemap.xml to the appropriate location on your website.
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Reference the sitemap from robots.txt and submit it through
Google Search Console when appropriate.
How to Submit sitemap.xml to Google
After generating your sitemap, upload the sitemap.xml file to your
website. A common location is:
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
You can also reference the sitemap from your robots.txt file using a
Sitemap directive.
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Google Search Console can also be used to submit the sitemap URL.
Google recommends using canonical URLs in sitemaps and notes that
accurate last-modified information can be useful when it reflects a
significant, verifiable update.
Does an XML Sitemap Help SEO?
An XML sitemap is an important technical SEO resource because it
gives search engines a structured list of URLs that you want them
to discover and crawl.
A sitemap is particularly useful for websites that are new, large,
frequently updated, or contain pages that may not be easily
discovered by following internal links.
However, a sitemap is not a shortcut to higher Google rankings.
Search rankings depend on many factors, including useful content,
relevance, technical accessibility, internal linking, external
references, page experience and overall site quality.
The purpose of a sitemap is primarily to help search engines
discover and understand the URLs that you want them to crawl.
Which URLs Should You Include in an XML Sitemap?
A sitemap should contain the important canonical URLs that you want
search engines to discover. Before adding a URL, make sure it
represents a real page that you want indexed.
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Include important canonical pages.
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Include pages that you want search engines to discover.
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Use complete absolute URLs beginning with HTTP or HTTPS.
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Avoid adding duplicate URL versions.
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Avoid adding pages that should not be indexed.
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Avoid intentionally listing redirect URLs.
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Keep sitemap URLs consistent with your preferred canonical URLs.
What Should Not Be Added to a Sitemap?
Not every URL on a website belongs in an XML sitemap. The sitemap
should represent the important pages that you want search engines to
discover and crawl.
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URLs that redirect to another page.
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URLs that return errors such as 404 pages.
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Duplicate versions of the same page.
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URLs with unnecessary tracking parameters.
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Pages that you intentionally do not want indexed.
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Non-canonical duplicate URLs.
XML Sitemap Example
A basic XML sitemap uses the sitemap protocol and contains a
<urlset> element with individual
<url> entries.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/</loc>
</url>
</urlset>
The Dommy Tools XML Sitemap Generator creates the required XML
structure automatically so that you do not have to manually write
the sitemap markup.
XML Sitemap Size and URL Limits
Standard XML sitemap files have size and URL limits. A single
sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB
uncompressed.
Large websites can split their URLs across multiple sitemap files
and use a sitemap index file to reference those individual
sitemaps.
What Is the lastmod Tag in a Sitemap?
The <lastmod> element can provide the date when a
page was last significantly modified. Accurate last-modified dates
can help search engines understand when content has changed.
You should use a real and verifiable modification date rather than
changing the date simply to make a page appear fresh. Google
specifically recommends that lastmod values reflect significant
updates that can be verified.
What Are changefreq and priority?
Older sitemap implementations commonly include
<changefreq> and
<priority> values. These fields may still appear
in sitemap generators because they are part of commonly used sitemap
formats.
However, Google currently ignores both
<changefreq> and
<priority>. They should therefore not be treated
as direct Google ranking or crawling controls.
Accurate URL selection and reliable last-modified information are
more useful considerations when creating a sitemap for modern
search engines.
Sitemap.xml vs robots.txt
Sitemap.xml and robots.txt serve different purposes. A sitemap
provides search engines with a list of URLs that you want them to
discover, while robots.txt provides crawler access instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions About XML Sitemaps
What is an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a structured file containing important URLs
from a website. It helps search engines discover pages that you
want them to crawl.
How do I create a sitemap.xml file?
Enter or paste your website URLs into the Dommy Tools Sitemap
Generator, generate the XML, review the result, and copy or
download the resulting sitemap.xml file.
Is this sitemap generator free?
Yes. Dommy Tools provides a free online XML sitemap generator for
creating sitemap.xml files.
Can I use this sitemap generator for Google?
Yes. You can generate a standard XML sitemap and then make the
sitemap available on your website and submit its URL through
Google Search Console.
Where should I put sitemap.xml?
A common location is the root of your website, for example
https://example.com/sitemap.xml. You can also reference the
sitemap from your robots.txt file.
Does an XML sitemap improve Google rankings?
A sitemap does not directly guarantee higher rankings. It helps
search engines discover URLs, while ranking depends on many other
factors such as content quality, relevance, technical SEO,
internal links and website authority.
How many URLs can one XML sitemap contain?
A standard XML sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not
exceed 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites can use multiple sitemap
files with a sitemap index.
What is the difference between sitemap.xml and robots.txt?
Sitemap.xml lists important URLs that search engines can discover,
while robots.txt provides crawler access instructions and can
contain the location of your sitemap.
More SEO Tools from Dommy Tools
Use the Dommy Tools SEO tools to check and improve important
technical aspects of your website.
Create Your XML Sitemap Online
Generate a clean sitemap.xml file for your website with Dommy
Tools. Add your URLs, generate the XML, review the output and
download the sitemap ready for your website.