XML Sitemap Generator

Free XML Sitemap Generator — crawl your site and create a sitemap.xml

The XML Sitemap Generator is a free sitemap generator that crawls your website and builds a ready-to-submit sitemap.xml file for you. Enter your homepage address and the tool performs a bounded, same-host crawl starting from that URL, collects the pages that return an HTTP 200 response, and produces valid XML in the official sitemaps.org format. There is nothing to install and no signup — just paste your URL, let it generate the sitemap, and copy the result. Every URL listed was genuinely discovered during the crawl, so the file reflects your real, reachable pages rather than an invented guess.

What is an XML sitemap and why do search engines use it?

An XML sitemap is a structured file that lists the important URLs on your website so search engines can find and understand them. Instead of relying solely on following links from page to page, Google and Bing can read your sitemap.xml to learn which URLs you consider worth crawling. This is especially helpful for new sites with few inbound links, large sites where some pages are buried deep in the navigation, and pages that are not well connected internally. A sitemap does not guarantee indexing, but it makes discovery faster and more reliable, which is why submitting one is a standard first step in technical SEO.

Sitemaps do not replace good internal linking

A sitemap is a discovery aid, not a substitute for a clear site structure. Search engines still weigh how pages link to one another, so treat your website sitemap as a complement to solid internal navigation rather than a fix for orphaned pages.

How the XML Sitemap Generator works

Creating your sitemap takes three simple steps:

1. Enter your URL. Paste your homepage or any starting page into the box above and start the crawl.
2. We crawl same-host pages. The tool follows internal links on the same domain, requests each page, and keeps the ones that return a 200 status — broken and redirected URLs are left out.
3. Copy the generated XML. You get valid sitemaps.org XML you can copy straight into a sitemap.xml file. Only pages we actually reached are included.

How to add a sitemap to your website

Once you have used the tool to create an XML sitemap, publishing it takes three quick actions:

1. Save it as sitemap.xml at your site root

Paste the generated XML into a plain text file named sitemap.xml and upload it to the root directory of your site so it loads at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Keeping it at the root is the convention search engines expect.

2. Reference it in robots.txt

Add a single line to your robots.txt file: Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. This helps every crawler find your sitemap automatically. You can confirm your rules are valid with our free Robots.txt Tester.

3. Submit the sitemap to Google

In Google Search Console, open the Sitemaps report, enter the sitemap path, and click Submit. Google will fetch it and report how many URLs it found. To check whether those pages are actually making it into search, use our Google Index Checker.

XML sitemap best practices

A clean, trustworthy sitemap follows a few well-established rules:

• List only canonical, indexable URLs. Include the master version of each page and leave out anything set to noindex, blocked in robots.txt, or redirected elsewhere.
• Only include pages that return 200. A sitemap full of broken or redirecting links wastes crawl budget and erodes trust — this tool filters those out automatically.
• Keep it current. Regenerate and re-submit your sitemap when you add, remove, or restructure pages so search engines always see an accurate map.
• Respect the size limits. A single sitemap file may hold up to 50,000 URLs and must stay under 50MB uncompressed. Larger sites split into multiple files referenced by a sitemap index.
• Use absolute URLs. Every entry should be a full, canonical address including the protocol and domain.

A note on crawl size for large websites

To keep results fast and to be polite to your server, this XML sitemap generator uses a bounded crawl that stops after roughly 30 pages on the same host. For small and medium sites that is usually enough to map the pages that matter. On a very large website the crawl will only be partial, and the tool tells you when it has hit that limit, so you are never left thinking a 200-page store was fully covered by 30 URLs. In that case, treat the output as a representative starting sample, or generate a complete sitemap directly from your CMS, e-commerce platform, or a dedicated plugin that can enumerate every URL you publish.

Common sitemap mistakes to avoid

• Including noindex, redirected, or 404 URLs that should never be in a sitemap.
• Listing non-canonical duplicates alongside the canonical version, sending mixed signals.
• Forgetting to update sitemap.xml after a site redesign or URL change.
• Placing the file somewhere other than the root and never adding the Sitemap: line to robots.txt.
• Assuming a sitemap forces indexing — it aids discovery, but content quality and crawlability still decide the outcome.
• Letting a single file exceed 50,000 URLs or 50MB instead of splitting into a sitemap index.

Ready to publish? Use this free sitemap generator to generate your sitemap, save it as sitemap.xml, add the Sitemap: line to robots.txt, and submit your sitemap to Google. Then confirm your rules with the Robots.txt Tester and verify coverage with the Google Index Checker.

Frequently asked questions

What is an XML sitemap generator?

An XML sitemap generator is a free SEO tool that crawls your website and builds a machine-readable list of your pages that search engines can use to discover your content. You enter your homepage URL, the tool visits the pages it can reach on the same site, keeps the ones that return HTTP 200, and produces a ready-to-submit sitemap.xml file in the standard sitemaps.org format. Every URL in the output was actually crawled — none are invented or padded.

How do I create an XML sitemap for my website?

To create an XML sitemap, enter your website address in the box above and let the tool crawl your site. It follows internal links from your starting URL, collects the pages that respond with a 200 status, and generates valid XML you can copy. Save that XML as sitemap.xml, upload it to the root of your site, and submit it in Google Search Console. No coding or plugins are required.

Where do I put the sitemap.xml file?

Place sitemap.xml in the root directory of your website so it is reachable at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Then add a line reading "Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml" to your robots.txt file, and submit the same URL in Google Search Console. Both Google and Bing look for a sitemap at the root by convention, so keeping it there is the safest choice.

How do I submit my sitemap to Google?

Sign in to Google Search Console, select your property, open the Sitemaps report, enter the path to your file (for example sitemap.xml), and click Submit. Google will fetch it, report how many URLs it found, and flag any errors. You only need to submit once — Google re-reads the sitemap periodically, so just keep the file up to date as your pages change.

Does this sitemap generator crawl my entire site?

For speed and to stay polite to your server, the crawl is bounded and stops after about 30 pages on the same host. That is plenty for small and medium sites, but a very large website will only be partially mapped, and the tool tells you when that happens. Use the generated file as a starting point, or for large sites generate a sitemap directly from your CMS or platform, which can list every URL.