XML Sitemaps: What They Do and How to Submit One

Illustration introducing XML sitemaps for search engines

Quick answer: An XML sitemap is a file that lists canonical URLs you want search engines to discover. It can help with URL discovery, but submitting one does not guarantee that pages will be crawled, indexed, or rank higher.

What is an XML sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a machine-readable list of URLs for a website. It is useful for helping search engines discover important pages, especially when some pages are new or are not easy to reach through the site's links. Keep your internal links clear as well; a sitemap is a complement to normal navigation and crawling.

A visual sitemap is a planning diagram for people designing a site's structure. An XML sitemap is a separate file intended for crawlers.

What a sitemap can help with

  • Discoverability: A sitemap can point crawlers to canonical URLs that might otherwise take longer to find through links.
  • Change information: The optional <lastmod> value can describe a page's latest significant update. Keep it accurate; do not set it to today's date just to look fresh.
  • Diagnostics: Search Console can report whether a submitted sitemap was read and flag parsing issues.

Sitemaps do not guarantee crawling or indexing. Google ignores the <priority> and <changefreq> values, so leave them out unless another system specifically uses them.

Create a sitemap

Include absolute URLs that are canonical and available to search engines. Exclude URLs that redirect, return errors, or are blocked from indexing. For a small site, a sitemap can be written manually; for larger or frequently updated sites, generate it from the site's content system or build process.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/guide.html</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-10-01</lastmod>
  </url>
</urlset>

Use the actual date of a meaningful page update for <lastmod>, and use your site's real canonical URL in place of the example domain.

  • Choose the canonical URLs you want available in search results.
  • Use a generator maintained by your CMS, framework, or site build process when possible.
  • Keep the file UTF-8 encoded and publish it at a stable, crawlable URL, commonly the site root.
  • Check that every listed URL uses the right hostname and protocol and returns the intended page.

Submit and check a sitemap

In Google Search Console, select the verified site property and open the Sitemaps report. Enter the sitemap URL and submit it. The report shows submission history and any errors Google encountered when reading the file.

  • Publish the sitemap at a URL such as https://example.com/sitemap.xml.
  • Open the matching verified property in Google Search Console and select the Sitemaps report.
  • Submit the sitemap URL, then review the report later for reading or parsing errors.

Submitting a sitemap is a hint, not a guarantee that Google will fetch it or index every URL. Processing time varies. Keep important pages reachable through internal links and use the report to diagnose sitemap errors.

XML sitemap questions

Does submitting a sitemap guarantee indexing?

No. Submission helps Google discover and read the sitemap, but it does not guarantee that Google will crawl or index its URLs.

Which URLs belong in an XML sitemap?

List the canonical, indexable URLs you want search engines to discover. Avoid including redirecting URLs, error pages, and duplicate versions that point to another canonical URL.

Do I need to add priority and change frequency values?

No for Google Search. Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq>; an accurate <lastmod> can be useful when it reflects a significant page update.

Read Google's current sitemap creation guidance and Search Console Sitemaps report instructions for details.