Short answer: An XML sitemap is a file that lists the pages and files of your site you think are important, with details such as when each page last changed. Google reads it to crawl your site more efficiently. It doesn’t guarantee that every URL in it gets crawled or indexed.
The tags in a sitemap
| Tag | What it holds | What Google does with it |
|---|---|---|
| loc | The full address of the page; required | Tries to crawl the URL exactly as listed |
| lastmod | When the page last changed in a significant way | Uses it if it is consistently and verifiably accurate |
| changefreq | How often the page is likely to change | Ignores it |
| priority | How important the page is compared with your other pages | Ignores it |
A basic sitemap is a list of url entries, each with its loc and, if you want, a lastmod date. Google says the order of the URLs doesn’t matter.
From Google Search Central, “Build and submit a sitemap”, and the sitemaps.org protocol, read November 2, 2026.
Do you need a sitemap?
If your pages are linked well, Google can usually find most of them without one. Google says a sitemap helps most on a large site, a new site with few links from other sites, or a site with a lot of video, images or news.
A site with about 500 pages or fewer, all reachable from the home page, might not need one.
The limits and rules
One sitemap can hold up to 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed. A bigger site splits its list into several sitemaps and can list them all in one sitemap index, which you can submit as a single file.
The file must be UTF-8. Every address must be complete, such as https://www.example.com/mypage.html, not /mypage.html. List the canonical URL of each page, the one you want in Google’s results, instead of every address that leads to the same content.
How Google finds your sitemap
You can submit it in the Sitemaps report of Search Console, which shows when Googlebot last read it and any errors. You can also add a Sitemap line to your robots.txt file, and Google finds it the next time it reads that file.
The report gives each sitemap a status: Success, Has errors or Couldn’t fetch. Google calls a submitted sitemap a hint, so it may still not download it or use it to crawl.
From Search Console Help, “Manage your sitemaps using the Sitemaps report”.
How to create and submit your sitemap
- Check whether your site already publishes a sitemap, as WordPress, Wix and Blogger usually do.
- Open it in a browser and confirm it lists the pages you want on Google, with full addresses.
- Leave out duplicates: list one canonical URL for each page.
- Split it if it passes 50,000 URLs or 50MB, and list the parts in a sitemap index.
- Add a Sitemap line with its full address to your robots.txt file.
- In Search Console, paste its address into Add a new sitemap in the Sitemaps report and click Submit.
- Check that the status says Success, and open the row to read the errors if it doesn’t.
Our guide to getting your website on Google shows how to add your site to Search Console first.
What our own sitemap shows
Our sitemap index lists two sitemaps: one with 218 page addresses and 14 images, and one with 32 blog posts. Our robots.txt file points to the index.
The date of the page sitemap changed at 10:48 PM on November 2, the minute we published a new guide. Search Console last read our index at 10:29 PM that night, with 0 errors and 0 warnings.
Before you submit your sitemap
- Every address is complete, with https:// and your domain.
- Only pages you want on Google are listed.
- No sitemap passes 50,000 URLs or 50MB.
- The file is UTF-8.
- Your robots.txt file points to it.
- The Sitemaps report shows Success.
RememberA sitemap helps Google discover your pages, but by itself it doesn’t get them indexed. Keep it to canonical, complete addresses, point robots.txt to it and check its status in Search Console.
If you want us to check how Google finds and reads your site, see our technical SEO service.
Quick answers about XML sitemaps
Does a sitemap get my pages indexed?
Not by itself. Google says a sitemap helps search engines discover the URLs on your site, but it doesn’t guarantee that every item in it gets crawled and indexed. Submitting one is a hint, not a request Google must follow.
Does a small website need a sitemap?
Maybe not. Google says you might not need one if your site has about 500 pages or fewer and links from the home page reach every important page. It adds that in most cases a site benefits from having one.
Does Google use priority and changefreq?
No. Google ignores the priority and changefreq values. It uses lastmod only when the date is consistently and verifiably accurate, for example when it matches the last real change to the page.
Can I list my sitemap in robots.txt instead?
Yes. Add a Sitemap line with its full address anywhere in robots.txt, and Google finds it the next time it reads that file. There is no limit to how many Sitemap lines you include.
Why isn’t my sitemap in the Sitemaps report?
The report shows only sitemaps submitted through it or through the Search Console API. A sitemap Google found through robots.txt doesn’t appear there, but you can still submit it in the report.
Sources
Read on November 2, 2026. Google Search Central: Learn about sitemaps and Build and submit a sitemap. Search Console Help: Manage your sitemaps using the Sitemaps report. Sitemaps.org: Sitemaps XML format. Our own case: our sitemap index and Search Console, on November 2, 2026.