How to create xml sitemap

SeoHow-ToBeginner · 4 min read

How to Create an XML Sitemap for SEO: Simple Guide

To create an XML sitemap, write an XML file listing your website URLs inside <urlset> tags, each URL wrapped in <url> with child tags like <loc> for the link. This file helps search engines find and index your pages efficiently.

📐

Syntax

An XML sitemap uses the <urlset> root element with a namespace attribute. Each URL is inside a <url> tag containing:

<loc>: The full URL of the page.
<lastmod>: Optional, last modified date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
<changefreq>: Optional, how often the page changes (e.g., daily, weekly).
<priority>: Optional, priority of the page from 0.0 to 1.0.

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-06-01</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

💻

Example

This example shows a complete XML sitemap with three URLs, including optional tags for last modification date, change frequency, and priority. It helps search engines understand your site structure and update frequency.

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-06-01</lastmod>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/about</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-05-20</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/contact</loc>
    <priority>0.5</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

Output

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"> <url> <loc>https://www.example.com/</loc> <lastmod>2024-06-01</lastmod> <changefreq>daily</changefreq> <priority>1.0</priority> </url> <url> <loc>https://www.example.com/about</loc> <lastmod>2024-05-20</lastmod> <changefreq>monthly</changefreq> <priority>0.8</priority> </url> <url> <loc>https://www.example.com/contact</loc> <priority>0.5</priority> </url> </urlset>

⚠️

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating XML sitemaps include:

Using incorrect XML syntax or missing the XML declaration.
Not including the required xmlns namespace in <urlset>.
Using relative URLs instead of full absolute URLs in <loc>.
Ignoring the sitemap size limit: max 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed.
Not updating <lastmod> when pages change.

Always validate your sitemap with online tools or Google Search Console.

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- Wrong: missing xmlns and relative URL -->
<urlset>
  <url>
    <loc>/home</loc>
  </url>
</urlset>

<!-- Correct: includes xmlns and full URL -->
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.example.com/home</loc>
  </url>
</urlset>

📊

Quick Reference

Tips for creating effective XML sitemaps:

Always use full URLs starting with https://.
Keep your sitemap updated with recent changes.
Limit sitemap size to 50,000 URLs or split into multiple sitemaps.
Submit your sitemap URL (e.g., https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml) to Google Search Console.
Use online validators to check for errors before publishing.

✅

Key Takeaways

Create an XML sitemap using and tags with full URLs inside tags.

Include optional tags like , , and to help search engines.

Always use absolute URLs and include the required namespace in .

Keep your sitemap under 50,000 URLs or split it to multiple files.

Validate your sitemap and submit it to search engines for better indexing.