Sitemap Examples: What a Sitemap Looks Like and How to Make One

An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl, each in a <url> entry with a <loc> address and an optional <lastmod> date. You create it with a CMS or plugin, host it on your site, and submit it in Search Console.

A sitemap helps Google find pages but does not guarantee crawling or indexing. This page covers XML, HTML and visual sitemaps, how to make and submit each, and which tags Google ignores.

What Is A Sitemap?

A sitemap is a document that outlines the critical pages, videos, images, and other content available on your website and their connections to each other. Sitemaps act as a roadmap for search engines by assisting Google’s bots in locating, crawling, and indexing your site in an orderly manner.

Sitemaps help Google discover URLs and see which pages you consider important. They help most on new sites with few external links and on large sites where some pages may not be linked from elsewhere. Google says a sitemap does not guarantee that every listed URL will be crawled or indexed.

Types of Sitemaps

There are three types: XML sitemaps for search engines, HTML sitemaps for visitors, and visual sitemaps for planning a site’s structure.

XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl, in the format defined at sitemaps.org. Each entry has a <loc> (the full URL) and can include a <lastmod> date. Google ignores <priority> and <changefreq>, and uses <lastmod> only if it is consistently and verifiably accurate.

A single sitemap can hold up to 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed. Larger sites split their URLs across several sitemaps and list them in a sitemap index file, which can be submitted to Search Console as one file.

RSS and Atom feeds: Google accepts RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 feeds as sitemaps. A feed usually lists only recent URLs, so it works best as an addition to a full XML sitemap.

News sitemap: an extension for news publishers that can include each article’s title and publication date.

Image and video sitemaps: extensions that describe media on a page, such as an image’s location or a video’s running time and rating.

A sitemap helps Google find pages, including pages with few or no internal links. It does not guarantee crawling, indexing or ranking.

HTML Sitemap

HTML sitemaps, as opposed to XML sitemaps, focus more on the audience. An HTML sitemap is presented as a simple webpage containing important pages of a website categorized hierarchically for easy access. This simplifies specific page searches for visitors without navigating through countless sections.

An HTML sitemap is an ordinary web page, often linked from the footer, that lists a site’s main pages in a hierarchy so visitors can find them quickly.

Visual Sitemap

A visual sitemap is a graphical representation of a webpage that illustrates its hierarchical structure and the interrelations of its components. This is particularly important for designers and developers during a website’s planning and designing phase. Using this type of sitemap, they can better understand the website’s structure and thus create a workable site by linking various pages whilst also being able to foresee navigation difficulties.

A visual sitemap is a diagram, not a file for search engines. Designers use it with wireframes to plan structure before pages are built.

Creating an XML Sitemap

There are multiple ways to generate an XML sitemap. The best method depends on the platform your website is built on and your technical expertise.

1. Using a CMS Plugin (Recommended for WordPress Users)

If your website runs on WordPress, you can generate an XML sitemap effortlessly using SEO plugins. One of the most popular plugins for this purpose is Yoast SEO.

Using Yoast SEO Plugin to Create an XML Sitemap

1. Install the Plugin:
   • Go to your WordPress dashboard.
   • Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
   • Search for “Yoast SEO” and click Install Now.
   • Activate the plugin.
2. Enable the Sitemap Feature:
   • Open the Yoast SEO settings and look for the XML sitemaps option (menu names vary by version).
   • Check that it is switched on.
   • If it is off, switch it on.
   • Click Save Changes.
3. Access Your Sitemap:
   • Once enabled, your sitemap will be available at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.

WordPress 5.5 and later also creates a basic sitemap index at /wp-sitemap.xml by default. Other plugins that generate sitemaps include Rank Math SEO and All in One SEO Pack.

2. Using Online Sitemap Generators (For Non-WordPress Websites)

If you don’t use a CMS or prefer an external tool, online sitemap generators can help.

Steps to Generate a Sitemap Using XML-Sitemaps.com

1. Visit XML-Sitemaps.com.
2. Enter your website’s URL.
3. Configure optional settings if you want them. Google ignores page priority and update frequency.
4. Click on Start to generate the sitemap.
5. Download the sitemap.xml file.
6. Upload it to your website’s root directory (https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).

3. Using Website Crawling Software (For Large Websites)

For websites with hundreds or thousands of pages, using a desktop-based website crawler can be beneficial.

Using Screaming Frog SEO Spider

1. Download and install Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
2. Open the software and enter your website URL.
3. Click Start to begin crawling your site.
4. After the crawl is complete, go to Sitemaps > XML Sitemap.
5. Configure any additional settings, such as excluding unnecessary pages.
6. Click Next and save the sitemap.xml file.
7. Upload the file to your website’s root directory.

4. Manually Creating an XML Sitemap

If you have technical expertise, you can create an XML sitemap manually. This method provides full control over what gets indexed but requires precision.

Steps to Manually Create an XML Sitemap

1. List Your Website’s Important URLs:
   • Identify which pages should be included in the sitemap.
   • Avoid duplicate content or low-value pages.
2. Create the XML File:
   • Open a text editor like Notepad or VS Code.
   • Use this structure: a <urlset> wrapper with one <url> per page, each with a <loc> and an optional <lastmod>.

1. Save the File:
   • Save the document as sitemap.xml.
2. Upload the Sitemap:
   • Use an FTP client (like FileZilla) to upload sitemap.xml to the root directory of your website.
3. Submit to Search Engines:
   • Go to Google Search Console.
   • Navigate to Sitemaps and enter your sitemap URL (https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
   • Click Submit.

Creating an HTML Sitemap

An HTML sitemap is for people. It lists your important pages in a tree-like structure so visitors can find them quickly. Your XML sitemap is for search engines.

1. Using CMS or Plugins to Generate Automated HTML Sitemaps

If you own a WordPress site, one of the easiest ways to create a sitemap is to use plugins. Simple HTML Sitemap Generator Plugin will do the work easily. These applications save you the stress of constantly monitoring the updates and changes made on your website.

WordPress Plugins

Simple Sitemap Plugin: One of these plugins is the Simple Sitemap Plugin. This is a free plugin designed for WordPress users that enables them to effortlessly create HTML sitemaps for WordPress-powered websites. The best part is that the plugin will update the site maps on its own when you make changes to the pages.

All in One SEO: One of the other popular WordPress plugins, All in One SEO, performs SEO functions and has a feature that creates HTML sitemaps. This plugin allows you to generate sitemaps for your site, and it auto-updates every time new content is added.

2. Creating an HTML Sitemap From Scratch

If you have a particular design for your HTML sitemap in mind or happen to run a small site, you can create it from scratch. While more labor-intensive, this approach allows you to design your sitemap however you feel best.

Steps for Creating an HTML Sitemap From Scratch:

Create a New HTML Page: Start by creating a new page in HTML format and saving it as a new file. For example, you can save it as ‘sitemap.html’ and upload it to your website’s folder.

Catalog All Your Pages: At the center of the sitemap is a compiled list of all hyperlinks for the respective pages of your site. This entails not just the general pages but also the sub-pages, category pages, blog posts, and any other material you want readily available. Each page can be linked using the [<a>](HTML) tag.

Arrange the Links: The links on the sitemap should be organized clearly and logically so that they are easy to navigate. You could use headings and lists to define different categories of pages. For example, all the product pages could be grouped under a “Products” heading, all blog posts under a “Blog” heading, etc.

Include Supplementary Information: Add further information, such as short descriptions of the page, so that the user has a better understanding of what they are about to click.

Design Your Sitemap: Use CSS to make the sitemap appealing to the eye. Focus on a clean, simple design that is easy to read and accessible, keeping in mind the primary goal of convenience.

Make Changes As Necessary: When adding or deleting pages, remember to refresh and modify the sitemap. This will allow users to always access the most up-to-date links.

3. Implementing Website Crawlers For Generating HTML Sitemap

Doing so manually can be daunting if your website is drawn on the larger side. In that case, it is better to leave it to website crawlers. These crawlers can automatically scan your website, identify all pages, and build the site map accordingly.

How Website Crawlers Functions:

Website crawlers are tools or software that crawl through your website’s public pages, much like search engines such as Google crawl websites. These tools and programs will then generate an HTML site map listing all the pages they can gather.

Slickplan: Another example of a tool that helps generate HTML sitemaps is Slickplan. When they crawl your website, they gather all the page links with the option to export the data in other formats like HTML, PDF, and PNG. You can customize the layout and add or remove pages, which is helpful for bigger websites with more complex structures.

Web crawlers help save immense amounts of time, especially on websites that host hundreds to thousands of pages.

4. Recommendations for Arranging an HTML Sitemap

While each approach differs, the organization of your HTML sitemap is essential for usability. A good sitemap follows these guidelines:

Definite Categories: Related pages should be combined so that users can quickly locate them. For instance, product pages can be put together in a “Products” section, while posts can go under “Blog.”

Ability to Search: If the site has many pages, consider including a search option within the sitemap so the user can quickly retrieve pertinent information.

Simple Layout: Accommodating the sitemap is important, but overloading the page with useless information and unnecessary details should also be avoided.

Creating a Visual Sitemap

A visual sitemap is an invaluable tool for planning the structure of your website, ensuring its layout is clear, logical, and user-friendly. Unlike a traditional text-based sitemap, a visual sitemap visually represents your website’s pages and their interconnections, helping both technical and non-technical teams understand the site’s architecture. In this guide, we will walk through creating a visual sitemap, from initial planning to using online tools.

1. Plan Your Website’s Structure

The first step in creating a visual sitemap is planning the structure of your website. Before you begin, you must clearly understand the pages and sections your site will need. These can include main pages like the homepage, about us, services, contact, and blog and subpages such as service details, blog categories, and product pages.

• Define Key Pages: Start by identifying the key pages of your website. These might include the homepage, about us, product or service pages, and contact page.
• Organize Content: Break your site’s content into sections and categories. For instance, under a “Services” section, you might have pages dedicated to individual services. Consider the flow of information and how users will move from one page to another.
• Establish a Hierarchy: Determine the hierarchy of your pages. The homepage will likely sit at the top, with other pages below. Group similar pages under main headings or categories to keep the structure logical and easy to follow.

2. Choose Your Tool

Once you have a rough idea of your site’s structure, choose a tool to create your visual sitemap. Various tools are available, from free online generators to sophisticated design software. The goal is to select a tool that allows you to map out your pages clearly and intuitively.

• Online Tools: Platforms like Slickplan and MindMeister offer easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interfaces for creating visual sitemaps. These tools allow you to design your site layout by clicking and dragging different elements, making it a quick process to map your pages and their relationships.
• Manual Tools: If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can start by sketching your sitemap on paper or using a whiteboard to brainstorm. This can be especially helpful for smaller sites or when figuring out the structure.

3. Create the Sitemap

You can begin building the visual sitemap with your planning and the tool chosen. The process is relatively straightforward if you’re using a visual sitemap generator.

• Add Pages: Start by creating a node or box for your homepage, the starting point of your website. Add branches for each key page identified during your planning phase. As you progress, keep adding subpages beneath the main pages to which they belong.
• Use Labels and Colors: Label each node with a short title that reflects the content of the page (e.g., “Contact Us,” “Blog,” “Products”). If the tool allows, use colors or shapes to distinguish between categories or page types. For example, you might use blue boxes for primary and green for blog pages.
• Link Pages: Connect the pages using arrows or lines to show the navigation flow. The lines should indicate the relationship between pages, showing how users will move through the site. Keep the connections simple and straightforward to avoid clutter.
• Add Details: In some cases, you should include additional details in your visual sitemap. For example, if your website has dynamic content like blog categories or product listings, you could note the types of content each page will contain. Some tools allow you to add notes to each page for further clarification.

4. Review and Refine

Once you’ve built your initial visual sitemap, take a step back and review it. Does it make sense? Is the structure logical? View it from a user’s perspective and consider how easily they can navigate the site.

• Look for Redundancies: Ensure there are no duplicate pages or unnecessary repetitions. If you find pages that serve the same purpose, consider merging them.
• Check the Navigation Flow: Make sure the navigation flow is straightforward. Are there any dead ends or confusing paths where users might get lost? If so, reorganize the structure to ensure smooth transitions.
• Seek Feedback: It can be helpful to get input from others, primarily if they represent the target audience. Share the visual sitemap with team members or stakeholders and ask for their feedback. They might spot issues you missed or suggest improvements.

5. Export or Share

After finalizing your visual sitemap, you can share it with others or export it for reference. Most online sitemap generators, like Slickplan, offer export options such as PDF, PNG, or XML files, which can be saved and shared easily. This is particularly useful for collaborating with developers, designers, and content teams.

If you’re working with a larger team, sharing your visual sitemap online can help keep everyone on the same page during development. You can adjust quickly and ensure everyone is aligned with the site structure.

Before you submit: run the Website SEO Audit to check that your sitemap loads and your key pages are reachable.

How To Submit A Sitemap to Google?

Submitting a sitemap to Google is essential for helping search engines crawl and index your website’s pages. A sitemap acts as a roadmap, guiding Googlebot to discover and understand the structure of your site. However, it’s important to remember that submitting a sitemap is only a suggestion to Google. It doesn’t guarantee that Google will crawl or index all the URLs listed.

1. Submit a Sitemap Using Google Search Console

The most straightforward way to submit a sitemap is through the Google Search Console (GSC). The Search Console provides a tool called the Sitemaps report, where you can easily upload your sitemap and monitor its status.

Steps to Submit a Sitemap via Search Console:

1. Sign In to Google Search Console: Go to the Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account. You must add and verify your website in the Search Console if you haven’t already done so.
2. Select Your Website Property: After signing in, select the website property for which you want to submit the sitemap. This will take you to the site’s main dashboard.
3. Navigate to the Sitemaps Section: On the left side menu, click “Sitemaps” under the Index section. This will open the Sitemaps report.
4. Enter the Sitemap URL: In the “Add a new sitemap” field, enter the full URL of your sitemap. For example, if your sitemap is located at https://example.com/sitemap.xml, you would type that URL into the box.
5. Submit Your Sitemap: Click the Submit button. Google will attempt to crawl your sitemap and start processing the URLs listed.
6. Monitor Status: After submission, Google Search Console will show you the sitemap’s status. You can check when Googlebot last accessed your sitemap and review any potential processing errors. If there are issues, the Search Console will provide details on what went wrong so you can fix them.

The Sitemaps report in Search Console shows when Googlebot last read the sitemap and any processing errors.

2. Use the Search Console API to Programmatically Submit a Sitemap

If you have a large website or manage multiple sites, submitting sitemaps manually via the Search Console can be time-consuming. In such cases, using the Search Console API to submit sitemaps programmatically can save much effort. This method allows you to automate the submission process, which is particularly useful for sites updating content frequently.

• To submit a sitemap programmatically, you would need to interact with Google’s Search Console API, which provides a way to manage and submit sitemaps automatically. Developers can integrate the API into their workflows, allowing them to submit updates to sitemaps regularly.

3. Add the Sitemap URL in the robots.txt File

Another way to make your sitemap available to Google is by including the sitemap’s URL in your website’s robots.txt file. This is a simple method that can effectively ensure that Googlebot finds your sitemap when crawling the site.

Steps to Add Sitemap to robots.txt:

1. Locate the robots.txt File: The robots.txt file is usually located in the root directory of your website (e.g., https://example.com/robots.txt).
2. Add Sitemap Directive: Open your robots.txt file and add the following line:

3. Replace https://example.com/my_sitemap.xml with the actual URL of your sitemap. This tells Googlebot where to find your sitemap on the site.
4. Upload and Test: Once you’ve added the line, upload the updated robots.txt file to your server. Googlebot will then crawl the robots.txt file the next time it visits your site and discover the sitemap automatically.

4. Use WebSub to Broadcast Sitemap Changes

If you use Atom or RSS feeds, Google’s documentation says you can use WebSub to broadcast changes to search engines, including Google.

WebSub is an open notification protocol for feeds. It is optional, and most sites can rely on submitting the sitemap in Search Console or listing it in robots.txt.

Is A Sitemap Essential For SEO? Why?

A sitemap is not required. Google says that if your pages are properly linked, it can usually discover most of your site, but a sitemap can improve crawling of larger or more complex sites and of video and image files. It does not guarantee that every listed URL is crawled or indexed.

Helps Users Crawl and Index Content Easily

On a large site it is harder to make sure every page is linked from another page, so a sitemap helps Google find pages it might otherwise miss.

Boosts The Visibility of the Site

List the canonical URLs you want to appear in search results. Google generally shows canonical URLs, and sitemaps are one way to influence which URL it treats as canonical.

Aids in Content Prioritization

Google ignores the <priority> and <changefreq> values, so they cannot make Google crawl a page first. It uses <lastmod> when that value is consistently and verifiably accurate.

Aid Multilingual and Multinational Websites

A sitemap can list alternate language versions of a page, which helps Google understand which version belongs to which audience.

Improves User Experience

A separate HTML sitemap page is a usability aid that helps visitors find pages on large sites.

Facilitates New Content Discovery

A sitemap helps Google discover new pages on large sites and on sites with few external links. Use the Sitemaps report in Search Console to see processing errors.

Clean up the list: the Redirect Checker and Broken Link Checker help you find redirected or dead URLs that should not be in a sitemap.

SEO Best Practices For Sitemap

Follow these rules, based on Google’s sitemap documentation and the sitemaps.org protocol.

1. Prioritize Important Pages

Include the canonical URLs you want to see in Google’s search results, and leave out noindex, duplicate and redirected URLs. Use fully qualified, absolute URLs such as https://www.example.com/page.html, because Google crawls URLs exactly as listed.

• Focus on Quality: Include only high-quality pages with original content that adds value for your users.
• Organize by Relevance: If your site has much content, consider categorizing pages into sections such as blogs, products, or services to make the sitemap more organized and more manageable for search engines to process.

2. Regularly Update Your Sitemap

Update the sitemap when pages are added or removed. Set <lastmod> to the date of the last significant change to the main content, structured data or links, not to a change such as a new copyright year.

• New Pages: Whenever you add new content, make sure it is added to your sitemap so that Google can crawl it.
• Removed Pages: If a page is removed, ensure it’s excluded from the sitemap. This will prevent search engines from wasting resources on crawling non-existent pages.
• Revised Content: If the content is updated or significantly changed, update its <lastmod> date in the sitemap. Do not change the URL.

3. Use a Sitemap Generator Tool

Creating a sitemap can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially as your site grows. To simplify the process, you can use sitemap generation tools that automatically generate and maintain your sitemap. These tools also ensure that your sitemap is formatted correctly and follows best practices.

• Google XML Sitemaps Plugin: If you’re using WordPress, this plugin can automatically generate a sitemap that updates whenever you add new content.
• Slickplan or Screaming Frog: For non-WordPress websites or more complex structures, tools like Slickplan or Screaming Frog can help generate and manage sitemaps, even for large sites with thousands of pages.

Check what is indexed: the Google Index Checker shows whether a URL from your sitemap is in Google’s index.

4. Avoid Including ‘Noindex’ Pages

If your website contains pages marked as ‘noindex’ (for instance, pages you don’t want search engines to index), these pages should be excluded from your sitemap. Including such pages in your sitemap sends a conflicting message to search engines, as they are meant to be excluded from indexing but are listed as part of your site’s structure.

• Review Your Content: Regularly check your pages to ensure no ‘noindex’ pages are included in your sitemap.
• Robots.txt File: Do not block a noindex page in robots.txt. Google must be able to crawl the page to see its noindex rule.

Conclusion

A sitemap is a hint, not a guarantee. Keep it accurate, list only the URLs you want indexed, and check the Sitemaps report in Search Console for errors.

FAQs

What should a sitemap look like?

An XML sitemap starts with a urlset element, then lists one url element per page. Each url has a loc with the full address and optionally a lastmod date. The file is UTF-8, uses absolute URLs, and holds at most 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed.

How do I create a sitemap for my website?

Check your CMS first: WordPress 5.5 and later creates one at /wp-sitemap.xml, and SEO plugins generate their own. Otherwise use a crawler or generator, or write the XML by hand. Save it as sitemap.xml at your site root, then submit it in Search Console.

How do I submit a sitemap to Google?

Open Search Console, choose your property, go to Sitemaps, enter the sitemap URL and submit. You can also add a Sitemap line to robots.txt or use the Search Console API. Google says submitting is a hint and does not guarantee crawling or indexing.

Does Google use priority and changefreq in a sitemap?

No. Google says it ignores the priority and changefreq values. It uses lastmod only when the date is consistently and verifiably accurate, and a change to the main content, structured data or links counts as significant, while a copyright-year change does not.