Secure XML Sitemap Generator
Securely use XML Sitemap Generator directly in your browser with zero data uploads. All processing happens locally in your browser.
Automatically append the current date to all crawled URLs to signal freshness to search engines.
Automatically calculate URL priority based on folder depth (0.1 to 1.0) to guide Googlebot crawl budgets.
What is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a structured file that lists every important URL on your website, along with optional metadata like when each page was last modified, how often it changes, and its relative priority. Search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo use sitemaps as a reliable map to discover and index your pages — especially pages that may not be well-linked internally or are buried deep in your site architecture.
The format follows the Sitemaps.org 0.9 protocol, the open standard supported by all major search engines. A valid sitemap file starts with an XML declaration, wraps all URLs in a <urlset> element, and uses four child elements per URL: <loc> (the canonical URL), <lastmod> (last modified date), <changefreq> (update frequency hint), and <priority> (relative importance within the site).
Why sitemaps matter for SEO
Google's crawler has a finite crawl budget per site — the number of pages it will fetch in a given timeframe. Without a sitemap, the crawler discovers pages only by following links. This means newly published pages, pages with few internal links, and deep pages (3+ clicks from the homepage) may take days or weeks to be discovered and indexed. A sitemap eliminates that delay by explicitly listing every URL the crawler should visit.
Sitemaps are especially critical after a site migration or URL restructure. When you change URL patterns, Googlebot loses track of previously indexed pages. Submitting an updated sitemap immediately after a migration helps the crawler prioritize re-indexing your canonical pages with the new structure, preventing extended ranking drops during the transition period.
How to use the XML Sitemap Generator
- Enter your website's root URL (e.g.,
https://www.example.com) in the input field at the top of the tool. - Configure the two options: enable Auto Last-Modified to append today's date to all URLs, and enable Auto Priority to assign priority scores based on URL depth (homepage = 1.0, one level deep = 0.8, deeper = 0.6).
- Click Start Scan. The tool will first check your
robots.txtfor an existing sitemap. If found, it reads URLs from there. If not, it crawls your site by following internal links. - Watch the live progress ring — it shows discovered URLs, added pages, and skipped assets in real time.
- When the scan completes, review the Crawl Analysis Report — it shows URL count, scan source (crawl vs sitemap discovery), and coverage percentage.
- Click View XML Sitemap to preview the generated XML in the code editor below.
- Click Download XML to save your
sitemap.xmlfile, then upload it to your server root and submit it in Google Search Console.
The generator crawls up to 500 pages per scan. For very large sites, use your CMS's built-in sitemap plugin or generate sitemaps section by section.
Examples
| Situation | How to use this tool | Result |
|---|---|---|
| New website launch | Scan the root URL immediately after launch | A complete sitemap.xml ready to submit to Google Search Console for faster initial indexing |
| Post-migration cleanup | Scan the new domain after migrating from the old one | A sitemap reflecting the new URL structure, which helps Google re-index canonical URLs faster |
| Blog with many posts | Run the scan and check the "URLs Indexed" count | Verify all blog post URLs are being discovered and none are accidentally blocked or excluded |
| E-commerce site | Scan with Auto Priority on | Category pages get 0.8 priority, product pages get 0.6 — guiding crawlers to prioritize higher-value pages |
Use cases
- Generating a
sitemap.xmlfile for a new website before submitting to Google Search Console. - Regenerating the sitemap after a site migration, domain change, or URL restructure.
- Auditing which pages are being discovered by the crawler and which are being skipped or blocked.
- Creating a sitemap for a static site or landing page that has no CMS plugin to generate one automatically.
- Checking whether an existing sitemap linked from
robots.txtstill resolves and contains the correct URLs. - Verifying that newly published pages have been added to the sitemap before submitting for indexing.
Validation checklist
- Ensure all URLs in the sitemap use canonical forms — consistent use of www vs non-www, https vs http, and trailing slash vs none.
- Do not include URLs that return 301 redirects, 404s, or 5xx errors — only include URLs that return 200 OK.
- Do not include URLs blocked by
robots.txt— Google will ignore them and it wastes index budget. - Check that the generated sitemap file size is under 50MB uncompressed and contains no more than 50,000 URLs (split into multiple sitemaps if needed).
- After uploading
sitemap.xmlto your server root, submit the sitemap URL in Google Search Console → Sitemaps and confirm it is processed without errors. - Set a reminder to regenerate and resubmit the sitemap whenever you publish a large batch of new pages or restructure your URL hierarchy.
Privacy and data handling
The XML Sitemap Generator fetches pages through the TryFormatter server-side API route — not through third-party proxy services. Only the URLs you provide are fetched; no content from scanned pages is stored or logged. The generated XML output exists only in your browser session until you download it.
Only scan websites you own or have explicit permission to audit. Repeated automated crawling of third-party sites can trigger rate-limiting. The tool caps scans at 500 pages per session to avoid placing excessive load on any target server.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Including non-canonical URLs: If you use both
https://example.com/pageandhttps://www.example.com/page, only include the canonical version. Duplicate URLs in sitemaps confuse crawlers. - Including blocked pages: Pages disallowed in
robots.txtshould not be in your sitemap — Google sees this as conflicting signals. - Setting all priorities to 1.0: Priority is relative within your own site. Setting everything to 1.0 is the same as setting everything to 0.5 — it provides no useful signal.
- Never updating the sitemap: A stale sitemap that doesn't reflect your current page set is worse than no sitemap, because it directs crawlers to deleted or moved pages.
- Forgetting to submit to Search Console: Uploading
sitemap.xmlto your server is necessary but not sufficient — you must also submit the sitemap URL in Google Search Console to trigger prioritized crawling.
Conclusion
An accurate, up-to-date XML sitemap is one of the simplest and highest-impact technical SEO improvements you can make. It ensures search engines discover all your important pages, reduces indexing delays after publishing, and helps prioritize crawl budget toward your most valuable content. Use this generator after every major site change, submit the result to Google Search Console, and schedule regular regeneration as part of your ongoing SEO maintenance routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages can this sitemap generator crawl?
The generator crawls up to 500 pages per scan. For larger sites, it first checks your robots.txt for an existing sitemap and reads URLs from there instead of crawling. Sites with more than 500 pages should use a CMS plugin or generate sitemaps by section.
Does the tool crawl my site or just read my existing sitemap?
Both. It first checks your robots.txt file for a Sitemap directive. If a sitemap is found, it reads URLs directly from your existing sitemap (including sitemap index files). If no sitemap is found, or if the sitemap returns no results, it falls back to crawling your site by following internal links.
What do the Auto Last-Modified and Auto Priority settings do?
Auto Last-Modified adds today's date as the
Should I include every page on my site in the sitemap?
No. Only include pages that return HTTP 200, are not blocked by robots.txt, and represent canonical versions of their content. Exclude redirect URLs, 404 pages, admin pages, duplicate content, and paginated pages beyond the first page unless they have significant unique content.
How do I submit the generated sitemap to Google?
Upload the downloaded sitemap.xml file to your website's root directory (so it's accessible at https://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml). Then go to Google Search Console → Sitemaps → Add a new sitemap, enter the sitemap URL, and click Submit. Google will process it within hours to a few days.
Can I use this sitemap generator for sites I do not own?
The generator makes standard HTTP requests to the URLs you enter — the same requests any browser would make. However, you should only generate sitemaps for sites you own or manage. Do not use it to scrape or map third-party sites, as repeated automated requests can trigger rate-limiting or IP blocks.