Definition
A sitemap is an XML-format file placed at the root of a website that provides search engines with a structured list of all pages to index. For each URL, it contains supplementary information such as last modification date, update frequency, and relative priority compared to other pages. The sitemap is particularly useful for large sites, new sites with few backlinks, or sites with incomplete internal linking. It is typically submitted via Google Search Console and referenced in the robots.txt file. A sitemap does not guarantee indexation but facilitates page discovery by crawlers.
Key Points
- XML sitemap facilitates page discovery by search engines but does not guarantee indexation
- It should be submitted in Google Search Console and referenced in robots.txt
- A sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50MB
Practical Examples
E-commerce sitemap
An e-commerce site automatically generates an XML sitemap including its 10,000 product pages, categories, and brand pages, with last modification dates to signal new additions to Google.
Image sitemap
A photographer creates a specific image sitemap, including image-specific tags from the sitemap protocol, significantly improving photo visibility in Google Images.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can create an XML sitemap via a plugin (Yoast SEO, Rank Math for WordPress), with an online generator (XML-Sitemaps.com), or manually following the sitemap.org protocol. The key is to include only URLs you want indexed, with correct modification dates, then submit the file in Google Search Console.
A sitemap is recommended for all sites but particularly important for sites with 500+ pages, new sites with few backlinks, media-rich sites (images, videos), and sites where some pages are hard to access via internal linking. For small sites with clear navigation, the sitemap is useful but less critical.
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Last updated: 2026-02-07