XML Sitemap Generator: How to Create and Submit Your Sitemap
An XML sitemap generator creates a properly formatted sitemap.xml file that lists all the important URLs on your website. Search engines use this file to discover, crawl, and index your content more efficiently.
What an XML Sitemap Generator Does
A sitemap generator crawls your website or reads your CMS database to compile a list of all URLs you want indexed. It formats them according to the XML Sitemap Protocol, adding optional metadata like lastmod dates and priority values, then outputs a valid sitemap.xml file ready for Google Search Console.
How to Generate an XML Sitemap for Your Platform
WordPress: Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math. Both automatically generate and update your sitemap at yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml. Shopify: Shopify automatically generates a sitemap at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml. No plugin required. Next.js: Add a sitemap.ts file to your app directory using the MetadataRoute.Sitemap type. Vercel deploys it automatically. Other platforms: Use an online XML sitemap generator by entering your domain URL. The tool crawls your site and generates a downloadable sitemap.xml.
What to Include in Your Sitemap
Include all pages you want indexed: homepage, product pages, category pages, blog posts, and landing pages. Exclude noindex pages, admin pages, duplicate content, paginated archives beyond page 2, and any URL with a canonical tag pointing elsewhere.
Sitemap Size Limits
A single sitemap file can contain a maximum of 50,000 URLs and must be under 50MB uncompressed. If you exceed these limits, create a sitemap index file that references multiple child sitemaps - one for blog posts, one for products, one for categories.
How to Submit Your Generated Sitemap
After generating your sitemap, submit it two ways. First, add it to your robots.txt file: Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. Second, submit it directly in Google Search Console under the Sitemaps section. The robots.txt reference ensures all search engines find it, while Search Console gives you monitoring and error reporting.
Validating Your Generated Sitemap
After generating, validate your sitemap before submitting. Check that all URLs return 200 status codes, no URLs are blocked by robots.txt, all URLs use the correct canonical protocol, and the XML is well-formed with no encoding errors. SitemapFixer analyzes all of this automatically.