How to Create a Website Sitemap
4 October 2026 1 min read
What an XML sitemap is, which pages to include and exclude, and how it helps search engines discover your site.
An XML sitemap lists important URLs that a search engine may discover and crawl. It is especially helpful for new sites, large sites and pages that are not linked well.
What to include
Include canonical, indexable pages that return successful responses: home, products, articles, category pages and important information pages.
What to exclude
Exclude private pages, redirects, duplicate URLs, login and account pages, and pages marked noindex.
How to create one
Most website platforms and SEO plugins create sitemaps automatically. Custom sites can generate one from their database.
Submit it
Submit the sitemap through Google Search Console and other search-engine tools, and reference it in your robots.txt file.
Keep it updated
Update the sitemap when important content changes. Automatic generation keeps it current.
A sitemap is not a guarantee
A sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee indexing or ranking. Also maintain useful HTML navigation so people and crawlers can understand how the site is organised.
Frequently asked questions
Where is a website's sitemap usually found?
Often at /sitemap.xml, and listed in the robots.txt file.
Do small sites need a sitemap?
It is still helpful, especially for new sites with few links from other websites.
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