A major part of a successful technical SEO strategy is ensuring that search engines can discover and index all your important content. One of the best tools to support this goal is an XML sitemap.
If you’ve never submitted an XML sitemap or don’t know what it is, this article will guide you step-by-step and explain why it’s essential for your website's SEO health.
What is an XML Sitemap?
An XML (Extensible Markup Language) sitemap is a file that lists all the important URLs of your website in a structured format. It tells search engine bots like Googlebot which pages exist and how often they are updated.
Example of an XML entry:
Why XML Sitemaps Matter in Technical SEO
Helps with Indexing
Even if your internal linking is perfect, sometimes bots may miss new or deep pages. A sitemap ensures nothing important is overlooked.Improves Crawl Efficiency
Search engines use your sitemap to prioritize crawling, especially for large websites with thousands of pages.Supports Fresh Content Discovery
Whenever you add or update content, your sitemap can alert search engines faster—especially if submitted to Google Search Console.Provides Metadata
You can add information like last modified date, change frequency, and page priority to guide crawlers effectively.
What to Include in Your Sitemap
Important blog posts
Product pages
Service pages
Categories and tags (if useful)
Any custom landing pages
Avoid adding:
Duplicate content pages
Thin or low-quality pages
Admin pages (like login or cart)
How to Create an XML Sitemap
🛠️ Method 1: Automatically via CMS Plugins
If you're using WordPress:
Install plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math
These plugins auto-generate your sitemap at
/sitemap_index.xml
🛠️ Method 2: Use Online Sitemap Generators
Tools like XML-sitemaps.com allow you to generate a sitemap by crawling your site
Good for small static websites
🛠️ Method 3: Manually (for Developers)
Create a .xml file and structure it properly:
Upload this to your root directory and test it.
How to Submit Your Sitemap
Go to Google Search Console
Select your property
Click on Sitemaps in the left menu
Enter your sitemap URL (e.g.,
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml)Submit and wait for Google to crawl it
💡 Also submit to Bing Webmaster Tools for broader reach.
Best Practices for Sitemaps
Update your sitemap whenever new content is added
Keep the total URL count below 50,000 per sitemap (or split it)
Use gzip to compress large sitemaps
Ensure all URLs in sitemap return 200 OK status
Monitor sitemap status in Search Console regularly
Final Thoughts
An XML sitemap is like a “cheat sheet” for search engines—it shows them exactly what you want them to crawl and index. Whether you're managing a blog, eCommerce store, or a service website, adding and submitting an XML sitemap is a must-have step in technical SEO.
It’s a simple yet powerful way to improve your site's visibility, crawl rate, and indexing accuracy—especially when combined with other technical SEO practices.