How to create a sitemap for a website (XML, HTML & visual)

Creating an XML sitemap: Essential for search engines

XML sitemaps are search engines’ best friends, acting as a roadmap, aiding them in crawling your site efficiently and improving your site’s visibility in the process.

For a deeper dive, we put together an introduction to XML sitemaps.

Don’t worry, though; you don’t need advanced technical skills to create an XML sitemap.

There are plenty of ways to generate sitemaps, including plugins like Rank Math or Yoast SEO for WordPress sites, tools like XML-sitemaps.com or our XML sitemap generator.

Using a dedicated XML sitemapping tool gives you control over the functionality and customization options to suit your needs. You can choose which pages to include or exclude, assign sitemap priority and changefreq tags, and set how frequently your sitemap gets updated.

Most frequently, the sitemap.xml file is in the root directory of your domain, i.e., exampledomain.com/sitemap.xml.

You can find ours at https://slickplan.com/sitemap.xml, for example.

Export using content management systems (with directions)

How to create an XML sitemap in WordPress

Content management systems (CMS) like WordPress have made life easier for website owners, including basic XML sitemap generation (as of version 5.5).

Most folks still opt for popular plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math though, which allow you to:

• Generate and export an XML sitemap file for your website automatically
• Integrate schema and SEO analysis for your pages
• Manage multiple websites

How to set up the Yoast SEO plugin:

1. Install and activate Yoast SEO and go to Yoast SEO → Settings → Site features.
2. Toggle "XML sitemap" on; Yoast automatically generates and updates the sitemap.
3. Click "View the XML sitemap" to open the sitemap in a new tab; submit sitemap_index.xml to search platforms.

How to set up the Rank Math plugin:

1. Install Rank Math and run the setup wizard, which includes sitemap settings.
2. Rank Math automatically creates a sitemap index at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.
3. Submit the sitemap index in Google Search Console. Rank Math can auto‑submit when connected to your Search Console account.

Yoast vs Rank Math vs manual sitemap creation

How to create an XML sitemap in Wix

1. Complete the SEO Setup Checklist in your Wix dashboard to connect Google Search Console.
2. Wix auto-generates a sitemap at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml and keeps it updated.
3. Wix submits it automatically, or you can submit it manually in Google Search Console.

How to create an XML sitemap in Shopify

1. Shopify automatically generates an XML sitemap at <yourstorename>.com/sitemap.xml that contains child sitemaps for products, collections, blogs and pages.
2. Locate the sitemap at the URL above and submit it to Search Console; Shopify updates it automatically whenever you add or remove content. No plugins are needed.

How to create an XML sitemap in Squarespace

1. Squarespace creates a sitemap at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml; it’s automatically updated when pages are added or removed.
2. Log into Squarespace, open the sitemap URL to verify it, then copy/paste the URL into Google Search Console. No manual updates are needed.

If you’re using another CMS, you can find information about locating the root folder your XML file is in or how to run an export by visiting the help section.

Crawl your website

Website crawling tools like Slickplan, Screaming Frog and XML-sitemaps.com can automate XML sitemap creation.

The basic process is simple: enter your homepage URL, select any crawl options, run the crawler and review the generated sitemap.

The crawler will quickly rifle through your site and identify publicly available pages, with some even being able to work with sites requiring basic HTTP authentication.

A low-effort task that does so much for your site.

There are many other website crawling tools out there, so be sure to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Manual XML sitemap creation

Making one manually is the most challenging and time-consuming approach. Though it’s certainly achievable, it’s the Mount Everest of options and the least recommended way to go.

Why?

Because XML is designed for search engine crawlers, it’s difficult for people to read and hard to maintain manually.

If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how you do it:

1. Decide which pages you want to include in your sitemap
2. Create a new XML file in your text editor and add all the necessary XML tags and structure (easier said than done)
3. Specify the URLs of each page and add optional tags for extra information
4. Save the XML file
5. Submit the XML file to Google and other search engines

During manual XML sitemap creation, you have to avoid potential pitfalls.

Make sure not to include pages that can’t be indexed, remember to update the sitemap when you make changes to your website and don’t leave out any important pages. Labeling sitemap attributes such as priority tags, lastmod, urlset xmlns, changefreq and so on is a lot to manage, especially when you have a large site.

While manual creation is time-consuming, it can nonetheless be a rewarding process to create a site map by hand if you have the time and patience.

How to make an HTML sitemap: Improve user experience

Unlike XML sitemaps, HTML sitemaps are built for visitors.

An HTML sitemap is a list of active links to all the pages on your site, making it easy for visitors to find their way around. The URL for it is typically added in the footer of your website along with links to FAQs, About Us and so on.

This type of text sitemap not only enhances the user experience but also helps discover any dead ends in content and adds links between pages.

You can create an HTML sitemap using CMS tools, plugins, manual page creation or website crawlers.

Export from your CMS or utilize plugins

Creating an HTML sitemap can be simplified with the assistance of your CMS or plugins.

For example, the Simple Sitemap plugin for WordPress can generate an HTML sitemap without requiring you to edit code. The plugin automates sitemap creation so you don’t have to build the page manually.

In addition to creating a site map, you can also choose to include or exclude pages from your sitemap as needed.

Other plugins like All in One SEO also offer user-friendly features for creating an HTML sitemap.

These plugins not only aid in creating sitemaps but also offer advanced SEO tools, content filtering and more.

Manually build an HTML sitemap

Putting together a sitemap manually demands as careful attention to detail as the XML format. The manual route requires systematically listing every website URL on your site, so it’s going to be the most time-intensive option.

It is doable for smaller websites, sites that aren’t fully public or those that can’t export a sitemap file.

For larger sites, list all the relevant web pages, product and/or service pages, blog posts, etc you want to include in the map. It’s a good idea to get feedback from your team so you’re only including the pages you want crawled and indexed.

What you’re essentially doing is organizing everything into a table of contents, ensuring it’s easy for both search engine access and visitors to navigate.

Use site crawlers

Just as you can use website crawlers to generate XML sitemaps, you can do the same for the HTML variety, saving you from the rigors of manual creation.

These tools can help you generate an HTML sitemap by simply crawling through your website and finding all the public pages. The site crawling tool then uses this information to create an HTML sitemap for your website.

As a sitemapping tool, swiftly generating sitemaps is one of Slickplan’s strong suits and we have several sitemap formats to export to, including PDF, PNG, CSV, and, of course, HTML.

Visual sitemaps: Streamline website planning

A visual sitemap shows your website structure as a hierarchy, making it easier for teams to plan pages, navigation and content before design or development starts.

Visual sitemaps do more than show how pages connect. They help teams organize content ideas, refine information architecture and spot gaps or dead ends in the user journey.

Create a visual sitemap online

Pre-planning the structure and flow of your site or app is a huge time- and cost-saver.

By laying out the groundwork for your site architecture with a visual sitemap, you’re also making a guide that helps you avoid duplicate pages and dead ends.

Slickplan lets teams build, review and adjust visual sitemaps with a drag-and-drop interface.

We’ve also got an AI sitemap generator that can save you even more time.

Import with a visual sitemap generator

The drag-and-drop option is ideal for planning a site. If yours is up and running already, a sitemap generator is your best friend for sitemap design.

Visual sitemaps are Slickplan’s bread and butter, with our visual sitemap generator requiring only a URL or XML file to get started.

Check out how it works:

Once you click "create project" on the online generator, your entire site is crawled and your sitemap is built automatically. From there, you can add new pages, brainstorm content ideas with your team and get all your pages organized.

See how it works by trying the best free sitemap generator.

Build a visual sitemap manually

Creating a sitemap for a pre-existing website by hand can be a lengthy process, depending on the level of detail and the number of pages.

It’s doable, but it takes time and should usually be a last resort for live sites because importing a file is faster and more accurate.

Still, there’s an allure to paper and pencil or a whiteboard and the ideation it brings, so starting manually and transitioning to online tools is a common workflow.

How to add a sitemap to Google Search Console

After creating your sitemap, submit it through Google Search Console (GSC) so Google can discover and monitor your important pages.

But before submission, you need to verify your domain ownership so Google can see the sitemap.

To add a sitemap in GSC, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to GSC
2. Pick your website
3. Click on "Sitemaps"
4. Locate the URL of your sitemap
5. Add it in the field that says "Add a new sitemap"
6. Click submit and you’re done

If you make major structural or URL changes, resubmit your sitemap so Google can recrawl the updated pages. Also, consider submitting to other search engines, like Microsoft Bing, via their Webmaster Tools.

Best sitemap method by platform

Different platforms handle sitemaps differently. Some generate XML sitemaps automatically, while others give you more control through plugins, crawlers or visual planning tools.

For most CMS-based websites, start with the built-in sitemap or SEO plugin before creating one manually. Manual XML sitemaps are usually only practical for very small static sites.

Sitemapping best practices

A sitemap is only useful if it reflects the pages you actually want search engines and visitors to find. So the creation of a sitemap is only the first step; to maximize its benefits takes a bit more legwork.

When you make a sitemap, keep these best practices in mind:

• Keep your sitemap updated so search engines can continue to crawl and index your website properly.
• Prioritize high-quality pages in your sitemap to help search engines find and list them quicker, boosting your site’s SEO.
• Include only the main URLs in your sitemap to make sure that the preferred version of a page is indexed and avoid duplicate content problems in the process.
• Break large sitemaps into multiple files and use a sitemap index when needed.

For larger or more complex websites, the following XML sitemap technical guidelines can help avoid crawling and indexing issues.

XML sitemap technical best practices

• Use absolute URLs instead of relative URLs.
• Include only canonical, indexable pages you want search engines to crawl.
• Split large XML sitemaps into multiple files if they exceed 50MB or 50,000 URLs.
• Submit a sitemap index file when using multiple sitemap files.
• Don’t rely on <priority> or <changefreq> tags for SEO improvements because search engines may ignore them.
• Use <lastmod> only when the page has been meaningfully updated.

Quick tip: You don’t have to start from scratch; check out our sitemap examples and templates.

Common mistakes when making a sitemap

Even a technically valid sitemap can create crawling, indexing or navigation issues if it includes the wrong pages or outdated information.

Before submitting your sitemap to search engines or sharing with your team, review it for common mistakes that can affect crawling, indexing, navigation or planning accuracy.

• Including noindexed pages
• Including non-canonical URLs
• Forgetting to update the sitemap after major site changes
• Using relative URLs instead of absolute URLs
• Confusing a visual sitemap with an XML sitemap
• Submitting the wrong sitemap URL in Google Search Console

A clean, accurate sitemap is easier to maintain and more useful for SEO, UX and long-term website planning.

Your next step: Create a sitemap

We’ve covered how to choose the right sitemap type, how to make sitemap files with different methods and tools and how to find a sitemap when you need to verify or submit it.

Knowing how to create a sitemap for a website can improve search visibility, user navigation and team planning. Start with Slickplan’s sitemap creator to map your structure, generate sitemap formats and move your site planning forward.

Frequently asked questions