XML sitemap checklist: generate, check and submit your URLs

Build a list of your preferred public URLs

Start with pages that are useful to visitors and intended for search: your main services, products, resources and tools. Use complete HTTPS addresses on the preferred hostname. Leave out private dashboards, login pages and duplicate filter variants. When the same content appears at several URLs, decide which address should represent it before adding it to the file. Keep this list alongside your website’s normal publishing process.

Check each destination before generating the file

Open the listed pages and inspect any unexpected redirect with our Redirect Checker. Use the Meta Tag Checker to compare a page’s canonical URL with the address you plan to include. For example, if an old /services page permanently redirects to /services/garden-design, investigate and list the intended final page. A sitemap should reflect your current public structure rather than preserve every old address.

Generate the XML from the reviewed list

Paste one URL per line into the XML Sitemap Generator. It validates HTTP and HTTPS addresses, removes fragments and duplicates, and escapes XML characters. Our browser tool supports up to 1,000 URLs per generated file. Add a last-modified date only when it accurately describes the pages you are listing. Download the output and keep the source URL list so future additions are easy to review.

Publish it where it can be fetched

Put the file on your own website, commonly at /sitemap.xml, and open that exact URL in a browser. It should return the XML file rather than a login page or an error. Our XML Sitemap Checker identifies a URL sitemap or sitemap index and reports duplicate or malformed locations. It checks the submitted file; it does not automatically visit every page listed inside it.

Connect discovery and submission

Include the sitemap address in your site’s robots.txt and use the Robots.txt Tester to read the published declaration. In your verified Search Console property, open Sitemaps and submit the complete sitemap URL. Review the fetch and processing status there. If Google reports an error, compare the exact submitted address with the live response and correct that specific issue before submitting again.

Maintain the file as the site changes

Add new canonical pages when you publish them, remove retired URLs, and review redirects after a migration. Check important individual pages with Search Console URL Inspection. A successfully processed sitemap establishes that Google read the file; indexing is a separate step. Keep useful pages connected through ordinary internal links so visitors can discover them too. Once your destination pages are ready, our guides and marketplace can help you prepare a relevant backlink campaign.

Use the free tools in this guide