What is an XML Sitemap & How to Submit It to Google

When it comes to SEO, getting your website indexed properly by Google is one of the most crucial steps. You might have great content, but if Google doesn’t know your pages exist, they’ll never appear in search results.

That’s where an XML Sitemap comes in — it acts like a map that guides search engines through your website, showing them which pages exist and how they’re structured.

In this guide, we’ll break down:
✅ What an XML sitemap is
✅ Why it’s important for SEO
✅ How to create one easily
✅ How to submit it to Google
✅ Best practices to keep it optimized

Let’s get started! 🚀

🔍 1. What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML Sitemap is a file (usually named sitemap.xml) that lists all the important URLs of your website.
It helps search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo discover and crawl your pages efficiently.

🧩 Example of an XML Sitemap:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset 
    xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.vijayreddy.in/</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-10-08</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.vijayreddy.in/blog/what-is-seo</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-10-05</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

👉 Explanation:

• <loc> → URL of your webpage
• <lastmod> → Date it was last modified
• <changefreq> → How often the content changes
• <priority> → Importance of that page (1.0 = highest)

This file tells Google exactly what pages exist and how frequently they are updated.

🌐 2. Why XML Sitemaps Are Important for SEO

Even though Google can discover pages through links, a sitemap makes crawling faster and more efficient.

Here are some key benefits:

🔸 a) Faster Indexing

When you publish new content, the sitemap notifies search engines immediately.
This speeds up the indexing process, especially for blogs and news websites.

🔸 b) Helps Google Find Deep Pages

Not all pages on your site are linked directly from the homepage.
An XML sitemap ensures even those “hidden” pages get indexed.

🔸 c) Improves Crawl Efficiency

If your website has thousands of pages, Googlebot can get lost.
A sitemap guides it to crawl the most important pages first.

🔸 d) Supports Structured Data

Sitemaps can also include details like images, videos, and news posts.
This helps Google understand what type of content is on your site.

🔸 e) Vital for Large or New Websites

If your site is new (few backlinks) or huge (many pages), a sitemap is essential for visibility.

✅ In short:
A sitemap doesn’t directly improve rankings, but it ensures Google can find and index all your valuable content.

⚙️ 3. Types of Sitemaps

There are several types of sitemaps depending on the kind of content you have:

For most websites, the XML sitemap is the most important.

🧰 4. How to Create an XML Sitemap

Creating a sitemap is simpler than you might think. You can do it manually or automatically.

💡 Option 1: Using WordPress Plugins

If your website is built on WordPress, you can easily generate sitemaps using plugins like:

• Yoast SEO → Generates sitemap_index.xml automatically.
• Rank Math → Offers advanced sitemap customization.
• All in One SEO Pack → Includes automatic XML sitemap feature.

🧭 Steps (Example with Yoast SEO):

1. Install & activate Yoast SEO plugin.
2. Go to SEO → General → Features.
3. Toggle ON “XML sitemaps.”
4. Click the small question mark icon → View the sitemap.
5. You’ll find it at https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.

💡 Option 2: Using Online Sitemap Generators

If you’re not using WordPress, you can use:

• XML-Sitemaps.com
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider
• SEOptimer Sitemap Generator

These tools crawl your website and generate the sitemap automatically.

💡 Option 3: Manual Creation (For Developers)

You can also create your own sitemap using a text editor and save it as sitemap.xml in the root directory of your website.

Example:

<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.vijayreddy.in/</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-10-08</lastmod>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.vijayreddy.in/about/</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-09-15</lastmod>
  </url>
</urlset>

Then upload it to your root folder using FTP or your hosting file manager.

🚀 5. How to Submit Your Sitemap to Google

Once your sitemap is ready, the next step is to submit it to Google Search Console.
This ensures Google is aware of all your site URLs.

🪜 Step-by-Step Process:

✅ Step 1: Log in to Google Search Console

Go to 👉 https://search.google.com/search-console

✅ Step 2: Select Your Website Property

Choose your website (for example, https://www.vijayreddy.in/).
If it’s not added, click “Add Property” and verify ownership.

✅ Step 3: Go to “Sitemaps” Section

From the left-hand menu → Click “Indexing → Sitemaps.”

✅ Step 4: Enter Your Sitemap URL

In the input box, type your sitemap file path, for example:

sitemap_index.xml

or

sitemap.xml

✅ Step 5: Submit the Sitemap

Click “Submit” → You’ll see a success message if Google accepts it.

🎉 Congratulations!
Your sitemap is now submitted to Google for indexing.

📊 6. How to Check Sitemap Status

After submission, you can check its indexing status in Google Search Console under the “Sitemaps” tab.

You’ll see:

• ✅ Submitted Sitemaps
• 📆 Last Read Date
• 🧾 Number of URLs discovered
• ⚠️ Errors (if any)

If there are crawl issues, fix them immediately (for example, broken URLs or redirects).

🧭 7. How Often Should You Update Your Sitemap

Google automatically revisits your sitemap, but here are best practices:

• 🆕 Add it every time you publish new pages or blogs.
• 🔁 Update it if URLs change or pages are deleted.
• ⏰ For active websites → weekly updates are ideal.
• 💤 For static sites → once a month is enough.

If you use a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, updates happen automatically.

🧩 8. Common Sitemap Errors & How to Fix Them

Even small mistakes can prevent Google from reading your sitemap correctly. Here are common errors:

🧠 Pro Tip: Always test your sitemap before submitting it using online validators.

📘 9. Best Practices for XML Sitemaps

Follow these best practices to keep your sitemap SEO-friendly and clean:

🟢 Include Only Important URLs

Don’t include pages like admin, test, or thank-you pages. Stick to valuable URLs only.

🟢 Keep the File Size Under 50 MB

If your site is large, divide it into multiple sitemap files (max 50,000 URLs per file).

🟢 Use Canonical URLs

Ensure each page listed uses the canonical (main) version of the URL.

🟢 Submit to Both Google & Bing

After submitting to Google, also submit to Bing Webmaster Tools for wider visibility.

🟢 Place Sitemap in Root Directory

Keep it in https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml for easy access.

🟢 Reference It in robots.txt

Add this line to your robots.txt file:

Sitemap: https://www.vijayreddy.in/sitemap_index.xml

This helps all crawlers find it automatically.

🧠 10. How to Monitor Sitemap Performance

Once submitted, track how it performs in Google Search Console under the “Indexing → Pages” report.

Metrics to monitor:

• ✅ Indexed Pages Count
• ⚠️ Crawling Errors
• 🧩 Excluded URLs (and reasons)

If your sitemap URLs aren’t being indexed, check:

• Robots.txt or Noindex tags
• Page load speed
• Duplicate or thin content issues

💡 11. Advanced Sitemap Tips

🔹 For Large Websites:

Use multiple sitemap files (split by category or post type).
Example:

sitemap-posts.xml
sitemap-pages.xml
sitemap-products.xml

🔹 For E-Commerce Sites:

Include product and category pages only. Avoid filters, tags, or dynamic URLs.

🔹 For News Websites:

Use a news sitemap to get featured in Google News quickly.

🔹 For Video Sites:

Submit a video sitemap for better visibility in video search results.

🌱 12. Why Every SEO Professional Uses a Sitemap

Because a sitemap:

• 🧭 Guides Google through your content.
• 📈 Speeds up indexing for new and updated pages.
• 🧠 Gives search engines context about your website’s structure.
• 💪 Ensures no valuable page is missed during crawling.

For SEO success, it’s not optional — it’s essential.

🧩 13. Real Example: Sitemap of VijayReddy.in

If your website is https://www.vijayreddy.in, your sitemap could look like:

https://www.vijayreddy.in/sitemap_index.xml

Inside it, there can be multiple smaller sitemaps like:

• /post-sitemap.xml
• /page-sitemap.xml
• /category-sitemap.xml

This structure helps Google organize and crawl your site efficiently.

🎯 14. Quick Checklist Before Submitting Sitemap

✅ Sitemap file is accessible (no login required)
✅ It follows XML format rules
✅ URLs are correct and canonical
✅ No duplicate or redirected URLs
✅ Sitemap size < 50MB
✅ Added reference in robots.txt
✅ Submitted in Google Search Console

🏁 Conclusion: The Role of Sitemaps in SEO Success

An XML sitemap is like a GPS for search engines — it ensures every corner of your site is discovered and indexed properly.

Whether your website is new, large, or content-rich, submitting a sitemap to Google is one of the simplest yet most powerful SEO actions you can take.

✨ Remember:

“If Google can’t find it, it doesn’t exist.”

So make sure your sitemap is always up-to-date, clean, and optimized.

⚡ Summary Table

🌐 Final Tip

After submitting your sitemap, don’t stop there —
Keep monitoring your indexing reports, fix crawl errors, and update your sitemap regularly.

This small step can make a big difference in your SEO visibility.