Free tool
Sitemap Index Generator
Combine several sitemaps into the one index file search engines expect.
How it works
What is the Sitemap Index Generator?
The Sitemap Index Generator is a free tool that combines a list of sitemap URLs into one sitemap index file, the <sitemapindex> XML you submit to search engines in place of each sitemap. It fetches every sitemap you list to estimate how many URLs the index covers, and reports the file size and any lines it skipped.
How to use the Sitemap Index Generator
- Paste your sitemap URLs into Sitemap URLs, one per line, such as https://example.com/sitemap-posts.xml.
- If you pasted paths such as /sitemap-posts.xml instead of full URLs, enter your site in Base URL. It is added to the front of each path.
- Press Generate index. The tool writes the file and fetches each sitemap to count the URLs inside it.
- Read the summary: the number of sitemaps, the estimated total URLs, the file size, and any pasted lines skipped because they were not URLs.
- Press Copy XML, save the text as a file such as sitemap_index.xml at your site root, and submit that one URL.
What is a sitemap index?
A sitemap index is an XML file that lists other sitemaps instead of pages. Its root element is <sitemapindex>, and each <sitemap> entry holds the <loc> of one sitemap file.
You need one when a single sitemap would pass its limits of 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed. It also helps well below those limits. Splitting by content type, such as posts, products and pages, lets Search Console report indexing for each group separately.
Sitemap index vs sitemap: what is the difference?
A sitemap lists pages. A sitemap index lists sitemaps. An index cannot list pages directly, and Google does not support an index that lists another index, so keep it to one level.
Every <loc> in an index must be an absolute URL. A relative path such as /sitemap-posts.xml makes the entry invalid, which is why this generator takes a base URL and turns pasted paths into full URLs before it writes the file.
What lastmod date should a sitemap index use?
Each <lastmod> in a sitemap index should be the date that sitemap last changed. Google uses <lastmod> when the dates are consistently accurate, so a date that moves only when the content moves is worth more than one that updates every day.
The generator fills every <lastmod> with the time you generate the file. Set each one to when that sitemap last changed before you upload, or delete the <lastmod> lines.
Questions
- What is sitemap_index.xml?
- sitemap_index.xml is the file name WordPress SEO plugins such as Yoast and Rank Math give their sitemap index. It lists the plugin's separate sitemaps for posts, pages and other content types, and it is the one URL you submit to search engines.
- Should I use sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml?
- Either name works, because search engines read what a sitemap file contains, not what it is called. What matters is that you submit and declare the file that is actually the index, so crawlers reach every sitemap it lists.
- Why is my sitemap_index.xml not found?
- A 404 on sitemap_index.xml usually means the plugin that writes it is deactivated, its sitemap setting is off, or another plugin or WordPress core serves the sitemap at a different path, such as /wp-sitemap.xml. Caching and rewrite rules can also stop the URL resolving.
- Can I put a sitemap index in robots.txt?
- Yes. A
Sitemap:line in robots.txt can point at a sitemap index, and crawlers follow it to every sitemap it lists. Use the full URL, such asSitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml. - Do I need to submit each sitemap to Google Search Console?
- No. Submitting the sitemap index is enough, because Google reads every sitemap it lists. Submitting them one by one as well does no harm, but it adds nothing.
- How many sitemaps can a sitemap index hold?
- A sitemap index can list up to 50,000 sitemaps, the same limit a sitemap has for URLs. A site that needs more splits them across several index files.
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