Build a sitemap that describes your site

A sitemap lists permanent URLs you want crawlers to discover. Use the exact HTTPS address that returns useful content, rather than session URLs, private results or a redirect. A sitemap helps discovery; it does not require a search engine to index a page.

Start with the XML declaration and a urlset element in the official sitemap namespace. Each url entry needs one loc. Escape ampersands as & inside XML. A sitemap index uses sitemapindex and sitemap entries instead; the validator lists those child addresses without fetching them.

Keep each file under 50,000 URLs and 50 MiB uncompressed, then split larger collections into child files. Revbu intentionally accepts only 2 MiB to protect shared resources. A larger valid file can be tested in smaller representative parts, but that does not validate the entire original.

Use the lastmod date only when the page meaningfully changed. Keep one host unless you have verified the required cross-site ownership arrangement. After generating a file, open its public address, check that it returns XML with HTTP 200 and submit the address to your verified webmaster property.