How to Create XML Sitemap for Your HTML Website

Welcome to Techie SEO! Today, we’re going to walk you through the process of creating an XML sitemap for your HTML website. An XML sitemap is a file that helps search engines like Google and Bing understand the structure of your website, making it easier for them to index your pages and boost your search engine rankings.

Let’s dive in!

What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a simple text file that lists all the important pages of your website. It tells search engines which pages to crawl, how often they’re updated, and their priority on your site.

Having an XML sitemap is essential for SEO because it ensures search engines don’t miss any important pages. It’s especially helpful for:

• Websites with a lot of pages.
• New websites with limited backlinks.
• Websites with a complex structure.

Doing SEO in WordPress and confuse how to create XML sitemap. Click on link and follow steps.

Step-by-Step Process to Create an XML Sitemap

Step 1: List All the Pages on Your Website

Before creating a sitemap, make a list of all the pages on your HTML website. Include every important page, such as:

• Homepage
• About Us
• Contact Us
• Blog posts
• Product or service pages

You can use a simple text editor or spreadsheet to organize the list.

Step 2: Write the XML Sitemap Manually (Optional)

If your website is small, you can create the sitemap manually. Follow this basic XML format:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">

  <url>

    <loc>https://www.yourwebsite.com/</loc>

    <lastmod>2025-01-20</lastmod>

    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>

    <priority>1.0</priority>

  </url>

  <url>

    <loc>https://www.yourwebsite.com/about-us</loc>

    <lastmod>2025-01-18</lastmod>

    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>

    <priority>0.8</priority>

  </url>

  <!-- Add more pages here -->

</urlset>

Here’s what each tag means:

• <loc>: URL of the page.
• <lastmod>: The last time the page was updated.
• <changefreq>: How often the page changes (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).
• <priority>: Importance of the page (1.0 is the highest, 0.1 is the lowest).

Step 3: Use an Online Sitemap Generator (Easy Method)

For larger websites, manual creation might be time-consuming. Instead, use a free online tool like XML-sitemaps.com. Here’s how:

1. Go to the sitemap generator tool. (https://www.xml-sitemaps.com/)
2. Enter your website’s URL.
3. Adjust settings like frequency and priority if needed.
4. Click “Start” to generate the sitemap.
5. Download the XML file once it’s ready.

Step 4: Upload the Sitemap to Your Website

Once you’ve created the XML file, upload it to your website’s root directory. Follow these steps:

1. Open your hosting control panel or use an FTP client (like FileZilla).
2. Navigate to the root folder (usually public_html or similar).
3. Upload the sitemap.xml file.

Your sitemap should now be accessible at https://www.yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml.

Step 5: Submit the Sitemap to Search Engines

To ensure search engines use your sitemap, submit it to Google and Bing:

For Google Search Console:

1. Log in to Google Search Console.
2. Select your property (website).
3. Go to Sitemaps in the left-hand menu.
4. Enter the URL of your sitemap (e.g., https://www.yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml).
5. Click “Submit.”

For Bing Webmaster Tools:

1. Log in to Bing Webmaster Tools.
2. Select your site.
3. Go to Sitemaps in the dashboard.
4. Add your sitemap URL and click “Submit.”

Step 6: Test Your Sitemap

To check if your sitemap is working:

• Open the sitemap URL in your browser. It should display the XML structure without errors.
• Use tools like Google’s URL Inspection Tool to ensure pages are being indexed.

Bonus Tips for XML Sitemaps

• Keep it updated: Regularly update your sitemap whenever you add or remove pages.
• Limit file size: If your sitemap exceeds 50,000 URLs or 50MB, split it into multiple sitemaps and create an index file.
• Avoid unnecessary URLs: Exclude duplicate or irrelevant pages.

Step to Step guide to create XML sitemap on Wix Website. Click on link.

Conclusion

Creating an XML sitemap is an essential step in improving your website’s SEO. By following the steps above, you can ensure search engines index all your important pages, helping your website rank higher in search results.

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Let us know in the comments if you’ve successfully created your XML sitemap or if you have any questions.