A sitemap is a file that tells Google all the important pages on your website so that it can find them and display them faster in the results. It is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to improve your page’s ranking.
Have you ever felt that Google “forgets” some pages on your website?
This happens much more often than you think, especially if your site is large, has many images, or is brand new.
The good news: with a sitemap, this problem disappears almost completely.
What exactly is a sitemap?
A sitemap is a file that contains a complete list of all the URLs on your website that you want search engines like Google to know about.
Think of it as the index of a book: it tells Google, “Look, here are all my important pages, don’t miss any of them.”
There are two main types:
XML sitemap
This is the one that search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) read. No one sees it, but it is the most important for SEO.
HTML sitemap
This is a normal page on your site that visitors see. It helps people navigate better (especially on large websites).
99% of the time, when we talk about “creating a sitemap,” we are referring to XML.
Why is it so important to have a sitemap?
- Google finds your new pages much faster
- It improves the positioning of pages that have few internal links
- It’s almost mandatory for online stores, blogs with many articles, or websites with images/videos
- It helps Google better understand the structure of your site
- On new sites, it can speed up indexing from weeks to… days!
How to create a sitemap step by step (easy and free)
Option 1 – The easiest (recommended for 90% of users)
If you use WordPress:
→ Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math (free)
→ Go to the plugin settings → Activate the “XML Sitemap” option
→ Done! You now have your sitemap at: yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml
With other CMS:
- Squarespace or Shopify → they create it automatically
- PrestaShop or Joomla → they have free modules that do it in 1 click
Option 2 – Free online tools (no installation required)
- Go to https://www.xml-sitemaps.com
- Enter your domain
- Click on “Start”
- Download the sitemap.xml file
- Upload it to the main folder of your hosting (where wp-config.php or index.php is located)
Other good free tools:
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free version for up to 500 URLs)
- SmallSEOTools Sitemap Generator
- MySitemapGenerator
Option 3 – For sites on Neolo Hosting (super easy)
All Neolo web hosting plans include SitePad or Softaculous with plugins that automatically create the sitemap.
If you have any questions or concerns and you are a Neolo customer, you can contact the support team, one of the fastest in Latin America and Spain.
How to submit your sitemap to Google (important)
- Go to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console)
- Select your property (your website)
- In the side menu → “Sitemaps”
- Paste the URL of your sitemap (usually: yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml)
- Click “Submit.”
In less than 24-48 hours, you will see how many pages Google has indexed.
Real example of a sitemap: BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sitemap.xml
Little-known tips about sitemaps
- If you add a new post or product every week, put
<changefreq>weekly</changefreq>on those pages. Google will check them more often. - Use `0.8 or higher only on your most important pages (homepage, main services, flagship products). Leave the rest at 0.5 or automatic.
- If you have more than 10,000 URLs, create several sitemaps and a “sitemap index” (Yoast and Rank Math do this automatically).
- Include important images with the
<image:image>tag within the sitemap. This greatly improves your ranking in Google Images. - Never include pages with the “noindex” tag or 301 redirects. Google penalizes this.
- Update the
<lastmod>date every time you modify an important page. This speeds up re-indexing.
Conclusion
Creating and submitting a sitemap is one of the most profitable things you can do for your website’s SEO.
It takes less than 5 minutes and the results are noticeable within days or a few weeks.
If your website isn’t growing on Google as you expected, start here.
Most sites that rank well… have a perfect sitemap.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about sitemaps
Is it mandatory to have a sitemap?
It’s not mandatory, but Google strongly recommends it for medium to large websites.
Is my sitemap malfunctioning if Google says “Could not retrieve”?
This is almost always because the file is larger than 50MB or has more than 50,000 URLs. Divide the sitemap into several parts.
Can I have both an XML and HTML sitemap?
Yes, and it is recommended. One for Google, one for your visitors.
How often should I update the sitemap?
Good plugins update it automatically every time you publish something new.