Create XML Sitemaps Manually: Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding the Basic Structure

Required Components

Every XML sitemap needs:

1. XML declaration(first line)
2. URLset container(wraps all URLs)
3. Individual URL entries

Basic Template

xml

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<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>

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

<!– URL entries go here –>

</urlset>

Step-by-Step Creation Process

Step 1: List Your Important URLs

Prioritize:

• Homepage
• Key category/service pages
• High-traffic blog posts
• Product pages (for e-commerce)

Exclude:
❌ Pagination pages beyond page 2-3
❌ Duplicate content (filtered/sorted URLs)
❌ Private pages (login, admin)

Step 2: Create the File

1. Open a text editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.)
2. Start with the XML prolog:

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<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>

Step 3: Add the URLset Container

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

Step 4: Add URL Entries

For each important page:

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<url>

<loc>https://example.com/page-url/</loc>

<lastmod>2023-11-20</lastmod>

<changefreq>monthly</changefreq>

<priority>0.8</priority>

</url>

Step 5: Save the File

1. Save as sitemap.xml
2. UTF-8 encoding (critical for special characters)
3. Advanced Techniques
4. Multiple Sitemaps (50,000+ URLs)

Create a sitemap index file:

xml

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<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>

<sitemapindex xmlns=”http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9″>

<sitemap>

<loc>https://example.com/sitemap-posts.xml</loc>

<lastmod>2023-11-20</lastmod>

</sitemap>

</sitemapindex>

Dynamic Content Handling

For frequently updated sites, add:

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<lastmod>2023-11-20</lastmod>

<changefreq>daily</changefreq>

Image & Video Extensions

Example for product images:

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<url>

<loc>https://example.com/product</loc>

<image:image>

<image:loc>https://example.com/product.jpg</image:loc>

</image:image>

</url>

Check XML Syntax

Use:

• W3C Validator
• Command line: xmllint –noout sitemap.xml

Verify URLs

bash

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# Linux/Mac:

wget –spider -i sitemap.xml 2>&1 | grep ‘^http’

# Windows (PowerShell):

Select-String -Path sitemap.xml -Pattern ‘<loc>’ | ForEach { Invoke-WebRequest $_.Matches.Groups[1].Value -Method Head }

3. Submit to Search Engines
4. Google Search Console> Sitemaps
5. Bing Webmaster Tools
6. Add to robots.txt:

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Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Maintenance Best Practices

✔ Update after major content changes
✔ Remove discontinued pages
✔ Monitor Search Console for errors
✔ Revalidate monthly

Manually creating an XML sitemap:
✅ Ensures only high-quality pages are included
✅ Provides better control than automated tools
✅ Improves crawl efficiency

Next Steps:

1. Create your first sitemap today
2. Validate using free tools
3. Submit to search engines