# XML Sitemap Generator

Make a valid sitemap.xml from a list of URLs or from your site's folder, with last-modified dates. Nothing is uploaded: it runs in your browser.

Use it at https://lobsite.com/tools/sitemap-generator

## How to use it

**From URLs:** paste your page addresses, one per line, and optionally set the date they last changed.

**From a folder:** enter your site's address and drop the folder you deploy. Each HTML file becomes the address it's served at, with the file's last-modified date. Only names and dates are read; no file is opened or uploaded.

Then copy or download `sitemap.xml`, put it at the root of your site, and add a `Sitemap:` line to your [robots.txt](https://lobsite.com/tools/robots-txt-generator).

## How files become addresses

The folder option follows how Lobsite serves pages, which matches most static hosts:

| File | Address |
| --- | --- |
| `index.html` | `/` |
| `about.html` | `/about` |
| `docs/index.html` | `/docs/` |
| `docs/setup.html` | `/docs/setup` |

`404.html` and `200.html` aren't pages, so they're left out, as is anything that isn't HTML.

## What matters in a sitemap

- **`loc`** is the only required field: the full address of a page you want in search results.
- **`lastmod`** is the one hint Google uses, when it's accurate. Set it to when the content last changed, not to today on every build.
- **`changefreq`** and **`priority`** are ignored by Google, so the generator leaves them out.
- One file holds up to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB. Larger sites split them and list the parts in a sitemap index.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need a sitemap?

Small sites with good links between pages get crawled fine without one. A sitemap helps with new sites, large sites, and pages few other pages link to, and it's cheap to add.

### Where do I submit it?

Add `Sitemap: https://your-site/sitemap.xml` to robots.txt, which every major search engine reads. You can also submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

### Should every URL be listed?

Only pages you want in search results: not redirects, not pages marked noindex, and one address per page (the canonical one).

### Is anything uploaded?

No. URLs are processed and folders are listed in your browser.