A sitemap generator turns your page list into a valid XML sitemap that tells Google, Bing, and every other crawler which URLs exist and when they last changed. Describe your site or paste a URL export, and Taskade Genesis returns a ready-to-upload sitemap.xml plus a live workspace where every URL is a record you can prioritize, assign, and re-check after each release.
TL;DR: Writing a sitemap once is easy. Keeping it honest for the next two years is the hard part. Taskade Genesis gives you the XML and the workspace behind it, so a new section, a changed URL, or a retired page updates the record instead of quietly rotting. Build yours free →
What Is a Sitemap Generator?
A sitemap generator builds the XML file that lists every URL you want indexed, in the format published at sitemaps.org. Search engines read it as a discovery hint rather than an instruction: it does not force indexing, but it is the fastest way to tell a crawler a page exists, especially for URLs that few internal links point to. The file usually sits at https://example.com/sitemap.xml, and its location is published on the Sitemap line of your robots.txt file.
Taskade builds the file and the system around it. Every URL becomes a record you can tag by page template, link to its content brief, and re-check when a redirect map retires it.
Sitemap Tags and What Each One Does
A sitemap is a short vocabulary. These are the tags the generator emits, and what search engines actually do with them.
| Tag | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
<urlset> |
Wraps the file and declares the sitemaps.org namespace | <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"> |
<url> |
Opens one entry, one per indexable page | One <url> block per URL |
<loc> |
The full absolute URL, required on every entry | <loc>https://example.com/pricing</loc> |
<lastmod> |
When the page last meaningfully changed, in W3C date format | <lastmod>2026-07-30</lastmod> |
<changefreq> |
Optional hint about how often the page updates | <changefreq>weekly</changefreq> |
<priority> |
Optional relative importance, 0.0 to 1.0 | <priority>0.8</priority> |
<sitemapindex> |
Wraps a list of sitemap files once you outgrow one | One <sitemap> entry per file |
Two limits shape the file structure: 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per sitemap. Cross either one and you split into several files behind a single index. One thing worth knowing before you fuss over the optional tags: Google ignores changefreq and priority, and trusts lastmod only when it is accurate. A file where every page claims priority 1.0 and today's date teaches a crawler to ignore all of it.
Sitemap Plus a Workspace: What You Get
Producing the XML is the easy half. The half that decays is knowing which URLs still belong in it six months from now.
| What you get | A one-off sitemap file | Taskade |
|---|---|---|
| The file itself | Valid XML, generated once | Same XML, plus a record per URL |
| Why a URL is listed | Not captured | Notes, owner, and page template on every row |
| Retired and redirected URLs | Quietly go stale | Checked against your redirect map |
| Robots.txt sitemap line | Manual paste | Written alongside your robots.txt |
| Ongoing review | You remember, or you don't | Automations re-check the live file on a schedule |
| Handoff to a client or dev | Paste into an email | Share link, role-based access from Owner to Viewer, no re-export |
Generate a Sitemap in Six Steps
Open the generator above and describe your site: the platform, the sections worth indexing, and anything that should stay out of the index.
Paste your URL list. A CMS export, a crawl export, or the page list from your navigation all work. One URL per line is enough.
Review the generated table. Each row carries the URL, its page template, a proposed
lastmod, and a note on why it belongs in the index.Cut what does not belong. Tag archives, thin filter pages, and anything already carrying a
noindextag should stay out, since listing a page you also block hands the crawler two contradictory instructions.Copy the finished XML to your domain root, add the
Sitemap:line to robots.txt, then submit the URL in Google Search Console.Keep the app. Switch project views to audit URLs in a Table, track a migration batch on a Board, or map site structure in Mind Map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the sitemap generator free?
Yes. Generate and clone the sitemap app on the Taskade free plan, which includes the Taskade Genesis app builder with no credit card (published free apps carry a small "Powered by Taskade" badge, removed on any paid plan). New accounts get a one-time grant of 6,000 AI credits, 1,000 on email verification and 5,000 on your first build, which covers a full technical SEO workspace. Paid plans start at $10/month total for up to 10 members, billed annually.
How do I create an XML sitemap for my website?
List every URL you want indexed, wrap each one in a <url> entry with a <loc> and an honest <lastmod>, and save the file as sitemap.xml at your domain root. Paste your URL list into the generator above and it writes the XML for you, flags the pages that should not be listed, and keeps the list as an editable project instead of a file you rebuild from scratch every quarter.
Where should the sitemap file live?
Anywhere you control, with one catch: a sitemap only covers URLs at or below its own directory. A file at https://example.com/sitemap.xml can list the whole site, while one at https://example.com/blog/sitemap.xml can only list URLs under /blog/. Put it at the root unless you have a reason not to, publish the location on the Sitemap line of robots.txt, and submit it in Google Search Console.
How many URLs can one sitemap hold?
50,000 URLs, or 50 MB uncompressed, whichever you hit first. Past that you split into several sitemap files and list them in a sitemap index. Gzip is allowed, and the 50 MB ceiling applies to the uncompressed size. Large sites usually split by section or template anyway, because a per-template sitemap makes indexing gaps far easier to read in Search Console.
Does a sitemap guarantee my pages get indexed?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. A sitemap is a discovery aid that helps a crawler find URLs it might otherwise miss. Indexing still depends on crawlability, content quality, and duplicate signals. When a page is not indexed, check whether it is blocked, canonicalized elsewhere, or too thin, rather than resubmitting the sitemap and waiting.
Should I include noindex or redirected URLs?
No. A sitemap should list the canonical, indexable version of each page and nothing else. Redirected URLs, noindex pages, and canonicalized duplicates send a crawler mixed signals and cost the file some of the trust it would otherwise get. The generator flags those rows so they come out before you ship, and routes them to your redirect map instead.
Can I keep the sitemap updated automatically?
Yes. Pair AI Agents with workflow automations so a deploy or a schedule triggers a fetch of your live sitemap and a diff against the approved URL list. Agents ship with built-in tools including web access, and 100+ integrations route the alert to Slack or open a task. Start from the Sitemap Indexer automation.
Can I share the sitemap plan with my developer or client?
Yes. Share one link and your developer, agency, or client opens the same URL table, comments on a row, and sees why each page is in or out. role-based access from Owner to Viewer from Owner through Viewer decide who edits versus who only reads. Business plans, $25/month total for unlimited members billed annually, add a custom domain for a client-facing page.
Build Your Whole Technical SEO Stack From One Prompt
A sitemap is one file in a crawl-and-index system. Each tool below starts from the same prompt:
Robots.txt Generator: write the crawl rules that point at this sitemap.
Redirect Map Generator: retire old URLs cleanly instead of leaving them in the index.
SEO Audit Report Generator: catch orphan pages, crawl waste, and indexing gaps.
Internal Linking Planner: build the discovery path a sitemap cannot replace.
Technical SEO Auditor and Search Console Data Analyzer: agents that run the recurring checks for you.