What is an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl. How to keep it honest, and how Goodspeed sets one up on a new site or a migration.
Founder of Goodspeed
An XML sitemap is a machine-readable file, usually at /sitemap.xml, that lists the URLs you want search engines to crawl. It is a hint, not a command. A URL in the sitemap can still be ignored, and a URL left out can still be found through links. Used well, it is a clear statement of the pages that matter.
The sitemap should match the rest of your indexation plan: the same canonical URLs, no noindex pages, and no addresses that already 301 redirect somewhere else. It is usually referenced from robots.txt and submitted in Search Console.
Why does an XML sitemap matter?
On a small marketing site, crawlers may find everything through the navigation. On a site with a blog, a large product catalogue, or a recent migration, they may not. A current sitemap shortens the time it takes for new or moved pages to be discovered, and it gives you a file you can check when something is missing from the index.
A stale sitemap does the opposite. If it still lists old URLs after a rebuild, you are asking Google to crawl addresses that should already be redirected.
How does Goodspeed handle XML sitemaps?
We generate a sitemap from the agreed, indexable URL list, not from every path the CMS can produce. It is linked in robots.txt, checked on staging, and submitted after launch. On a website migration, the new sitemap goes live with the new site, and the old URLs stay out of it. We then use Search Console, not only the sitemap, to confirm important pages are being indexed.
This sits inside a build or a migration, which start from $10,000. A Tune-Up at $5,000 can include a pass on a sitemap that has drifted out of date.
What does a typical sitemap setup look like in practice?
A marketing site has a homepage, a set of product pages, a blog, and a handful of legal pages. The sitemap lists the canonical product and article URLs plus the core marketing pages. It leaves out thank-you pages, filtered blog tags that should not be indexed, and any URL that 301s to another. After launch, a new article appears in the sitemap on the next build or CMS publish, and Search Console is used to confirm it is seen.
What are the common mistakes?
- Auto-including every CMS URL, including parameters and noindex pages.
- Leaving the old sitemap in place after a migration.
- Listing one URL in the sitemap and a different one in the canonical tag.
- Forgetting to mention the sitemap in robots.txt or Search Console.
- Treating sitemap inclusion as a guarantee that a page will rank.
Common questions
What is an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to find and crawl. It does not guarantee indexing, but it is the map you hand to Google and other crawlers so they do not have to discover every page through links alone.
Does a sitemap replace good internal links?
No. Crawlers still use your navigation and in-body links to understand which pages matter. A sitemap helps discovery, especially on large or new sites. It should not be the only way a page can be found.
Should every URL on the site be in the sitemap?
No. Include the canonical, indexable URLs you care about. Leave out noindex pages, parameter copies, thank-you pages, and anything you have redirected away from. The sitemap and the canonical tags should agree.
How does Goodspeed handle XML sitemaps?
Each site we ship has a current sitemap that lists the agreed URLs, is referenced in robots.txt, and is submitted in Search Console. On a migration we update it to the new URLs and drop the old ones. Migrations start from $10,000.
Which related terms should you read next?
You can also browse the glossary, the resources hub, try the migration planner, or book a call.
About the Author
Founder of Goodspeed
Harish Malhi is the founder of Goodspeed. He left Google in 2019 to build his own product, and started Goodspeed to give other founders the same head start. Today the studio designs and builds websites and the whole digital experience around them for funded tech companies, at the moments that matter: a raise, a launch, a press cycle. Goodspeed is a Framer Enterprise Expert, was Bubble’s Agency of the Year in 2024, and has shipped 300+ products, including launch pages for an NVIDIA-backed AI lab and a Webby-nominated site for a Boeing-backed aviation company. It holds a 5.0 rating from 46 reviews on Clutch.
