Sitemap Splitter

Generate valid XML sitemaps and split into compliant chunks

URL Input

Enter URLs, one per line, or upload a CSV file below
— OR —
Upload a CSV file with URLs (first column will be used)

Sitemap Settings

Google/Bing limit: 50,000 URLs per sitemap file
How to divide URLs into multiple sitemaps
Your website domain (e.g., https://example.com). Creates a sitemap_index.xml file that references all individual sitemaps

Sitemap Limits

  • Max URLs: 50,000 per sitemap (Google/Bing)
  • Max Size: 50 MB uncompressed
  • Format: Valid XML with UTF-8 encoding
  • Index: Auto-generated for multiple sitemaps

Pro Tip

Use the "By Subfolder" strategy to organize sitemaps by site section. This makes monitoring crawl stats easier in GSC.

Sitemap Splitter Tutorial

What are XML Sitemaps?

XML sitemaps are files that list all the pages on your website that you want search engines to crawl and index. They act as a roadmap for search engine bots, helping them discover your content more efficiently.

Why Split Sitemaps?

Search engines impose limits on sitemap size:

  • Google: Maximum 50,000 URLs per sitemap, 50 MB uncompressed
  • Bing: Maximum 50,000 URLs per sitemap

For large sites (>50k pages), you must split sitemaps into multiple files and create a sitemap index file that references all of them.

How to Use This Tool:

  1. Prepare your URL list (paste directly or upload CSV)
  2. Set max URLs per sitemap (default: 50,000 - recommended)
  3. Choose split strategy:
    • Sequential: Split URLs in order received (good for general use)
    • By Subfolder: Group URLs by path structure like /blog/, /products/ (better organization)
    • By Domain: Separate URLs by domain/subdomain (for multi-site lists)
  4. Enter base URL for the sitemap index file location
  5. Click "Generate Sitemaps" and download the ZIP

Understanding the Output:

File Purpose
sitemap_index.xml Main file that references all individual sitemaps - submit this to GSC
sitemap_1.xml First sitemap chunk (up to 50k URLs)
sitemap_2.xml Second sitemap chunk (if needed)
README.txt Deployment instructions and next steps

Split Strategy Comparison:

Strategy Best For Example
Sequential Simple sites, general use sitemap_1.xml (URLs 1-50k), sitemap_2.xml (URLs 50k-100k)
By Subfolder Content sections, easier monitoring sitemap_blog.xml (/blog/ URLs), sitemap_products.xml (/products/ URLs)
By Domain Multi-domain lists, subdomains sitemap_www.xml (www.), sitemap_shop.xml (shop.example.com)

Best Practices:

  • Keep under 50k URLs: Stay below search engine limits (default: 50,000)
  • Use HTTPS URLs: Always use secure URLs in sitemaps
  • Include canonical URLs only: Don't include duplicates or redirect URLs
  • Update regularly: Regenerate sitemaps when adding/removing pages
  • Submit to GSC & Bing: Submit sitemap_index.xml to both search consoles
  • Monitor performance: Check GSC regularly to see indexed vs discovered URLs
  • Add to robots.txt: Include sitemap location in robots.txt for autodiscovery
When to Use "By Subfolder" Strategy?

Use subfolder splitting when your site has distinct content sections with different update frequencies or importance:

  • E-commerce: Separate sitemaps for /products/, /categories/, /blog/
  • News sites: Separate /news/, /opinion/, /sports/ for different crawl priorities
  • SaaS: Separate /docs/, /blog/, /changelog/ to track indexing by section
  • Benefits: Easier monitoring in GSC, clearer crawl budget allocation, section-specific priorities