SEO · Free tool
Sitemap Index Generator
Combine multiple child sitemap URLs into one sitemap index file — the standard pattern once you cross 50,000 URLs or want logical groupings.
Save as /sitemap.xml (index file)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<sitemap>
<loc>https://www.example.com/sitemap-pages.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-17</lastmod>
</sitemap>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://www.example.com/sitemap-blog.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-17</lastmod>
</sitemap>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://www.example.com/sitemap-products.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-17</lastmod>
</sitemap>
</sitemapindex>
When you need an index
A sitemap index is required when you cross 50,000 URLs or 50 MB per single sitemap, and useful when you have logical groupings (pages, blog, products, language variants). Submit just the index to Search Console — Google fetches each child automatically.
No nested indexes
A sitemap index can only reference sitemap files, not other indexes. Google silently drops nested indexes. If you need deeper hierarchy, split by content type at the top level (pages, blog, products), and let each child sitemap hit its own URL ceiling. Pair this with the sitemap generator for the child files, and add the index URL to your robots.txt. Detail on sizing in XML sitemap best practices.
Operational tips
- Set the index
lastmodto the most recent child sitemap's lastmod. - Compress large child sitemaps with gzip — Google honours
.xml.gz. - Submit only the index file in Search Console, not each child.
- Bing accepts the same format and reads the same submission.
FAQ
When do I need a sitemap index?
When you have more than 50,000 URLs, more than 50 MB of sitemap data, or multiple logical groupings (one sitemap per language, per content type, etc). The index lets Search Console see them all in one submission.
Can a sitemap index reference another sitemap index?
No. Sitemap index files reference only sitemap files, not other indexes. Nested indexes are silently dropped by Google.
Does lastmod in the index need to match the child sitemap?
Best practice: the index lastmod equals the most recent lastmod across all child sitemaps. This lets Google skip the index quickly when nothing has changed across the site.