Use Sitemap Index Files to Manage Large URL Sets Efficiently.
- Use Sitemap Index Files to Manage Large URL Sets Efficiently1 cited source1 category
Save for later 0
Use × to move an item here. You can restore it when you’re ready.
Your checks and saved items stay in this browser. Nothing is submitted.
Why this matters
Large sites benefit from splitting sitemaps into logical chunks with sitemap index files to improve crawler processing efficiency.
Hypothetical standard operating procedure
Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.
- Review the total number of URLs and sitemap file sizes.
- Split URLs into thematic or page-type-based sitemaps (e.g., products, blog posts).
- Create a sitemap index file referencing all individual sitemaps.
- Place sitemap index file in the website root directory.
- Submit sitemap index URL in robots.txt and search engines' webmaster tools.
Watch for
Overly large sitemap files (>50,000 URLs or >50MB) can slow crawling or be rejected by search engines.
Definition of done
Sitemap index file references multiple segment sitemaps with appropriate sizes and all contain up-to-date canonical URLs.
Sources & attribution
Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.