Split large sitemaps into logical sections with a sitemap index file.
- Split large sitemaps into logical sections with a sitemap index file2 cited sources1 category
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Why this matters
Sitemap files have a 50,000 URL and 50MB uncompressed limit; splitting improves management and monitoring by content type.
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.
- Determine sitemap size and URL count per file.
- Organize URLs into logical groups (e.g., blog posts, products, categories).
- Create separate sitemap files for each group.
- Generate a sitemap index file listing all sitemap files with their locations and lastmod dates.
- Submit the sitemap index in Google Search Console and reference it in robots.txt.
Watch for
Using a single massive sitemap risks hitting limits and makes monitoring indexing issues difficult.
Definition of done
Site uses multiple sitemaps categorized by content type with an XML sitemap index referencing all, submitted to search engines.
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.