What an XML Sitemap Does
An XML sitemap provides search engines with a structured list of URLs you want them to discover. It is especially useful for larger sites, newly launched pages and URLs that may not yet have many internal links.
Use Canonical, Indexable URLs
Your sitemap should normally contain the preferred URLs you want indexed. Avoid filling it with redirected URLs, duplicates, tracking parameters, error pages or URLs deliberately blocked from indexing.
A Sitemap Does Not Force Indexing
Submitting a sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee that every listed URL will be indexed. Search engines still evaluate accessibility, canonicalization, content, duplication and other signals.
Keep the File Current
Update the sitemap when important pages are added or permanently removed. SEO Mentor checks the existing sitemap where available and follows same-site HTML links to discover pages. The free crawler stops at 500 URLs per run, so very large sites should use CMS/server-generated sitemap indexes.
Free to Use Without an Account
This SEO Mentor tool is available without registration, subscriptions or credit packs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many URLs can the generator include?
SEO Mentor can discover and include up to 500 clean website URLs in an interactive generation run. The limit keeps the free crawler responsive while covering many small and medium-sized websites.
Which URLs should be in an XML sitemap?
Include preferred, crawlable URLs that you want search engines to discover. Avoid obvious duplicates, error pages, redirecting URLs and non-indexable pages when those conditions can be identified reliably.
Does submitting a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. A sitemap helps discovery and provides URL information, but search engines independently decide whether and when a page is crawled and indexed.
Why might the generator find fewer than 500 URLs?
A site may contain fewer discoverable pages, use links the crawler cannot follow, block access, respond slowly, or reach the interactive crawl time limit before 500 valid URLs are discovered.
Can a website have more than one XML sitemap?
Yes. Larger sites commonly split URLs across multiple sitemap files and reference them from a sitemap index.
Should redirected or noindex URLs stay in a sitemap?
Normally the sitemap should focus on preferred indexable URLs. Redirecting, duplicate or intentionally non-indexable URLs generally do not belong in the submitted canonical URL set.
