TL;DR
Sitemaps are a fundamental part of a well-structured website, especially when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO).
If you’re looking to improve how search engines like Google or Bing understand your site, knowing the different types of sitemaps and how to use them is essential.
Learn how each sitemap type works and which ones you should be using to support your site’s performance.
What is a sitemap?
A sitemap is a file or page that lists the most important parts of your website. It’s a tool to help search engines and users find content more easily. Think of it as a roadmap that shows how your site is laid out.
There are different types of sitemaps, each serving a different function. Some are designed for search engines, while others are intended for site visitors. Choosing the right type, or combination of types, depends on your website’s structure, size, and content.
XML sitemaps
An XML sitemap is a file that helps search engines like Google crawl your website more efficiently. It lists all the URLs you want indexed, plus optional data like when a page was last updated.
Key features
- Format: .xml file
- Includes: Page URLs, last modified dates, change frequency, and priority levels
- Use: Primarily for search engines
When to use an XML sitemap
- You manage a large website with lots of pages
- Your site has poor internal linking
- You’ve just launched a new website
- You frequently update your content
💡
Pro tip: Submitting your XML sitemap via Google Search Console helps speed up indexing.
Benefits of an XML sitemap
- Helps Google discover orphan pages (pages with no internal links)
- Boosts visibility of new or recently updated content
- Makes indexing more efficient, especially for ecommerce and news sites
- Reduces the chance of important pages being missed
If you’re running an ecommerce business, having an XML sitemap is considered best practice. It ensures your product, category, and landing pages are consistently visible to search engines.
HTML sitemaps
An HTML sitemap is designed for human visitors, not search engines. It’s a simple page on your site that displays clickable links to other pages.
Key features
- Format: .html page
- Includes: Links to important pages
- Use: For improving user experience
When to use an HTML sitemap
- Your website has many sections or product categories
- You want to improve on-page navigation
- You need to make key pages easier to find
💡
Bonus: HTML sitemaps can help users find what they need without going through multiple clicks.
Benefits of an HTML sitemap
- Improves accessibility for users and screen readers
- Acts as a backup for broken site navigation
- Helps users who land on deep pages find their way back
For UK businesses focused on accessibility and user journey, an HTML sitemap can be a valuable tool to enhance site usability and reduce bounce rates.
Video sitemaps
A video sitemap is an extension of an XML sitemap that provides details about the video content on your site. It helps search engines understand what the video is about.
Key features
- Format: XML extension
- Includes: Video title, description, thumbnail URL, video URL, duration, and more
- Use: For websites hosting original video content
When to use a video sitemap
- Your site features video tutorials, interviews, or promotional videos
- You want your videos to appear in Google video search results
Benefits of a video sitemap
- Increases the chances of your videos being indexed
- Improves visibility in video-specific search results
- Enhances click-through rates with rich snippets (e.g., video thumbnails in search)
With video consumption growing rapidly in the UK, incorporating a video sitemap can support SEO efforts for media-rich sites.
Image sitemaps
An image sitemap lists image content from your site so that search engines can find and index it more easily. It’s useful for websites that rely heavily on visuals.
Key features
- Format: XML extension
- Includes: Image URLs, captions, titles, and licence info
- Use: For improving image indexing and traffic from image search
When to use an image sitemap
- You run a photography, ecommerce or portfolio site
- Your site contains a large number of images
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Did You Know? Google Images accounts for over 20% of web searches in the UK.
Benefits of an image sitemap
- Enhances image SEO by ensuring all visuals are crawlable
- Helps drive traffic through image search results
- Increases discoverability of product images for ecommerce platforms
If you’re selling online in the UK, an image sitemap can boost your visibility on image-heavy platforms and marketplaces.
News sitemaps
A news sitemap is for websites that publish articles included in Google News. It helps Google understand which content qualifies as time-sensitive news.
Key features
- Format: XML extension
- Includes: Article titles, publication names, publication dates
- Use: For news publishers only
When to use a news sitemap
- You publish several news stories daily
- Your site is accepted into Google News
Benefits of a news sitemap
- Helps articles appear faster in Google News
- Supports visibility for trending and breaking news content
- Improves chances of reaching a broader UK audience
Note: News sitemaps must be kept up to date, usually within 48 hours of article publication.
Mobile sitemaps
A mobile sitemap was originally designed to help Google index mobile-specific content. However, it’s now largely outdated.
Key features
- Format: XML with mobile markup
- Includes: URLs of mobile-optimised pages
- Use: Legacy support for older mobile sites
When to use a mobile sitemap
- Your website uses separate URLs for mobile content (e.g., m.example.com)
- You’re managing an older site structure
Why they’re less relevant today
- Google uses mobile-first indexing by default
- Most modern sites are responsive
Current status: Mobile sitemaps are rarely necessary unless your website is built on outdated architecture.
RSS and Atom feeds
These are not traditional sitemaps, but they can still help Google discover new content quickly. RSS and Atom are types of feeds that list new blog posts or articles.
Key features
- Format: XML-based feed
- Includes: Recent content with publish dates
- Use: For quick content discovery
When to use RSS/Atom feeds
- You run a blog or news site
- You publish content regularly
Benefits of RSS/Atom feeds
- Accelerates indexing of new blog content
- Enables syndication and sharing across platforms
- Helps keep readers updated with fresh content
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Quick tip: Submitting your RSS feed to Google can improve how fast your new posts get indexed.
Sitemap index files
A sitemap index is a master file that links to multiple individual sitemaps. It’s useful for large sites with lots of content.
Key features
- Format: XML
- Includes: URLs of individual sitemap files
- Use: To organise multiple sitemaps
When to use a sitemap index
- Your site has more than 50,000 URLs
- Your sitemaps exceed 50MB in size
- You manage separate sitemaps for different content types (e.g., products, blogs, categories)
Benefits of a sitemap index
- Keeps your sitemap structure organised
- Simplifies management of large content libraries
- Helps search engines process your site more efficiently
Important: Google supports up to 50,000 sitemaps in a single sitemap index.
Which sitemaps do you need?
Here’s a quick breakdown to help you decide:
🟢 Must-have sitemaps
- XML sitemap: For all sites, essential for SEO
- Sitemap index: If your site is large
🟠 Optional but helpful
- HTML sitemap: Improves user navigation
- Image sitemap: Great for visual-heavy websites
- Video sitemap: If you have video content
- News sitemap: Only for news publishers
- RSS/Atom feeds: Speeds up content discovery
🔴 Rarely used
- Mobile sitemap: Only for older mobile setups
If you’re unsure, start with an XML sitemap and build out from there based on your site’s features. Always keep your sitemap files updated and resubmit them when adding new pages.
Final notes
Getting your sitemap strategy right can make a big difference to how well your site performs in search results. It ensures your content is seen, crawled, and indexed by search engines in the most efficient way possible.
Sitemaps are more than just files—they’re your site’s communication channel with search engines. Done properly, they improve your SEO, support better user experience, and help your content reach the right audience faster.
If you’re serious about SEO, don’t ignore your sitemap. It’s a small file with big impact.
