---
type: Glossary Term
title: "XML sitemap"
description: "An XML file listing the URLs you want crawlers to discover and prioritize."
resource: "https://prerendering.com/glossary/sitemap-xml"
tags: [crawl, glossary]
timestamp: 2026-05-11T00:00:00Z
---

# XML sitemap

An XML file listing the URLs you want crawlers to discover and prioritize.

Defined by sitemaps.org. Lives at any URL referenced from robots.txt, conventionally /sitemap.xml. Each entry lists a URL and optional metadata (lastmod, changefreq, priority). On large sites, a sitemap index references multiple sub-sitemaps. Sitemaps are a hint, not a guarantee — Google may still skip URLs.

## Related

- [XML Sitemap Guide for Technical SEO](/blog/xml-sitemap-guide-for-technical-seo.md)