What is Sitemap, How to Create Sitemap and its Pros & Cons?

When building a website, one simple tool can help search engines understand your site better the Webflow Sitemap. It may sound technical, but it’s actually easy to understand and even easier to use. Here we’ll explain what a sitemap is, how to create one using Webflow, and the pros and cons of using it for your website.

Let’s go ahead

What is a Sitemap?

A sitemap describes a list of all the pages available on your website. Think of it like a roadmap for search engines. It shows where each page lives and how they are connected.

When you build a website using Webflow, a Webflow Sitemap helps search engines like Google find and read your pages faster. This means your site can appear in search results more easily, which is important if you want people to find you online.

Types of Sitemaps

A sitemap is one of the most important parts of building a well-structured website. Whether you're using Webflow or another platform, knowing the types of sitemaps can help you improve how people and search engines interact with your website.

When we talk about sitemaps, we’re usually referring to two main types: HTML sitemap and XML sitemap. However, there are also some other formats and special types of sitemaps that serve different purposes.

Let’s discuss each type in detail so you can choose the right ones for your site, especially when using the Webflow Sitemap feature.

1. HTML Sitemap – For Human Visitors

An HTML sitemap is made for your website visitors. It is a simple, clickable page that shows the main structure of your website in a list format.

What It Looks Like:

• A clean page with text links
• Lists all main categories and subpages
• Easy to scan and browse

Why It Matters:

• Helps users find pages that may be buried in deep navigation
• Offers a full overview of your site in one place
• Makes your website more user-friendly and accessible

In Webflow:

Webflow does not automatically generate HTML sitemaps. You have to build it manually by creating a page and adding links to your main pages. This improves navigation and also signals content structure to search engines.

‍

HTML Sitemap example

Important Tags in HTML Sitemap:

• <ul>: Creates an unordered list of page links.
  
  • Example: <ul> <li>...</li> </ul>

• <li>: Each list item is one page link.
  
  • Example: <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>

• <a>: Anchor tag linking to a page.
  
  • Example: <a href="https://example.com/blog">Blog</a>

• <h1> / <h2>: Headings to organize sections in the HTML sitemap.
  
  • Example: <h2>Product Pages</h2>

2. XML Sitemap – For Search Engines

An XML sitemap is made for search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. It’s a special file (with .xml at the end) that lists all the important pages of your site and includes extra details like:

• Page URL
• Last modified date
• How often the page is updated
• The priority of each page

What It Does:

• Gives the information about available pages on your website to the search engine.
• Helps bots crawl and index your site faster
• Makes sure no page is left out, even hidden or unlinked ones

In Webflow:

XML sitemaps are automatically created by Webflow when you enable the sitemap option in your site settings. You can find it at the following link.

yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Webflow Sitemap updates are an automatic process every time you publish changes. It keeps your site fresh in the eyes of search engines without any extra effort from you.

XML Sitemap example

Important Tags in XML Sitemap:

• <urlset>: Root element that wraps all the URLs. Declares the XML format used.
  
  • Example: <urlset xmlns="https://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">

• <url>: Groups the data for a single page.
  
  • Example:<url> ... </url>

• <loc>: The full page URL you want indexed.
  
  • Example:<loc>https://example.com/about</loc>

• <lastmod>: Indicates the last time the page was updated.
  
  • Example: <lastmod>2025-07-23</lastmod>

• <changefreq>: Suggests how often the content changes (e.g., daily, weekly).
  
  • Example: <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>

• <priority>: Helps show how important the page is compared to others on your site.
  
  • Example:<priority>0.8</priority>

3. Image Sitemap – For Image Content

If your site has lots of images (especially product photos, infographics, or design work), an image sitemap can help search engines find and index them.

Why It’s Useful:

• In Google Image Search, it will increase your visibility.
• Helps drive traffic through visual content
• Supports SEO for photographers, designers, and eCommerce sites

Webflow does not automatically create a separate image sitemap, but image URLs are often included in your regular XML sitemap if your site is properly structured.

Image Sitemap example

Important Tags in image Sitemap:

• <image:image>: image-specific info inside each <url>.
  
  • Example: <image:image> ... </image:image>

• <image:loc>: URL where the image file is located.
  
  • Example: <image:loc>https://example.com/image1.jpg</image:loc

• <image:caption>: Caption or short description of the image (optional but helpful for SEO).
  
  • Example:  <image:caption>Mountain landscape</image:caption>

• <image:title>: Title of the image (optional but useful).
  
  • Example:  <image:title>Nature Photo</image:title>

4. Video Sitemap – For Video Pages

A video sitemap helps search engines understand the video content on your site. This is useful if your pages include embedded videos or host original video content.

Key Benefits:

• Helps videos appear in video search results
• Provides metadata like video title, description, thumbnail URL, and duration
• Improves SEO for video-heavy websites

While Webflow doesn’t create a separate video sitemap, you can use third-party tools to generate one and then manually upload it to your site and submit it through Google Search Console.

Video Sitemap example

Important Tags in Video Sitemap:

• <video:video>: Groups all metadata about a video inside a URL. 
  
  • Example:  <video:video> ... </video:video>

• <video:thumbnail_loc>: Link to the video thumbnail image that appears in search results.
  
  • Example:<video:thumbnail_loc>https://example.com/thumb.jpg</video:thumbnail_loc> 

• <video:title>: Title of the video. It should match the page title or video title on the site.
  
  • Example: <video:title>How to Use Webflow</video:title>

• <video:description>: A brief summary of what the video is about.
  
  • Example: <video:description>This video explains Webflow basics.</video:description>

• <video:content_loc>: Gives information about URL to the video file or hosted link.
  
  • Example:<video:content_loc>https://example.com/video.mp4</video:content_loc>

• <video:duration>: Length of the video in seconds (optional).
  
  • Example: <video:duration>180</video:duration>

5. News Sitemap for news & blog content

If your site publishes breaking news or fresh blog articles, a news sitemap is helpful. It tells Google which of your pages qualify as news content. New sitemaps are used for news or blog websites.

Best For:

• Online news platforms
• Blogs with frequent updates
• Editorial or magazine-style websites

This sitemap type includes article titles, publish dates, and more. It helps your articles show up in Google News. Webflow users with news sites can create and upload news sitemaps manually if needed.

News Sitemap example

Important Tags in News Sitemap:

• <news:news>: Container for all news-related metadata.
  
  • Example: <news:news> ... </news:news>

• <news:publication>: Holds the publication name and language.
  
  • Example: <news:publication> ... </news:publication>

• <news:name>: The official name of the news website or publisher.
  
  • Example: <news:name>Daily Tech News</news:name>

• <news:language>: Language code of the article (e.g., en for English).
  
  • Example: <news:language>en</news:language>

• <news:publication_date>: The original publication date of the news article.
  
  • Example:<news:publication_date>2025-07-23</news:publication_date>

• <news:title>: The exact headline of the article.
  
  • Example: <news:title>Webflow Adds Sitemap Tools</news:title>

Summary Table: Sitemap Types and Their Purpose

‍

Why Do You Need a Webflow Sitemap?

Having a sitemap is not just helpful, it’s necessary if you want your site to be found. Here’s why a Webflow Sitemap matters:

Helps Search Engines Crawl Your Website

Webflow automatically creates an XML sitemap for your website. This file shows search engines every page you want them to see. It also tells them when a page was last updated.

Improves SEO

When your site is easy for Google to read, your chances of showing up in search results go up. A Webflow Sitemap gives search engines clear instructions. This leads to better visibility.

Keeps Your Site Organized

A sitemap also helps you stay organized. It shows you how your pages are linked. If there are pages missing or disconnected, the sitemap will reveal them.

How to Create a Sitemap in Webflow

Creating a sitemap in Webflow is an easy process. You don’t need to write any code or use special software. Webflow takes care of it for you.

Step 1: Enable Sitemap in Webflow Settings

1. Go to your Webflow dashboard.
2. Open your project.
3. Click on the SEO tab.
4. Scroll to find the option to enable your sitemap.
5. Turn it on and save your changes.

This enables Webflow to create and update your sitemap automatically.

Step 2: Customize Which Pages Are Included

Webflow lets you decide exactly which pages are included in your sitemap. You can:

• Hide certain pages from search engines.
• Set specific meta tags and page titles.
• Bound the search engine to skip the desired pages.

This is useful if you don’t want certain pages, like test pages or thank-you pages, to show in search results.

Step 3: Submit Your Sitemap to Google

After creating your Webflow Sitemap, submit it to Google using Google Search Console.

Here’s how:

1. Go to Google Search Console.
2. Choose your website.
3. Click “Sitemaps” on the side panel.
4. Enter your sitemap URL (usually yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
5. Click submit.

That’s it! Google will now check your site and start indexing your pages.

Pros of Using a Webflow Sitemap

A Webflow Sitemap has many advantages. Let’s look at the top benefits:

1. Search Engines Can Find Your Pages Fast

A sitemap acts like a guidebook for bots. It tells them what to look at. This helps them crawl and index your content quickly.

2. Saves Time

With Webflow, the sitemap is made automatically. No need to use plugins or build one manually. This is perfect for beginners or busy website owners.

3. Updates Happen Instantly

When you change a page, Webflow updates the sitemap on its own. This means search engines always see the most recent version of your website.

4. Boosts SEO Performance

By using a Webflow Sitemap, you improve the chances of your site ranking well. It ensures no page is missed or ignored.

5. Cleaner Website Structure

It gives you a better picture of your website. You can spot missing pages or broken links easily.

Cons of Using a Webflow Sitemap

While a Webflow Sitemap is helpful, there are a few things to consider.

1. Limited Customization

Webflow handles everything automatically. While this is great for beginners, advanced users may want more control. If you’re a developer, you might find this limiting.

2. Manual Steps for Google Submission

Even though the sitemap is created automatically, you still need to submit it manually to Google Search Console. Forgetting to do this means your site might not get indexed properly.

3. Can Include Unwanted Pages

Sometimes, hidden or draft pages may accidentally appear in your sitemap. You need to check your settings to make sure only the right pages are listed.

Best Practices for Managing Your Webflow Sitemap

To make the most of your Webflow Sitemap, follow these easy tips:

Keep It Clean

Only include pages that matter to your audience and to search engines. Exclude pages like test pages, duplicate pages, or old versions.

Use Clear Page Titles

Search engines read your page titles to understand what each page is about. Keep them simple and direct.

Update Content Often

When your site changes, Webflow updates your sitemap, but it’s still a good idea to refresh your content regularly.

Check Your Sitemap File

Visit your sitemap by going to yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Make sure the right pages are there.

Submit Again After Major Changes

If you add many new pages or make big updates, go to Google Search Console and resubmit your sitemap.

Great Examples of Sitemaps

To see what a good sitemap looks like, check out these examples shared on Creative Corner Studio:

• Nike – Their sitemap shows clean categories for shoes, clothes, and collections.
• Apple – Apple’s sitemap is neat and user-focused. It’s built for both visitors and search bots.
• Adobe – Adobe’s sitemap is detailed and well-structured, listing hundreds of pages clearly.

These big brands use sitemaps to make sure their large websites stay organized and easy to 

Summary Table: Pros & Cons of Webflow Sitemap

Final Thoughts

A Webflow Sitemap is one of the most powerful tools you can use to boost your website’s SEO. It helps search engines understand your site, improves your ranking, and makes sure no page is missed. Webflow makes it easy, all you have to do is turn it on, customize it, and submit it to Google. Using a Webflow Sitemap gives your site a strong foundation to grow online while running a blog, online store, or Portfolio websites.