Types of Sitemaps: XML, HTML, Video, Image, and News
An overview of every sitemap type: XML, HTML, video, image, news, and sitemap index files. What each type does, when you need it, and how they work together.
"Sitemap" is a broad term. It can refer to several different file types, each serving a different purpose. An XML sitemap for search engines is not the same as an HTML sitemap for users, and neither of those is the same as a video or news sitemap. Understanding what each type does helps you decide which ones your site needs.
This guide covers every major sitemap type, what it is for, and when to use it. For an in-depth look at the most common type, see our XML sitemap guide.
XML Sitemap
The XML sitemap is the standard sitemap for search engine optimization. It is an XML file that lists the URLs on your site along with optional metadata like the last modification date, change frequency, and priority.
Format
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/page-1/</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-01</lastmod>
</url>
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/page-2/</loc>
<lastmod>2026-05-28</lastmod>
</url>
</urlset>
When you need it
Every website benefits from an XML sitemap. It helps search engines discover your pages, understand your site structure, and identify which pages have been updated recently. It is especially valuable for:
- New sites with few external links
- Large sites with deep page hierarchies
- Sites with pages that are not well-linked internally
- Sites that add content frequently
Limits
A single XML sitemap can contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB (uncompressed). For larger sites, use a sitemap index file that references multiple sitemaps. See our guide on sitemap index files.
HTML Sitemap
An HTML sitemap is a regular web page that lists links to important pages on your site. It is designed for human visitors, not search engines.
Format
An HTML sitemap is just a page on your site with organized links. There is no special format or schema. It typically looks like a structured list of links organized by category or section:
<h2>Products</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="/products/widget-a/">Widget A</a></li>
<li><a href="/products/widget-b/">Widget B</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Resources</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="/blog/getting-started/">Getting Started Guide</a></li>
<li><a href="/blog/advanced-tips/">Advanced Tips</a></li>
</ul>
When you need it
HTML sitemaps are useful for sites with complex navigation where users might have trouble finding specific pages. They are less common than they used to be -- good navigation design, search functionality, and breadcrumbs have largely replaced them. But they can still help:
- Large sites with hundreds of pages spread across many categories
- Sites where certain pages are not accessible through the main navigation
- Sites that want to provide an alternative way for users to browse content
From an SEO perspective, HTML sitemaps provide internal links to pages, which can help with crawlability. But they are not a substitute for an XML sitemap.
HTML vs. XML sitemap
| | HTML Sitemap | XML Sitemap | |---|---|---| | Audience | Human visitors | Search engine crawlers | | Format | Standard HTML page | XML file | | Purpose | Navigation aid | Crawling aid | | Location | Linked from footer or nav | Submitted to Search Console, referenced in robots.txt | | Content | Important pages | All indexable pages |
You can have both. For a detailed comparison, see our HTML vs. XML sitemap article.
Image Sitemap
An image sitemap helps search engines discover images on your site, particularly images that might not be found through normal crawling (images loaded via JavaScript, images in CSS, or images on pages that are deep in your site structure).
Format
Image sitemap data can be included in your regular XML sitemap using the image namespace:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
xmlns:image="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/page/</loc>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://example.com/images/photo.jpg</image:loc>
</image:image>
<image:image>
<image:loc>https://example.com/images/diagram.png</image:loc>
</image:image>
</url>
</urlset>
Each <url> entry can contain up to 1,000 <image:image> entries. The <image:loc> tag is the only required field.
When you need it
Image sitemaps are valuable for:
- E-commerce sites with large product image libraries
- Photography and stock image sites
- Sites where images are a primary content type
- Sites that load images dynamically via JavaScript
If your images are embedded in standard HTML <img> tags on pages that Google already crawls, Google will find them without an image sitemap. The sitemap is most useful when images are hard to discover through normal crawling.
For more details, see our guide on video and image sitemaps.
Video Sitemap
A video sitemap provides search engines with metadata about video content on your site. It helps your videos appear in Google Video search results and video carousels.
Format
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
xmlns:video="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-video/1.1">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/videos/tutorial/</loc>
<video:video>
<video:thumbnail_loc>https://example.com/thumbs/tutorial.jpg</video:thumbnail_loc>
<video:title>Getting Started Tutorial</video:title>
<video:description>A walkthrough of the setup process.</video:description>
<video:content_loc>https://example.com/videos/tutorial.mp4</video:content_loc>
</video:video>
</url>
</urlset>
Required tags
<video:thumbnail_loc>-- URL of the video thumbnail image<video:title>-- Title of the video<video:description>-- Description of the video- Either
<video:content_loc>(direct URL to the video file) or<video:player_loc>(URL of the video player)
When you need it
Video sitemaps are useful when:
- You host videos on your own domain (not just embedded YouTube videos)
- You want your videos to appear in Google Video search results
- You have video content behind JavaScript players that Google may not discover through crawling
If you embed YouTube or Vimeo videos, those platforms handle their own indexing. A video sitemap is primarily for self-hosted video content.
News Sitemap
A news sitemap is designed specifically for Google News. It lists articles published within the last 48 hours and includes metadata like the publication name, language, and article title.
Format
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
xmlns:news="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-news/0.9">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/2026/06/breaking-story</loc>
<news:news>
<news:publication>
<news:name>Example News</news:name>
<news:language>en</news:language>
</news:publication>
<news:publication_date>2026-06-09T08:00:00+00:00</news:publication_date>
<news:title>Breaking Story Headline Here</news:title>
</news:news>
</url>
</urlset>
Key rules
- Only include articles from the last 48 hours
- Maximum 1,000 URLs per news sitemap
- Publication name must match your Google Publisher Center registration
- Only article pages, not category or author pages
When you need it
News sitemaps are for news publishers who want their content to appear in Google News and the Top Stories carousel. If you do not publish news content, you do not need one. For a full walkthrough, see our news sitemap guide.
Sitemap Index
A sitemap index is not a sitemap type per se, but a file that references multiple sitemaps. It lets you organize large sites into manageable chunks.
Format
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<sitemap>
<loc>https://example.com/sitemap-pages.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-09</lastmod>
</sitemap>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://example.com/sitemap-blog.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-08</lastmod>
</sitemap>
<sitemap>
<loc>https://example.com/sitemap-products.xml</loc>
<lastmod>2026-06-07</lastmod>
</sitemap>
</sitemapindex>
When you need it
Use a sitemap index when:
- Your site has more than 50,000 URLs
- You want to organize sitemaps by content type (blog, products, pages)
- You have separate sitemaps for different purposes (standard, news, video)
For details, see sitemap index files explained.
Hreflang Sitemap
Technically not a separate type, but XML sitemaps can include hreflang annotations using the xhtml namespace. This is the recommended approach for large multilingual sites.
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/en/page/</loc>
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://example.com/en/page/" />
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="fr" href="https://example.com/fr/page/" />
<xhtml:link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://example.com/de/page/" />
</url>
For sites with many language variants, implementing hreflang in sitemaps is more practical than adding link tags to every page's HTML. See our hreflang in sitemaps guide for the full setup.
Combining sitemap types
You can combine image, video, and standard sitemap data in a single XML file by including multiple namespaces. This reduces the number of files to manage. However, for clarity and maintainability, many sites keep them separate and use a sitemap index to tie them together.
Which Sitemaps Do You Need?
Here is a simple decision guide:
| Sitemap type | You need it if... | |---|---| | XML sitemap | You have a website (everyone) | | HTML sitemap | You have a large site with complex navigation | | Image sitemap | You have many images, especially dynamically loaded ones | | Video sitemap | You self-host video content | | News sitemap | You publish news articles | | Sitemap index | You have more than 50,000 URLs or multiple sitemap types | | Hreflang sitemap | You have a large multilingual site |
Most sites need only an XML sitemap. Add specialized types as your content requires them.
Validating Your Sitemaps
Regardless of type, validate your sitemaps before submitting them to search engines. Common validation checks:
- XML is well-formed (no syntax errors)
- All URLs return 200 status codes
- URLs are absolute, not relative
- File size is under 50 MB (uncompressed)
- URL count is under 50,000 per file (1,000 for news sitemaps)
- Namespaces are correctly declared
For validation tools, see our sitemap validation guide.
Summary
There are several types of sitemaps, each serving a different purpose. XML sitemaps are the foundation for search engine discovery. HTML sitemaps help human navigation. Image, video, and news sitemaps extend the standard format for specialized content. Sitemap index files organize multiple sitemaps into one reference point. Start with an XML sitemap and add others as your content needs grow.
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