Generate an XML Sitemap with Screaming Frog (For Large Websites)

Managing large websites with thousands of pages can be complex, especially when it comes to SEO. One critical component of ensuring your website is fully optimized and indexed by search engines is an XML sitemap—a file that lists all the URLs on your website to guide search engine bots in crawling your site effectively.

For websites with over 1,000 pages, manually generating and managing a sitemap isn’t practical. Fortunately, Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a powerful tool that makes this task manageable, even for very large sites.

Why Use Screaming Frog for XML Sitemaps?

Screaming Frog is a desktop-based SEO spider tool that mimics how search engine bots crawl websites. It collects detailed data about your site structure and provides several tools to optimize your SEO, including automated XML sitemap generation. Here's why it's ideal for large websites:

1. Scalability

Screaming Frog can handle websites of all sizes—from small blogs to massive enterprise sites with hundreds of thousands of pages. Its performance is fast, and it’s built to handle large-scale crawls.

2. Detailed Crawl Data

It doesn’t just generate sitemaps; it also identifies SEO issues like broken links, redirects, duplicate content, and more—all of which can affect your website's ranking.

3. Customizable Crawls

You can fine-tune what pages to include or exclude in your sitemap. This means your sitemap remains clean, efficient, and optimized for search engines.

4. Free and Paid Versions

The free version supports up to 500 URLs. For large websites, the paid version (which unlocks full functionality) is highly recommended.

Step-by-Step: Generating an XML Sitemap with Screaming Frog

Here’s how to generate a sitemap with Screaming Frog for a large website:

1. Install Screaming Frog

Go to the Screaming Frog website and download the version suitable for your OS (Windows, Mac, or Linux). Follow the installation instructions.

2. Start a Website Crawl

• Launch Screaming Frog.

• Enter your website’s URL into the top search bar.

• Click “Start” to begin the crawl.

The crawl duration depends on your site size. For very large websites, it may take several hours.

3. Customize Crawl Settings (Optional but Recommended)

For greater control:

• Exclude irrelevant pages: e.g., admin areas, login pages, or thank-you pages.

• Limit crawl depth: Focus on important sections of the site first.

• Filter by status codes or content types: Ensure only quality content is included in the sitemap.

This helps improve crawl efficiency and sitemap quality.

4. Generate the Sitemap

After the crawl is complete:

• Go to the “Sitemaps” tab.

• Choose “XML Sitemap” from the dropdown.

• Configure the settings:

  • Set Priority: Give high-traffic or important pages a higher priority.

  • Change Frequency: Suggest how often content changes (e.g., daily, weekly).

  • Include/Exclude URLs: Customize which URLs appear based on filters.

• Click “Create Sitemap” to generate the file.

5. Save and Upload the Sitemap

Once generated:

• Download the sitemap file to your computer.

• Upload it to your site’s root directory, typically found at https://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml.

6. Submit to Search Engines

Submit your sitemap via:

• Google Search Console: Navigate to the "Sitemaps" section and submit the sitemap URL.

• Bing Webmaster Tools: Similar submission process to Google.

This helps search engines discover and index your pages faster and more efficiently.

Best Practices for Large Website Sitemaps

To get the most out of Screaming Frog and ensure maximum SEO benefit:

•  Regularly Update Your Sitemap

Websites change often—new pages get added, old ones removed. Re-crawl your site and update your sitemap periodically to reflect changes.

•  Exclude Low-Value Pages

Keep your sitemap clean by excluding pages that don't add SEO value (e.g., privacy policies, duplicate pages, or internal dashboards).

• Prioritize High-Value Content

Ensure that high-converting product pages, cornerstone blog content, and other vital assets are included and assigned appropriate priority levels.

•  Fix Errors First

Before generating your sitemap, use Screaming Frog’s crawl data to fix issues such as:

• 404 errors

• Broken links

• Redirect loops

• Duplicate title tags or meta descriptions

 Segment by Sitemap Size (Optional)

Google recommends limiting each sitemap to 50,000 URLs. If your site exceeds that, Screaming Frog can automatically split your sitemap into multiple files and create a sitemap index.

Final Thoughts

An optimized XML sitemap is vital for large websites. It helps search engines discover your content faster and ensures critical pages get indexed. Screaming Frog makes this process efficient and scalable by offering:

• Fast, detailed crawls

• Custom crawl and sitemap settings

• Bulk sitemap generation

• Error detection for better site health

If you're managing an enterprise website, Screaming Frog is a must-have tool in your SEO toolkit. With regular updates, proper page exclusions, and consistent monitoring, your sitemap will not only guide search engines but also support better visibility and search performance.