Google’s John Mueller answered a question about why some websites use multiple XML sitemaps instead of a single file. His response suggests that what appears to be unnecessary complexity may arise from reasons that are not immediately obvious.
The question came from an SEO trying to understand why it would be better to manage multiple sitemap files rather than keep everything in one place.
Question about using multiple sitemaps
SEO framed the problem as a question of efficiency, wondering why anyone would choose to increase the number of files to manage.
They request:
“Can I ask a stupid question: what is the benefit of multiple sitemaps? It seems like you are going from 1 file to manage to X files to manage.
Why this extra work? Why not just have 1 file? »
That’s a good question, avoiding extra work is always a good idea when it comes to SEO, especially if someone has a relatively small website, it makes sense to only have one sitemap, but as Google’s Mueller explains, there can be good reasons to split a sitemap into multiple files.
Mueller explains why multiple sitemaps are used
Mueller responded by listing several reasons why multiple sitemap files are used, including both practical and less intentional causes.
He replied:
“Some reasons I’ve seen:
- want to track different types of URLs in groups (“product detail page sitemap” vs “product category sitemap” – which you can sort of do with the Page Index report)
- split by freshness (persistent content in a separate sitemap file – in theory a search engine might not need to check the “old” sitemap as often; I don’t know if this actually happens)
- split proactively (so you don’t hit 50,000 and have to urgently figure out how to change your configuration)
- hreflang sitemaps (can take up a ton of space, so the 50,000 URLs might make the files too large)
- my computer did it, I don’t know why”
Mueller’s answer shows that sitemaps can be used in creative and useful ways. Something I’ve heard from enterprise level SEOs is that they find that keeping a sitemap well below 50,000 rows ensures better indexing.
Takeaways
Mueller’s response shows that sometimes keeping things “simple” isn’t always the best strategy. It might make sense to apply organization to sitemaps. Complexity appears to be unnecessary and is often the result of practical constraints, scalable site structures or automated systems rather than deliberate optimization.
- Multiple sitemaps can be used to group different types of content
- They help avoid reaching technical limits such as the 50,000 URL cap.
- Some implementations are based on theory rather than confirmed behavior
- Not all site plan structures are intentional or strategically planned
Featured image by Shutterstock/Rachchanont Hemmawong
