# Generate Sitemap

A sitemap is an .xml file that lists and organizes all the web pages within a site. It helps search engines understand the site's structure and how its pages connect.

From the website dashboard, open the **Update** menu and select **Generate Sitemap**.

<p><img src="../../../images/websites/generate-sitemap.png" alt="Generate Sitemap panel" style="max-width: 520px;"></p>

**Name** | **Description**
:--- | ---
Select URL | Choose which of the website's addresses (production, staging, etc.) the sitemap should be generated for.
Generate Sitemap | Starts the sitemap build.
Live Crawl Log | Shows crawl activity in real time once a run starts.
Recent Runs | Lists past sitemap runs with their status, URL count, and start/last-update times.

!!! Note
Generating a sitemap runs as a background job and can take several minutes on a large site. Watch the Live Crawl Log while it runs &mdash; don't close the panel until it finishes.
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