Video sitemap
A video sitemap is an XML list that tells search engines which videos a site has and describes each one: its title, summary, thumbnail, length and where the file lives. It helps search engines like Google discover videos they might miss while crawling. A video sitemap can be a separate file or part of an existing sitemap.
Why it matters
A video sitemap helps search engines find videos they might otherwise miss, especially videos loaded by a player script. Faster discovery means tutorials, trailers and product videos can appear in search sooner. It costs little to set up, so skipping it leaves easy search traffic behind.
How it works
- The site creates an XML file, or adds video tags to an existing sitemap.
- Each page entry lists its videos with a title, description and thumbnail URL.
- Each video also points to the video file or the player URL.
- The sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console or referenced in robots.txt.
Do I need a video sitemap?
You do not always need a video sitemap, but it helps when search engines might miss your videos. It is most useful for large libraries, new sites and videos loaded by JavaScript players. Google can still find videos through normal crawling and structured data, so a sitemap works best as an extra signal.
What should a video sitemap include?
A video sitemap entry must include the page URL, a thumbnail URL, a title, a description, and either the video file URL or the player URL. Optional tags can add duration, publication date, expiration date and viewing restrictions. Keep each title and description matched to the video on the page.
Where it's used
Help video libraries at SaaS products, trailers at OTT services and course previews at online learning platforms reach search results faster when listed in a video sitemap.
By the numbers
- Google's video sitemap tags allow a description of up to 2,048 characters and a duration from 1 to 28,800 seconds (8 hours). (Video sitemaps (Google Search Central))
