Google: Does Your XML Sitemaps Need To Load Fast?

Sep 14, 2017 - 8:09 am 2 by

Google Hourglass

Many webmasters and SEOs are obsessed with site speed, not just for their users satisfaction but also because Google seems to be obsessed with it as well. But XML sitemaps are not for users, it is for Google, so do those need to load super fast?

The answer is no. They just need to load and how long it takes, doesn't seem to matter too much. As long as they don't time out when Google tries to access it, then you should be okay.

John Mueller of Google was asked this question yesterday on Twitter and he said "as long as it doesn't time out, you should be fine."

Here are the tweets:

So since XML Sitemaps are not for people, it is okay if they don't load super fast but make sure they do load.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: July 4, 2025

Jul 4, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google June 2025 Core Update, Search Volatility, Insights Report, Ads & More

Jul 4, 2025 - 8:01 am
Bing Search

Bing Search Tests Zoomable & Sticky Related Searches

Jul 4, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google

Google AI Mode Can Respond In Non-English Languages

Jul 4, 2025 - 7:41 am
Bing Search

Bing Tests Local Place Listings In Green

Jul 4, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Merchant Center Gains Automatic Shipping Updates

Jul 4, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Google AdWords Phone Number On Click To Text