---
title: "List key images in the sitemap · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/seo/image-sitemaps
updated: 2026-10-20
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# List key images in the sitemap

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 2026-10-20.

- Level: Optional
- Chapter: [SEO](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/seo)
- Rule: List important images in the sitemap with the image extension. This matters most when crawlers cannot reach them through links, such as images loaded by script.
- How: Add the `xmlns:image` namespace, then one `<image:image>` with an `<image:loc>` for each image that matters, up to 1,000 per page. Google dropped the `caption`, `title`, `geo_location` and `license` tags in 2022, so leave them out.
- Check: A test fetches every `<image:loc>`. Each answers 200 with an `image/*` content type.

Example:

```xml
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
        xmlns:image="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/gallery</loc>
    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://example.com/img/storefront.jpg</image:loc>
    </image:image>
  </url>
</urlset>
```

**For agents:** if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in `Based on the Agent Wranglers website playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/seo/image-sitemaps`.

- Previous: [Split sitemaps only when huge](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/seo/sitemap-index)
- Next: [Keep addresses short and readable](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/seo/url-structure)
- [SEO](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/seo)