What is sitemap.xml and how to create it?
Introduction
Sitemap.xml definition
Sitemap.xml is a file that helps search engines like Google to more easily understand the structure of your website. This is a list of URLs available for indexing for a given page.
Purpose and benefits of sitemap.xml
The main purpose of sitemap.xml is to make it easier for search engine robots to discover and index pages. Thanks to this, your website can be indexed faster and more effectively, which can contribute to improving its visibility in search results.
How does sitemap.xml work?
Understanding the sitemap.xml structure
The sitemap.xml structure is quite simple. Each page on your website is represented by a <url> tag, which includes the following elements:
<loc>: URL of the page.<lastmod>: The date the page was last modified.<changefreq>: How often the page should be checked for changes.<priority>: Page priority over other pages on your site.
How search engines use sitemap.xml?
Search engines like Google use sitemap.xml to index your site efficiently. Search engine crawlers read sitemap.xml to find out which pages are available for indexing, when they were last updated, and how often they should be checked for changes.
Technical aspects of sitemap.xml
Detailed overview of sitemap.xml tags
Below is a more detailed overview of the tags that can be found in sitemap.xml:
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<loc>: This is the most important tag in sitemap.xml. Indicates the URL of the page to which the entry relates. -
<lastmod>: This tag tells search engines when the page was last modified. The date format should be in accordance with the W3C Datetime protocol, e.g. 2023-05-17. -
<changefreq>: This tag tells search engines how often the page may change. Can take values such as "always", "hourly", "daily", "weekly", "monthly", "yearly" and "never". -
<priority>: This tag tells search engines about the page's priority over other pages. The value should be between 0.0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being the highest priority. -
<sitemap>: This is a tag used in an index sitemap (a sitemap.xml file pointing to other sitemap files) that points to the location of another sitemap file. -
xhtml:link hreflang: This is a tag used to mark alternative language versions of the page. Thehreflangattribute should contain a language code and optionally a country code (e.g. "en" for English, "pl" for Polish, "en-US" for US English).
How to use sitemap.xml tags for SEO?
Sitemap.xml tags can be effectively used for SEO optimization. For example, by regularly updating the <lastmod> tag, you can inform search engines about updates to the page, which can speed up their indexing. Using the <changefreq> tag can help search engines understand how often they should visit your site. On the other hand, using the xhtml:link hreflang tag can help search engines understand the relationship between different language versions of your page.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
It's easy to make a few mistakes when creating sitemap.xml. Below is a list of the most common mistakes and tips on how to avoid them:
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Entering invalid or outdated URLs: Make sure all URLs in your sitemap file are correct and point to existing pages. Incorrect or outdated URLs can lead to crawl errors.
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Neglecting to update sitemaps: The sitemap file should be updated regularly, especially after adding new pages or after making significant changes to the site.
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Not including sitemaps in robots.txt: Many search engines use robots.txt to discover sitemaps. That's why it's important to add a line to your robots.txt file pointing to your sitemap location.
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Ignore
<lastmod>and<changefreq>tags: These tags help search engines understand when the page was last updated and how often it should be checked. Ignoring them may slow down page indexing.
When should you use sitemap.xml?
Examples of pages that need sitemap.xml
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Pages with a lot of pages: If your site has hundreds or thousands of pages, sitemap.xml can help search engines discover and index all those pages.
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Pages with deeply nested pages: If your site has pages that are difficult for search engines to discover (e.g. pages that are not linked from other pages), sitemap.xml can help search engines discover these pages.
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Media-intensive pages: Google supports special sitemaps for images and videos that can help index these items better.
Situations where sitemap.xml is less needed
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Small Pages: If your site only has a few pages and all are easily accessible via links, sitemap.xml may not be necessary.
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Sites with good navigation: If your site has a good link structure and easy-to-understand navigation, sitemap.xml may not be necessary.
How to create a sitemap.xml file?
Creating a sitemap.xml file is relatively simple and can be done in several ways:
Manually create sitemap.xml
You can create a sitemap.xml file manually by creating an XML file and adding appropriate tags to it. Below is an example of a simple sitemap.xml:
xml
Using a sitemap generator
There are tools and websites that can automatically generate a sitemap.xml file for your site. Examples of such tools are XML-Sitemaps, Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Google Search Console.
Using CMS plugins
If you use a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal, there are plugins that can automatically generate a sitemap.xml file for your website. Examples of such plugins are Yoast SEO for WordPress and OSMap for Joomla.
How to test and submit sitemap.xml to search engines?
After creating the sitemap.xml file, it's important to test it and submit it to search engines. Here's how:
Testing sitemap.xml
You can test the sitemap.xml file using Google Search Console. After logging into the console, go to the "Sitemaps" section and enter the URL into your sitemap.xml file, then click "Submit". Google Search Console will verify that the sitemap.xml file is correct and inform you of any errors.
Submitting sitemap.xml to search engines
To submit your sitemap.xml file to Google, use Google Search Console as described above. To upload a sitemap.xml file to Bing, use Bing Webmaster Tools. In both cases, you will need to verify that you are the owner of the site before you can upload the sitemap.xml file.
Summary
The sitemap.xml file is an important SEO tool that helps search engines discover and index pages on your site. Remember to update your sitemap.xml file regularly, especially after adding new pages or making significant changes to the page.
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