What does XML Sitemap mean?

An XML sitemap is a structured file - typically located at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml - that provides search engines with a list of your site’s most important URLs. It includes metadata like the last modified date, update frequency, and priority of each page. While not required, it greatly improves the chances that search engines will discover and index your content, especially on larger or newer sites.

Search engines like Google and Bing use XML sitemaps to understand your site’s structure and prioritize which pages to crawl.

Example

“We submitted our XML sitemap to Google Search Console to ensure our new blog posts would be crawled and indexed quickly.”

What are ways to use an XML Sitemap in your business?

Create an XML sitemap using your CMS or an SEO plugin (like Yoast or Rank Math) and submit it through Google Search Console. Make sure it includes only canonical, indexable URLs that represent high-quality content. Keep it clean - remove broken, duplicate, or noindex pages. If your site has thousands of pages, split the sitemap into smaller files for better efficiency.

Update the sitemap whenever you publish or remove important content.

Pro Tip

Link to your sitemap in your robots.txt file to help search engines discover it automatically, and periodically check it for crawl errors or outdated pages.