What is XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists important URLs a search engine should discover and revisit.
An XML sitemap is a machine-readable file that contains a structured list of canonical URLs, often with metadata such as last modified date. It helps search engines find new or updated pages, especially on large or complex websites.
SEO Impact
Sitemaps improve discoverability and support more efficient crawling of important content.
Example
A sitemap may include /services/, /blog/technical-seo/, and /contact/ as canonical URLs.
Related Terms
What is a Robots.txt File?
The robots.txt file tells search engines which pages of your site they can or cannot crawl.
What is a Meta Description?
The meta description is a short HTML summary that appears below the title in Google search results.
What is the Title Tag?
The title tag is the most important HTML element for SEO. It's the blue clickable title in Google.
What is a Canonical Tag?
The canonical tag tells Google which is the preferred version of a page when duplicate content exists.
What is Hreflang?
Hreflang is an HTML attribute that tells Google the language and region a page targets for multilingual sites.
What is X-Default Hreflang?
X-default is a special hreflang value that designates the default page for users whose language isn't specifically targeted.