TECHNICAL SEO
XML Sitemap Guide for Beginners
An XML sitemap is a structured list of URLs that can help search engines discover pages. It is a discovery aid, not a guarantee that every URL will be indexed.
What to include
Include canonical, indexable URLs that you want discovered. Avoid filling the sitemap with duplicate or redirected URLs.
Where to publish it
Publish the sitemap at a stable public URL such as https://example.com/sitemap.xml. Make sure the file returns valid XML.
Submit it
Submit the sitemap through your search engine webmaster tools. You can also reference it from robots.txt for additional discovery.
Keep it updated
Update the sitemap as important pages are added or removed. For small sites, a simple generated sitemap can be enough to start.