What is sitemap?
A file that lists the pages of your site you want search engines to find.
The plain definition
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the addresses of the pages on your site that you want search engines to know about. It usually sits at an address like example.com/sitemap.xml. It can also record when each page was last changed. It is a guide, not an order.
An example
You add twenty new town pages. They are linked from a hidden menu that crawlers struggle to follow. Adding them to the sitemap, and submitting the sitemap in Search Console, gives search engines a clear list to work from.
Why it matters for a local business
A sitemap helps most on new sites and on larger ones, but it never replaces good internal links. List only real, public pages that you want in results, keep it up to date, and leave out redirects, error pages and pages marked noindex.
Check it for free
See where you stand with the free website grader. If you would rather have it handled, our Websites service covers this as part of the monthly work.
Related terms
Part of the SEO glossary. New to all this? Start with the beginner’s SEO guide.
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