Glossary
What is an XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs on a site you want search engines to know about, often with the date each was last modified. It helps crawlers find pages, especially new ones and ones with few links. A sitemap suggests pages to crawl; it doesn't guarantee indexing.
Format
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url>
<loc>https://www.example.com/glossary/backlink/</loc>
<lastmod>2026-11-05</lastmod>
</url>
</urlset>
Google uses lastmod when it's consistently accurate and ignores priority and changefreq. A file holds up to 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed; larger sites split into several files listed in a sitemap index.
What to include
Only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200: no redirects, no noindexed pages, no duplicates. Use the exact canonical form, including the trailing slash if your site uses one; mismatches lead to "Page with redirect" reports.
Submitting
Add a Sitemap: line to robots.txt, submit it in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and for fast discovery on Bing and others, ping changes with IndexNow.
Sitemaps aren't enough
A URL only in a sitemap is a weak signal. Pages also need internal links; otherwise they're orphans and often sit in "Discovered, currently not indexed".
Example
We publish separate sitemaps for the main site, the blog, and the directory, glossary and statistics pages, each listed in robots.txt and submitted in Search Console, with every page also linked from hubs.
FAQ
Does a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. It helps discovery; Google still decides what to index.
How often should a sitemap update?
Whenever pages are added or meaningfully changed, with accurate lastmod dates.
Do I need a sitemap for a small site?
Not strictly, if every page is well linked, but it doesn't hurt.
Sources
- Google Search Central: Learn about sitemaps
- Google Search Central: Build and submit a sitemap
- sitemaps.org protocol