An XML sitemap is a file that helps search engines navigate through the folders and documents of a particular resource. These files assist search engines in determining the location of site pages, the time they were last updated, the frequency of updates, and the importance (priority) of pages in the overall structure so that the search engine can index the site more intelligently. A sitemap has an ultimate impact as it significantly speeds up indexing. In addition to that, it increases the likelihood that web pages will be indexed before the competitors can copy and publish the content.
Before creating a sitemap it is necessary to understand in what cases it would be effective to use an XML sitemap:
- The resource is very voluminous and is often updated, and therefore the search engine can skip new materials.
- The structure of a site is very complex with a large number of pages.
- JS, Flash, Ajax, and other technologies are actively used in a project while their indexing causes difficulties for search engines.
- The site is international or the same information is translated into many different languages.
When employing an XML sitemap it is important to follow such recommendations:
- Update XML sitemap so that it is relevant to the website’s content
- Include only those pages that can be indexed
- Do not put more than 50.000 URLs in an XML sitemap
- Check whether the file size doesn’t exceed 50MB
