Technical SEO

XML Sitemap

A structured list of important URLs to help search engines discover and prioritize content.

Definition

An XML sitemap is a machine-readable file that lists key URLs on a site, optionally including metadata such as last modification date and change frequency. Sitemaps aid discovery and can signal priority, especially for large or frequently updated sites. They do not guarantee indexation, but they improve coverage and complement internal linking and strong site architecture.

Criteria	Recommended	Notes
Intent Alignment	Map $xml sitemap to user journeys and topics	Validate with SERP and on-site behavior
Consistency	Encode in components and content standards	Use CMS validations and preview QA
Measurement	Track internal CTR, sync signals, conversions	Set guardrails to catch regressions

XML Sitemap

Definition

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Crawl Budget

Site Architecture

Orphan Pages

robots.txt

Silo Structure

Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

Content Decay

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