A `sitemap.xml` file is an XML file that helps search engines understand the structure of a website. It lists all the important pages on your site, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content. Here’s a basic overview of what it contains:
- URL Set: Each page you want to include is represented by a URL entry.
- Last Modified: Indicates when the page was last updated using the lastmod tag.
- Change Frequency: Suggests how often the page may change using the changefreq tag.
- Priority: Specifies the importance of the page relative to other pages on the site using the priority tag.
Here’s a simple example of a `sitemap.xml` file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1">
<url>
<loc>http://www.example.com/</loc>
<lastmod>2023-10-01</lastmod>
<changefreq>daily</changefreq>
<priority>1.0</priority>
</url>
<url>
<loc>http://www.example.com/about</loc>
<lastmod>2023-10-01</lastmod>
<changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
<priority>0.8</priority>
</url>
</urlset>
This structure allows search engines like Google to better understand your site and its content.