A `sitemap.xml` file is an XML file that helps search engines understand the structure of a website. It lists important pages, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index them. Here’s a simple breakdown of its components:
- URL Set: The outermost tag that indicates the XML file contains a list of URLs.
- URL Entry: Each URL is enclosed in `` tags.
- loc: The location of the URL.
- lastmod: The last modification date of the URL.
- changefreq: How frequently the page is likely to change (e.g., daily, weekly).
- priority: The priority of the URL relative to other URLs on the site.
Here is a simple example of a `sitemap.xml`:
```xml
http://www.example.com/
2023-10-01
weekly
1.0
http://www.example.com/about
2023-09-15
monthly
0.8
```
This structure helps ensure that search engines can find and index all important pages of a website efficiently.