sitemap.xml
A `sitemap.xml` file is an XML file that helps search engines understand the structure of your website. It lists the URLs of your site and provides additional information, such as how often the pages are updated and their importance relative to other pages.
Here’s a basic structure of a `sitemap.xml` file:
```xml
http://www.example.com/
2023-10-01
daily
1.0
http://www.example.com/about
2023-09-15
monthly
0.8
http://www.example.com/contact
2023-09-20
yearly
0.5
```
In this example:
- <url>: Defines a URL entry.
- <loc>: Specifies the location of the page.
- <lastmod>: Indicates the last modification date.
- <changefreq>: Suggests how frequently the page is likely to change.
- <priority>: Represents the priority of the page relative to other pages on the site.
Having a `sitemap.xml` is beneficial for SEO because it helps search engines crawl your site more effectively.