A `sitemap.xml` file is an XML file that helps search engines understand the structure of your website. It provides a list of URLs on your site and can include additional information like the last modified date, frequency of changes, and priority.
Here’s a simple example of how a `sitemap.xml` file is structured:
```xml
https://www.example.com/
2023-10-01
daily
1.0
https://www.example.com/about
2023-10-01
monthly
0.8
https://www.example.com/contact
2023-10-01
yearly
0.5
```
Key elements of a `sitemap.xml` include:
- <urlset>: The root element of the sitemap.
- <url>: Contains information about a specific URL.
- <loc>: The URL of the page.
- <lastmod>: The date the page was last modified.
- <changefreq>: How frequently the page is expected to change (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).
- <priority>: The priority of the page relative to other pages on the site (value between 0.0 and 1.0).
Creating and submitting a `sitemap.xml` file can improve your site's SEO by ensuring that search engines can discover and