Keep the sitemap clean
Include canonical, indexable URLs that return successful responses. Exclude redirects, duplicates, blocked pages and URLs that should not appear in search.
Keep the file valid XML, update it as content changes and submit it through Search Console. Create one with the XML sitemap generator.
Which URLs belong in a sitemap?
Include canonical URLs that you want search engines to discover and that can be indexed. A sitemap is especially useful for large sites, new sites and content that is not easy to reach through internal links. It does not force indexing and it does not replace a sound site architecture.
- Include stable, successful URLs using the preferred protocol and hostname.
- Exclude redirects, duplicate variants, blocked paths and noindex pages.
- Keep one consistent format for trailing slashes and parameters.
- Update the file when important content is published, removed or moved.
Validate and submit the file
Check the XML syntax, confirm that each URL is accessible and review the sitemap report in Search Console. When a site has several content types or languages, separate sitemaps can make errors easier to diagnose while the sitemap index keeps the submission organized.
Pair the sitemap with a deliberate robots.txt configuration so crawlers can access the resources needed to understand your pages.