It consists of the following components:
Each site map needs to follow this standard to be effective. Other attributes (e. G., sum) will not affect the operation or performance of site maps。
Importance of lastmod
Google and bing have recognized that the functionality's utility labels are essential in site maps. Google’s gary illyes says: fabrice canel of microsoft bing said
The elements in the site map are a signal that helps climb the bug program to determine the frequency of accessing the web site."
In its xml site map document, google states:
"if the value is consistent and verifiable (e. G. By comparison with the last time of the page modification), google will use it."
Google also explains how to view the lastmod page update date:
"this value should reflect the date and time of the last significant update of the page. For example, the updating of the page's main content, structured data or links is generally considered important, but not the updating of copyright dates.”
Xml site map example
Let's see an example. Here you can see screenshots of the basic xml site map of yoast. Com. You can see all the different site maps on yoast. Com. You will note a date at the end of each line. This will inform google of the final update of each article and help seo because you want google to retrieve your updated content as soon as possible. When the date on the site map changes, google knows there's something new to grab and index。
Xml site map for yoast. Com
As you can see, the yoast. Com xml site map shows several "index" site maps: post-sitemap. Xml, page-sitemap. Xml, video-sitemap. Xml, etc. This classification makes the structure of the site as simple and clear as possible. So if you click on one of the index site maps, you will see all urls on that particular site map. For example, if you click, put-sitemap. Xml you will see all the posting urls of yoast. Com。
Xml site map for yoast. Com
Sometimes, if your website is large, you need to split the index site map. A single xml site map can accommodate up to 50,000 urls and file sizes up to 50 mb. If you have more than 50,000 posts on your website, you need to make two separate site maps for the post url, which will effectively add a second index site map. The yoast seo plugin will set the limit lower (1,000 urls) so that your site map can be loaded as quickly as possible。
Which websites need xml site maps
Google documents state that site maps are very useful for “very large websites”, “new sites with a large number of archives”, “new sites with only a small number of external links” and “sites with rich media content”. According to google, an appropriate internal link should make it easy to find everything. Unfortunately, many websites are not logically linked to their content。
While we agree that these sites have benefited most from the availability of xml site maps, in yoast we believe that xml site maps are beneficial for each site. With the development of networks, the correct indexing website has become increasingly difficult. That's why you should give the search engine all available options to find it. In addition, xml site maps make the capture process of the search engine more efficient and environmentally friendly。
Each site needs google to easily find key pages and find out when they were last updated. This is why this function is included in the yoast seo plugin。
Which pages should be included in your xml site map
How do you decide which pages to include in xml site maps? First, consider the relevance of urls: is the result good when visitors visit a url? Do you want visitors to access the url? If not, it might not be included. However, if you do not want the url to appear in the search result, you must add the 'noindex 'label. Removing it from the site map does not mean that google will not index the url. If google can find it by tracking links, google can index it。
For example: a new blog
For example, you are creating a new blog. Of course, you want to ensure that the target audience can find your blog article in the search results. Therefore, it is best to immediately include your article in the xml site map. It is certain that most of your pages will also be the result of visitors. However, the thanks page that you see when you subscribe to your newsletter is not what you want to see in the search results. In this case, you do not want to exclude all pages from the site map。
Let's continue with the new blog. In addition to blog articles, you have created categories and labels. These categories and labels will have an archived page listing all the posts in the particular category or label. At first, however, there may not be sufficient content to fill these archived pages, making them “slender content” pages. For example, a tab archive showing only one post is of less value to visitors. You can remove them from the site map when you start blogging and include them when you have enough posts. You can even exclude all tab pages or categories with yoast seo。
However, such pages may also be excellent ranking material. So if you think, "well, yes, this tab page is a little thin now, but it's probably a great landing page, then use extra information and pictures to enrich it. In this case, it is not excluded from the site map。
How to find your site map
If you want google to find your xml site map faster, add it to your google search coNsole account. You can find your site map in the site map section. If not, you can add your site map to the top of the page。
Adding site maps helps to check whether google has indexed all of its pages. If there is a significant difference between the “submitted” and “indexed” figures on a site map, we suggest that you investigate them further. Perhaps there is an error leading to certain pages not being indexed? Another option is to add more links to those that have not been indexed。
Google correctly processed all urls on the post site map
How to use yoast seo to add xml site maps to your website
Because of its seo value, we added the function of creating xml site maps to the yoast seo plugin. They are available in free and advanced versions of the plugin. We'll automatically make them for you and place them in the right place. You do not have to worry about where the xml site map should be placed or about optimizing it for the search engine。
Although we worked with google to introduce the original xml site map to wordpress, we provided an advanced version of the site map in yoast seo. Wordpress is a base version, much less sophisticated than the version in yoast seo, but fully functional. If you install yoast seo, we will automatically disable wordpress site maps for you。
Yoast seo automatically creates xml site maps for your website. Click wordpress to install the seo in the sidebar, and then select the site function tab below the general bottom. Scroll down to api section:
You can find xml site maps in yoast seo's general > site function settings
On this screen, you can use the slide button below the function to enable or disable a different xml site map for your website. In addition, you can specify what the xml site map is and why you need it by clicking know more. Click " view xml site map " to view the xml site map of your website。
How to exclude content types from xml site maps
You can exclude content types from xml site maps in yoast seo settings for the content type section. Click the type of content that you want to exclude (e. G. A post), and then disable it with the slide block button next to " show the post in the search results " . If this is done, this will not be included in your xml site map。
Make sure what you want to see on the xml site map
This does not mean we suggest that your post and page be excluded from the xml site map. But you can control which content types are displayed on xml site maps. You can also do this for individual posts and pages by moving to advanced settings in the yoast seo bar or sidebar, and then choosing the option in " allowing the search engine to display this post/page in the search result? " . Would you like more information on when and why certain elements should be excluded from the xml site map? Read our indexing posts in yoast seo: which pages are shown in google's search results。
Common question answers on xml site maps
There are many questions about the xml site map, so we have a few answers to the common question questions below。
When google search coNsole shows what happens when an xml site map is wrong
If the xml site map is not valid or the search engine cannot read it correctly, you must find the listed error type. If the search engine is unable to read xml site maps, ensure that they are submitted to the search engine website administrator tool. If it does not work, check the error and find a specific solution to the problem。
How do you check the website for xml site maps
In most cases, you can find out if the site has xml site maps by adding a sitemap. Xml to the root field. So this will be example. Com/sitemap. Xml. If the web site is installed, you will notice that it is redirected to example. Com/sitemap index. Xml. Sitemap index. Xml is a base site map that collects all site maps on your website on a single page。
How to update xml site maps
There are several ways to make and update site maps manually. There is also a static generator to help you make site maps at any time. However, again, this process needs to be repeated every time content is added or updated. The best way to use yoast seo. Opens the xml site map in yoast seo and returns to the site - all updates will be automatic。
I can use it on my xml site map
Yeah
In the past, it was believed that adding this attribute to the site map would send a signal to google that google needed to prioritize a particular url. Unfortunately, it does not work because google often mentions that they will not use this attribute to read and prioritize what is found on site maps。
Check your own xml site map
Now, you know how important it is to have an xml site map: to have a site map to help your website. If you add the correct url, google can easily access your most important pages and posts. Google can also easily find updated content, so they know when to retake urls. Finally, add your xml site map to google search coNsole can help google quickly find your site map and allow you to point the map wrongly。
Therefore, check your xml site map and make sure you do it right
