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Use your sitemap as a prioritisation tool
An XML sitemap lists important URLs you want search engines to discover. It cannot make weak pages valuable, but it can make your structure clearer.
Start with email. Share the page or your question, and we will answer clearly.
List the address you want people to find
A florist may have a delivery page at /flower-delivery/ and a campaign link to /flower-delivery/?ref=spring. If both show the same content, list the preferred page address in the sitemap.
Think of the sitemap as a list of pages to discover. It does not replace links from your menu and other pages, and it does not guarantee that a listed page will appear in search.
Three checks for the URLs you include
Use the preferred address. List the canonical version of each page you want in search, rather than every campaign or duplicate URL.
Check the destination. Open sample URLs. They should reach the intended page directly, without a sign-in screen, missing-page error or redirect to another address.
Check the page’s purpose. Include public pages you want indexed. Keep private account pages and internal search results out of this list.
Questions when checking a sitemap
Back to the dictionary.
How do I find the sitemap?
Check your website or SEO tool’s sitemap settings. The site’s robots.txt file may also name it on a line beginning with Sitemap:. Open that address. A sitemap index links to several sitemap files; follow those links to see the page URLs.
What should I do when an important page is missing?
Check that the page is published, intended for search and not excluded by your sitemap settings. Confirm its preferred address, then check the relevant child sitemap. Also link to the page from a relevant place on the website so visitors can find it.
Why is a listed page still absent from Google?
Discovery and indexing are different steps. Inspect the URL in Search Console to see the reported status, then investigate the reason shown. Repeatedly adding it to the sitemap does not fix an inaccessible page or a conflicting indexing instruction. Google explains the stages of Search.
Should I change priority or update dates to get attention?
Google ignores the sitemap’s priority and changefreq values. Keep lastmod accurate when used: it should reflect a significant page update, not a new date added to every unchanged page. See Google’s guidance on sitemap dates.
How do I make the sitemap available to Google?
You can submit its address through the Sitemaps report in Search Console, or reference it in robots.txt. Check the report for reading or processing errors. Submission is a hint, not a promise of indexing. Follow Google’s sitemap instructions.
Check a missing page or an unexpected URL
Send the sitemap address and one example page. Say whether the page is missing from the sitemap, included unexpectedly or listed but absent from search.