What is an XML sitemap?
The major search engines have joined forces to establish the same protocol allowing you to send them a complete list of your website's pages.
This protocol relies on the creation of XML files.
In this kind of file, it is possible to indicate a set of information relating to each URL in addition to your URLs. Here are some examples:
- The date of the last modification of the file
- Probable frequency of modification
- Priority of the URL over the other pages of the website
Please note that there are several types of sitemap files:
- Sitemap index files,
- Mobile sitemap,
- News sitemap or
- Sitemap for videos
- etc.
It is even possible to propose images to illustrate some files.
You will find all the specifications of this format that has become a standard on the following website: http://sitemaps.org
