What is XML?
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language that defines rules for encoding documents in a format both human-readable and machine-readable. In SEO, XML sitemaps help search engines discover and crawl website pages efficiently, improving indexing and search visibility.
Ecommerce SEO Glossary > Technical SEO > XML
What You Need to Know about XML
Critical for Large Sites
XML sitemaps become essential for sites with hundreds or thousands of pages, helping search engines discover deep content that might otherwise remain uncrawled and unindexed.
Prioritizes Important Pages
Sitemaps allow you to signal priority levels and update frequencies for different pages, helping search engines understand which content matters most for indexing.
Supports Multiple Content Types
Beyond standard pages, XML sitemaps can include images, videos, and news content, each with specific markup that improves discovery and rich result eligibility.
Common Implementation Mistakes
Many sites generate sitemaps that include noindexed pages, redirect chains, or low-quality URLs, sending mixed signals to search engines about what should rank.
Dynamic Generation Works Best
Static XML files quickly become outdated. Dynamic sitemap generation ensures search engines always receive current URLs without manual updates after content changes.
Strategic Submission Matters
Submitting sitemaps through Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools provides indexing data and error reports that reveal crawling issues before they impact rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions about XML
1. Do XML sitemaps directly improve rankings?
No, sitemaps don’t boost rankings directly. They improve indexing efficiency, ensuring your best pages get discovered and crawled, which indirectly supports ranking potential through better visibility.
2. Should every page be in an XML sitemap?
No. Only include indexable, canonical URLs that deliver value to searchers. Exclude thin content, duplicate pages, redirected URLs, and pages blocked by noindex directives.
3. How often should XML sitemaps update?
For sites with frequent content changes, dynamic generation updates sitemaps automatically. Otherwise, regenerate and resubmit after significant content additions, deletions, or structural changes.
4. Can you have multiple XML sitemaps?
Yes. Large sites often use sitemap index files that reference multiple sitemaps organized by content type, section, or update frequency, keeping individual files under 50MB and 50,000 URLs.
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