Sitemap

XML sitemaps list URLs you want crawlers to discover, optionally with `lastmod`, change frequency, and priority hints. They complement internal linking—they do not replace it—and should exclude noindex, authenticated, or thin duplicate pages.

					<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://example.com/docs/getting-started</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-06-01</lastmod>
  </url>
</urlset>
				

| Practice | Why | |----------|-----| | Split large sites | Sitemap index with shards under size limits | | Match indexable URLs only | Avoid wasting crawl on blocked pages | | Keep lastmod honest | False dates reduce trust | | Submit in Search Console | Surfaces fetch errors |

For JS apps, generate sitemaps at build or on a schedule from the same source of truth as routing.

On interviews: sitemap vs RSS; dynamic sitemap in Next.js; paginated sitemaps; internationalized URL entries.

Common pitfalls: listing every filter combination; including admin URLs; stale sitemap after deploy; relying on sitemap without crawlable HTML links.

The trade-off is exhaustive URL lists versus crawl budget on low-value pages.

Checklist:

• Sitemap only indexable, valuable URLs.
• Automate generation from route catalog.
• Monitor Search Console sitemap status.
• Pair with strong internal linking.