Give Search Engines a Roadmap to Your Most Important Content

A properly structured XML sitemap tells Google which pages matter most, when they were last updated, and how they relate to each other -- accelerating indexation and crawl efficiency.

90.63%

of content gets no traffic from Google -- and for many of those pages, the issue starts with incomplete sitemap coverage that prevents Google from discovering them

Ahrefs, 2023

XML Sitemap Optimization

Creation and optimization of XML sitemaps that ensure complete discovery of your important pages, eliminate bloat from low-value URLs, and signal crawl priority to search engines.
Scrabble tiles spelling SEO Audit on wooden surface, symbolizing digital marketing strategies.

What's Included

Everything you get with our XML Sitemap Optimization

Sitemap Audit & Cleanup

Full audit of existing sitemaps to identify bloat, broken URLs, non-indexable pages, and missing high-value URLs that should be included

Strategic Sitemap Architecture

Segmented sitemaps organized by content type (products, blog posts, service pages, locations) with accurate lastmod dates and proper index sitemap structure

Submission & Monitoring

Proper sitemap submission through Search Console and robots.txt, with ongoing monitoring of indexation coverage and sitemap processing status

Our XML Sitemap Optimization Process

1

Current Sitemap Audit

We analyze your existing sitemaps for bloat (non-indexable URLs, redirects, 404s), missing pages (high-value URLs not included), structural issues (exceeding URL limits, improper nesting), and accuracy (lastmod dates that do not match actual content changes).

2

Strategic Sitemap Design

We design a sitemap architecture segmented by content type: one sitemap for products, one for blog posts, one for service pages, etc. This enables granular monitoring of indexation by content category and makes ongoing maintenance straightforward.

3

Implementation & Submission

New sitemaps are generated (dynamically via CMS or as managed static files), referenced in robots.txt, and submitted through Google Search Console. We verify that all sitemaps are processing correctly and that Google is discovering the intended URLs.

4

Indexation Monitoring & Maintenance

We track indexation coverage per sitemap segment, monitor for processing errors, and update sitemaps as your site's content changes. Monthly reports show indexation trends and flag any pages that are submitted but not indexed.

Key Benefits

Higher indexation coverage of your important pages

A clean sitemap that includes only your valuable, indexable pages tells Google exactly what to crawl. This is especially impactful for large sites where significant portions of content may be undiscovered or falling out of the index.

Faster discovery of new and updated content

Accurate lastmod dates in your sitemap signal to Google when content has changed, prompting re-crawls of updated pages. New pages added to the sitemap are discovered faster than those relying on internal link crawling alone.

Better crawl budget allocation

Removing low-value URLs from your sitemap and focusing on high-priority pages helps Google allocate its crawl budget more efficiently. This works in tandem with robots.txt and internal linking to direct crawler attention where it counts.

Research & Evidence

Backed by industry research and proven results

Daily Search Volume

With 8.5 billion daily searches, Google needs efficient signals to allocate crawl resources -- XML sitemaps serve as the primary discovery mechanism

Google (2024)

First Page Click Capture

75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results, making it critical that your important pages are indexed and ranking rather than lost due to sitemap gaps

HubSpot (2023)

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my site even need a sitemap?

Small sites (under 500 pages) with good internal linking may not strictly need one. But sitemaps provide benefits for any site: faster discovery of new pages, signaling content freshness via lastmod, and giving you indexation data in Search Console. For sites with 1,000+ pages, sitemaps are essential.

Should my sitemap include every page on my site?

No. Your sitemap should only include pages you want indexed: canonical, indexable, high-value URLs. Including non-indexable pages (noindex, redirected, low-quality) dilutes crawl priority and clutters your Search Console data. We audit and clean your sitemap to include only what should rank.

How often should sitemaps be updated?

Ideally, sitemaps should update dynamically as content is added, updated, or removed. If your CMS generates sitemaps automatically, we ensure it does so correctly. For static sitemaps, we establish a regular update schedule aligned with your content publishing cadence.

What is a sitemap index and do I need one?

A sitemap index is a master file that references multiple individual sitemaps. It is required when your site has more than 50,000 URLs or when sitemaps exceed 50MB. Even for smaller sites, we recommend sitemap indexes because they allow segmentation by content type, which makes monitoring and debugging much easier.

Get Your Sitemap Working as a Strategic SEO Asset

Audit your current sitemap for bloat and gaps, then implement a clean, segmented sitemap architecture that maximizes indexation coverage.