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When is an XML sitemap useful for SEO?
Here’s where the XML sitemap is really useful to SEOs: when you’re submitting a bunch of pages to Google for indexing, and only some of them are actually getting indexed. Google Search Console won’t tell you which pages they’re indexing, only an overall number indexed in each XML sitemap.
How to create an XML sitemap in WordPress?
To create one, you need to use a plugin like Yoast SEO. To install Yoast SEO, login to your WordPress dashboard. Go to Plugins > Add New. Search for “Yoast SEO .” Hit “Install now” on the first result, then “Activate.” Go to SEO > General > Features.
How to submit an XML sitemap to Google?
Go to Google Search Console > Sitemaps > paste in sitemap location > hit “Submit”
What should be included in a sitemap file?
A sitemap is an XML file listing all the important content on your website. Any page or file that you want to show up in search engines should be in your sitemap.
How can I Check my HTML sitemap for SEO?
Check the page views of your HTML sitemap in Google Analytics. Chances are, it’s very low. If not, it’s a good indication that you need to improve your website navigation. HTML sitemaps are generally linked in website footers. Taking link equity from every single page of your website.
Are there any misconceptions about XML Sitemaps?
In all my years of SEO consulting, I’ve seen many clients with wild misconceptions about XML sitemaps. They’re a powerful tool, for sure — but like any power tool, a little training and background on how all the bits work goes a long ways. Probably the most common misconception is that the XML sitemap helps get your pages indexed.
Can you ask Google to index an XML sitemap?
Pointing Google at a page and asking them to index it doesn’t really factor into it. Having said that, it is important to note that by submitting an XML sitemap to Google Search Console, you’re giving Google a clue that you consider the pages in the XML sitemap to be good-quality search landing pages, worthy of indexation.
When do you make a mistake in an XML sitemap?
One of the most common mistakes I see clients make is to lack consistency in the messaging to Google about a given page. If you block a page in robots.txt and then include it in an XML sitemap, you’re being a tease. “Here, Google… a nice, juicy page you really ought to index,” your sitemap says.
Why does Google not use an XML sitemap?
On average, your site is pretty sucky; Google probably doesn’t want to send users to a site like that. Remember, Google is going to use what you submit in your XML sitemap as a clue to what’s probably important on your site. But just because it’s not in your XML sitemap doesn’t necessarily mean that Google will ignore those pages.
Can you block a page in an XML sitemap?
If you block a page in robots.txt and then include it in an XML sitemap, you’re being a tease. “Here, Google… a nice, juicy page you really ought to index,” your sitemap says. But then your robots.txt takes it away. Same thing with meta robots: Don’t include a page in an XML sitemap and then set meta robots “noindex,follow.”