Hey everyone, I’m trying to improve my site’s XML sitemap and I could use some advice. Specifically, what are some best practices or tips to optimize my sitemap for better search engine indexing? Any suggestions are welcome!
hey, i’ve tinkered with xml sitemaps on my own sites too. i usually refresh mine every couple weeks and double-check for broken links, since i noticed it does help get pages crawled a bit faster. sometimes i even mark some pages as priority, kinda like maxpower mentioned but a bit simpler. anyone ever experimented with separating mobile content in the sitemap?
I’ve been working on optimizing XML sitemaps for a while and what really helped was automating updates. I set my CMS to regenerate the sitemap whenever I add new content, which keeps everything fresh and prevents outdated links. I also look at my pages’ performance to decide what gets into the sitemap. Sometimes, I trim down low-performing pages to give more focus to my key content, which seems to help indexing. It’s all about making sure the sitemap reflects what matters and making adjustments based on site changes over time.
I’ve had some success by keeping things as lean as possible. One thing I always do is automate my sitemap updates so that whenever I add or remove content, the sitemap reflects those changes instantly. It might sound basic, but a fresh, accurate sitemap really speeds up indexing. I also make sure that each URL’s lastmod value is updated whenever the page changes, so search engines know when to re-crawl. What I found useful is segmenting my sitemap if the site has very different sections (e.g., blog vs. shop), since that helps me monitor each area more closely in Google Search Console. Lastly, regularly scanning for duplicate URLs or pages with thin content and cleaning them out not only keeps the sitemap tidy but also helps in allocating crawl budget to the pages that really matter. Hope this helps!
I’ve experimented with XML sitemaps on my niche sites by giving a bit more love to pages that actually convert. It’s not just about listing everything—it’s about making sure search engines can quickly spot my revenue drivers. I prioritize and sometimes even exclude certain pages that don’t add value, which has helped funnel crawling power towards my key content. Curious, has anyone tried a similar approach or even A/B tested different sitemap structures? Would love to swap insights on what actually boosts those conversion numbers. 
I’ve found that a well-optimized sitemap does more than just help search engines—it can actually drive revenue if you use it smartly. For example, I recently tweaked my sitemap to ensure that pages with affiliate offers get prioritized, so when crawlers index my site, they’re seeing the content that really boosts conversions. It’s a bit of a balancing act between good SEO practices and making sure the pages that bring in money are in the spotlight. Has anyone else aligned their sitemap with pages that are proven revenue drivers? Would love to hear if this strategy worked for you or if you’ve tried any similar tweaks! 