In the world of digital media, reaching out to customers is essential. Today’s business functions are based on the rate of optimization of content. Under such a circumstance the SEO services seek to enhance the webpage that you have. A website is a brand and the first touchpoint of a customer with your brand. That’s why an SEO Agency will do its best to make it stand out. This is where XML optimization comes in. But what is it and how does it work?
What is an XML Sitemap?
An XML sitemap refers to the list of URLs that are present on your website! This acts as a roadmap for search engines that index your page, to catalogue content. For instance, if your website has 9 pages, a search engine will need to catalogue all of them. An XML sitemap guides the search engine through its process to get the results quickly. Using optimization of XML is particularly beneficial for websites that have thousands of pages and a deep architecture. Additionally, if you frequently add and change pages or content of existing pages, it’s essential. SEO services can make the use of on-page optimization to render your website to get a higher rank!
1. Using XML tools to generate automatic sitemaps
The first step of optimizing your XML is to generate an accurate sitemap. Using the right tools for Thai endeavour is essential. Using auditing software is the best option for such a use case. Some websites which are enabled by WordPress use the Yoast SEO tool to generate a sitemap plugin that can be used directly. However, if you think this is a complex process, we’re happy to inform you that it’s not. Creating an XML sitemap can also be done in a text format. However, we recommend using a proper XML sitemap to use the full length and breadth of the hreflang attribute.
2. Submitting the sitemap to google helps leverage your website
Submitting a sitemap on Google is as simple as buying things from the grocery store. Just go to your dashboard, click on the crawl, sitemap and add your test sitemap. Check for any errors before submitting the final draft on your sitemap to Google. Ideally, the number of pages being indexed needs to be equal to the number of pages submitted. The sitemap submission helps Google to consider high-quality pages on your site. It helps Google understand how your website is laid out and the errors it may have. This gives you a better chance to fix it.
3. Prioritising high-quality pages
When undertaking an on-page SEO optimization, an SEO Agency will focus on the development of high-quality web pages. A high-quality website is highly optimized, includes images and video content, has unique content and no duplicate content, and adequately prompts user engagement. The engagement can be prompted through comments, reviews, etc.
4. Indexation problems need to be isolated
Using the Google search console is a bit cumbersome. For instance, if only 15 out of 20 submitted pages are indexed the problem with the remaining 5 are not informed to you. It holds in the case of multiple e-commerce websites. The best SEO Agency finds a workaround to this. They segregate pages based on products and then catalogue which sites aren’t getting indexed. For instance, maybe pages without video and image content aren’t catalogued. This reveals the weak links in your XML strategy.
5. Use only canonical URL versions
Multiple similar pages like product pages result in the development of redundancy in your XML. That’s why it’s recommended that you use the “link rel=canonical” tag to inform Google of the main page. It works for similar products with different specifications.
6. You can use the Robots metatag
When a business does not want a page to be indexed by google the meta robots are used. It prevents Google from indexing the page and preserves the page link at the same time. It can be used for utility pages that are needed for your website but have no usage for customers. The time you should be using ribits.txt is when you want to block pages that eat up your crawl budget. It can help you save costs.
7. Dynamic XML sitemaps
Keeping up with meta robots on large web pages is very difficult. This is why setting up rules is essential. It helps you determine when and when not a page can be included in your XML sitemap. This helps in enhancing the quality of indexing your XML. A leading SEO Agency can do this for you easily.
8. Using XML Sitemaps & RSS Feeds
The RSS or Atom is a tool that notifies search engines when updating a page or adding fresh content. Using this is recommended by Google to help search engines. It allows them to understand the pages that should be indexed and updated. It helps enhance the visibility of fresh content to search engines and visitors.
9. Modification Times should be updated while making substantial changes
Constantly updating your modification time without making any substantial changes is a risky manoeuvre. In terms of on-page SEO, it can be lethal as Google starts removing your date stamps altogether. This may cause you to lose out on indexing potential.
10. Avoid including index URLs in your XML Sitemap
This is bad for your crawl budget. By including pages you don’t need to index, you’re asking Google’s crawler to index and not index the same page. It wastes time, effort, and money as well. That’s why we advise against it.
XML Sitemap optimization may not be very difficult but the intricacies are what matter. This is why we suggest hiring yourself a premier SEO Agency to get your XML optimized. This helps you in assuring that your on-page SEO strategy is in line with the competitive requirements. Get yourself an XML sitemap and enhance your SEO strategy today! Help your brand rank higher on search results and make full use of Google’s crawling system today.
